If you ask people about their first experiences with swimming, most everyone can recall his or her first time in the water. Some remember learning how to swim at a local recreation center while others learned in a neighbor’s pool. Some may even tell you, “My uncle just tossed me in the lake and said swim!”
With warmer weather on the horizon, now is the time to train the non-swimmers in your family. “The goal with swim instruction is to enable a lifetime of water safety by teaching the joy and skill of swimming,” said Dan Real, owner of SafeSplash + SwimLabs Swim School.
Safety is #1
Real says that children as young as six months of age can take lessons at his school. Swimming skills taught early can save lives. Swim World Magazine reports that children taking swimming lessons by the age of four reduces drowning risk by 88 percent.
What happens at swim school?
Swimming classes vary throughout the city. You can choose group or private instruction. The key is to do a little research online and then visit the school of your choice. For example, Real’s SafeSplash + SwimLabs Swim School at 101st and Memorial provides a range of lessons including private, semi-private and group instruction with no more than four students per class. There are also classes for adults, individuals with disabilities, and advanced training for triathletes and other elite swimmers. Their instruction includes four basic swimming strokes along with competition-style techniques.
Bubbles to butterfly
SafeSplash + SwimLabs has a full-size indoor swimming pool and two small warm-water pools for swimmers to learn in a personalized setting. In addition to SafeSplash's learn-to-swim program, SwimLabs' poolside cameras and mirrors capture 360-degree views of each stroke. Poolside video analysis provides swimmers with instant feedback while displaying strokes side-by-side with the world's best athletes to help students become more efficient and faster in the water.
To get a jump on summer, SafeSplash is offering a 20 percent discount on the first eight weeks of swim school by calling 918-221-8587. Find them online at SafeSplash.com or SwimLabs.com.