Most experts consider swimming a high-benefit, low-impact sport. Swimming is beneficial because it works the heart and the rest of your muscles; it's a bit like resistance training. It's low-impact because the water absorbs any shocks to your spine or joints.
It's no surprise that runners often pair their training with swimming; the workouts complement each other. Running and swimming build endurance and joint/muscle strength. As running stresses the body's joints and the spine, swimming helps to ease that stress and speeds up repairs.
In Birmingham, swimming is a 'secondary' sport. Football, rugby and even American football all capture a greater share of Brummie's attention. But Birmingham's favourite sports are precisely those that could quickly lead to injury if not for swimming's healing benefits.
Of course, not everyone in Birmingham is a runner, nor does everyone practise some sort of high-impact activity. Still, swimming lessons abound in this city, and they're a great way to tone up and have fun. Are you looking for swimming lessons, too? To put this guide together, Superprof floated around town to find:
- adult and baby swim classes
- swimming lessons for beginner and intermediate swimmers
- adult-only swim classes
- private swimming lessons
Just a note before we start. though. When we said that swimming is secondary in Birmingham, we meant it tongue-in-cheek. We know that the University of Birmingham turns out the country's best competitive swimmers. The city also boasts one of the United Kingdom's (UK's) best water polo teams. By the way, did you know that particular water sport got its start in Glasgow?
Swimming Classes Birmingham
Besides being high-benefit and low-impact, swimming is a life skill. Knowing how to swim and practising water safety is as critical as sound decision-making and knowing how to manage money. As climate change-induced flooding happens more often, having aquatic skills may help you save lives.
That's one reason why the Birmingham City Council funds their Strokes for Life swimming programmes. Strokes for Life teaches adults and children how to swim as well as water safety throughout the year. The programme is ongoing save for a two-week break for the Christmas holidays.
Strokes for Life requests that class participants pay for 10 weeks of lessons in advance; they must furnish a leisure card to book their lessons. Also, if the swimmer has any special needs, medical or health conditions, they must notify reception when they book their classes. The Birmingham City Council lists all of the facilities where you might take part in these courses.
The University of Birmingham isn't just renowned for turning out competitive swimmers. Its state-of-the-art aquatics centre also offers swimming lessons to children and adult swimmers. These swim coaches don't limit themselves to teaching people how to swim; they also lead aqua classes. We were most impressed with their Aqua Natal programme designed for mums-to-be.
Birmingham has its fair share of swimming clubs and free pools. Indeed, Brummies enjoy about the same bounty as swimmers in Leeds. From our outside perspective, choosing which swimming lessons to sign up for must be hard. All the offerings are so generous!
Baby Swimming Lessons Birmingham
You might wonder why baby swimming lessons Birmingham abound. After all, babies hardly have the coordination to swim or the mental development to understand instruction. Those are requirements for standard swimming lessons. Babies get a different treatment.
An adult 'swims' with the baby at all times. The baby doesn't actually do any swimming; the time spent in the pool is to get babies used to the feel and pressure of the water on their bodies. Babies build their strength as they kick and splash against the water with their adult partners supporting them. Mum and Dad can take turns being in the water with them to enhance the parent-child bond.
Nobody has drilled their baby swimming programme down to the finest details than Water Babies. This franchise company has six venues to engage baby and adult swimmers in and around Birmingham. Each class is 30 minutes long and class size is limited to 10 babies and their adult partners.
All over the UK, the demand for swimming lessons seems highest for adult and baby swimming classes. We could list a few more good reasons to explain that phenomenon but maybe that's a conversation for another day. For now, suffice it to say that you have your choice of baby swimming lessons Birmingham.
Adult Swimming Lessons Birmingham
Search engine statistics show that lots of people ask whether 40 is too old to learn how to swim. To set the record straight, 40 isn't too old to learn anything new, including a new language or a practical skill like cooking. Where swimming is concerned, middle-agers may benefit the most from learning how to swim.
That particular demographic may as well be called the Sandwich Generation, caught as they are between elderly parents and adolescent/adult children. Add to that the stress of full-time work, taking care of everyone and their own aches and pains... It's no wonder that these Sandwichers would seek stress relief and fitness initiatives.
Birmingham makes adult swimming classes widely available. Besides the swimming lessons the Council offers, swimmers may choose from posh fitness club surroundings or commercial venues. S4 Swim School is one such concern; you can find S4 swim classes throughout Birmingham and surrounding regions.
S4 Swim School has lessons available for swimmers as young as three through adult. They stagger their programme schedule so swimmers of all ages have access during daytime hours. You may further choose whether you want your swimming lessons targeted at aquatic skills or more for endurance building.
The University of Birmingham isn't the only campus to offer swimming lessons. You can also find adult swimming classes at Aston University. These classes are open to beginners and improvers alike; Aston's swim programme limits group sizes to 12 participants. These classes make for a nice after-dinner getaway from the kids; beginner lessons run from 7:30 to 8:15 PM.
Of all the swimming programmes we visited, Manchester seemed to have the highest ratio of adults-only swimming classes. Some of them were in quite posh locations, too. Many were in high-end facilities, complete with ladies-only facilities. We ran across more than one women-only spa Birmingham, as well.
Better.org captured our attention on this point. In Birmingham and all around the UK, Better follows England's This Girl Can campaign. Though Better, you can find women-only swimming classes along with a host of other fitness and wellness initiatives. To find one of their facilities near you, you should register on their website and enter your postcode.
Many private swim clubs offer women-only swim lessons, too. Places Leisure offers a full range of aquatic activities, from aquatic classes to ladies-only swim sessions. You may even take a women-only lifeguard course if you have strong swimming skills. As of this writing, Places doesn't offer ladies-only aquatics classes, though.
Private Swimming Lessons Birmingham
For some people, private swimming lessons work better than group lessons in the pool. People who are neurodiverse, for instance, or those a bit shy about how they look in swimwear. Second Nature Swimming is in tune with these swimmers' needs and they do their utmost to see that they're met.
Some people fear the water. For them, drowning is a likelihood, not a possibility they could de-risk with training. Second Nature has a track record of helping such aquaphobes meet their fears head-on and overcome them. Along the way, these new swim enthusiasts develop new self-confidence.
Swimming isn't only about facing the water and mastering the strokes. It's also about being confident in your skills and abilities, and pushing yourself to do one more lap. For those on the doubtful side, private swimming lessons can help ease those fears faster.
Swim Now swim coaches also have what it takes to coax reluctant swimmers into their best lap times. Swim Now welcomes water athletes at the beginner stage and those who want to improve their stroke technique. Like many private swimming instructors, Swim Now coaches know that everyone has their own swimming goals.
That's why your Swim Now coach will first ask you why you want to learn how to swim and what your focus is. You may first want to build water confidence and then work on your stroke technique. Or, if you're already past the swimming basics, you may need help building endurance.
Nuffield Health offers one-to-one swimming lessons as well as group lessons; all of their instructors are Swim England-qualified. If you're close to the Birmingham Central Fitness and Well-being Gym, you may ask about their private swim lessons. We liked that they afford swimmers a discount if they pay for bundled lessons.
Where swimming lessons are concerned, Brummies are like Londoners; they seem to prefer taking private swimming lessons. There's nothing wrong with that; fortunately, such lessons abound in Birmingham, as we've discovered. This list will help you find swimming lessons tailored to your needs and goals. All that's left is to wish you lots of fun!
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