Aquatics has a long history in Manchester. The Victoria Baths were a showpiece - a 'water palace' back in 1906. The complex comprised a Turkish bath and three swimming pools. Later, the city added a sauna and the country's first public jacuzzi.
And then, it all shut down - for lack of funding, most likely. Certainly not for lack of interest. As soon as the facility closed its doors, the Friends of Victoria Baths sprang into action. Over time, their efforts snowballed into a multipronged restoration effort.
But Manchester's swimming roots go back even further. Manchester established its first swimming club in 1885 and interest in water sports has not waned since then. To wit, the 2002 Commonwealth Games conducted aquatics sports in Manchester.
What does this all mean for the average Mancunian looking for swimming lessons? At the very least, the Greater Manchester Area doesn't lack swimming facilities. But also, the city is home to hordes of water sports devotees, many of them keen to share their passion and impart their skills.
As we rambled around Manchester, we had no trouble finding swimming lessons for:
- beginner swimmers of all ages
- baby and adult swimmers
- adults-only course seekers
- swimmers seeking private instruction
All over the United Kingdom (UK), people have come to realise that swimming isn't just a fun pastime or a healthy undertaking. Aquatic skills are life skills, as important as decision-making and being able to cope with stress - which swimming is great for. We put together this guide to Manchester's best swimming classes and clubs so you can find the swimming lessons you want.
Adult Swimming Lessons Manchester
In our article's introduction, we touched on Manchester's long love affair with aquatics. Glasgow has a claim on water sports, too. Did you know that Glesga's Arlington Baths Club predates our Victoria Baths? That's where most people believe water polo was born.
But there's no shame in our history of swimming. It's a tradition we still carry, judging by the number of swimming lessons on offer. Swimming Matters makes that case succinctly. According to them, if you want to get/be fit, maintain your health and build endurance, you should learn how to swim.
Swimming Matters instructors specialise in the front crawl. They offer technique sessions for adult swimmers who've not yet mastered this stroke. Instructors invite groups of 10 intermediate swimmers to perfect their strokes. This course expects students to be able to swim 50 metres with any stroke.
If you're a beginner swimmer, you might keep Swimming Matters on the back burner and find basic lessons. Trafford Leisure offers a range of classes for grownups, from building water confidence to learning basic strokes and skills. Once you've mastered those, you may work to build endurance and improve your stroke technique.
The Manchester City Council promotes swimming as a leisure and health activity. Seniors aged 60 and over may swim for free in any of the council's pools; the same goes for children under 16. Both groups are limited to general swim hours and must register at the pool of their choice. The Council also offers aquatic classes for fitness and health.
Adult and Baby Swimming Lessons Manchester
Mancunian swim masters all agree that a swimmer can never be too young to learn about the water. Splash Stars takes the lead on this idea by welcoming swimmers from birth to 11 years. As soon as your infant has a bit of muscle control and coordination, Splash instructors start teaching them the moves. No armbands or other flotation devices are allowed; even the youngest students learn water competence from the start.
Aqua Babies also puts its pools where its ethos is, welcoming parents and babies as young as a couple of weeks old. To be sure, it will take a long time for that young a swimmer to master the breaststroke. But they learn the feel of the water gliding over their bodies and its pressure on their limbs.
Anyone who's ever bathed a baby knows how much those tiny humans hate having their heads rinsed. Even done as gently as possible, it's unexpected and frightening to them. Aqua Babies helps made baby bath time more relaxing by helping babies get used to water pouring on them.
Aqua Babies has been making babies comfortable in the water for nearly 25 years but Puddle Ducks rivals their record. The Ducks welcome swim students from birth to 10 years old. Ducks follows the Swim Academy programme Levels 1 through 6. And they make their lessons available throughout the Greater Manchester Area as well as surrounding towns.
Other towns and cities across the UK are more renowned for other sports. That doesn't mean they have no swimming legacy to brag about. For instance, Birmingham's aquatic facilities are older than ours. The University of Birmingham is famous for training some of the UK's most promising competitive swimmers.
Private Swimming Lessons Manchester
All of the organisations mentioned so far offer group as well as one-to-one swimming lessons. In this section, we feature only pools and facilities that offer private swimming lessons. Swim Now is the best place to start.
Swim Now is a franchised company headquartered in Scarborough, with instructors around the UK, including at several pools in and around Manchester. First, your swim coach will talk with you to find out what level of swimmer you are. And then, they will design a programme to meet your needs and goals.
You may be an absolute beginner or just looking to improve your stroke technique. On the other hand, you might decide to swim competitively. In that case, you need a coach who can help you build stamina and show you how to conserve energy as you swim.
If you're looking for posher lessons, consider Turner Swim in Worsley. All of Turner's adult lessons are one-to-one with experienced coach and former competitive swimmer, Katie. Turner contends that adults all have learning preferences/styles so Katie will build your lessons around your needs.
Waterside Leisure Club is a members-only facility that offers private swimming lessons as well as parent and baby swimming lessons. Their baby programme has all the components to grow babies' water confidence but private lessons are where these instructors shine. Waterside swim coaches have developed a system to help students keep track of their lengths and measure improvements in their technique.
But not everyone is after posh when quality and effectiveness are what count when it comes to swimming lessons. If you happen to be anywhere around Manchester Printworks, you might turn to Nuffield Health Gym for such swimming classes. Nuffield offers group lessons but their one-to-one and two-to-one plans caught our eye.
First, these lessons are cost-effective - Nuffield bundles their lessons to save their swimmers money. They're also targeted. Private-class swimmers spend 30 minutes per session with their instructor. This helps prevent exhaustion while still leaving you with enough energy to practise your new skills on your own.
Private swimming lessons Manchester rival those on offer in London - even if the Big Smoke isn't famous for its swimming culture. Indeed, this is another area where Mancunians take the lead over Londoners. Still, it's nice to know that, all across the UK, people seeking swimming lessons are well served.
Swimming Lessons to Build Self-Confidence
Trafford Leisure impressed us with their Alpha Disability lessons. They are designed for children with special circumstances and/or additional needs. Note that to afford every child the chance to learn how to swim, they limit their programme access. If your child progresses such that they are able to swim 50 metres, unaided, that feat marks the end of their programme participation.
Otherwise, Trafford caps participation in their Alpha programme at 18 months. That should be plenty of time for your child to learn basic water skills. And you may continue with private swimming lessons or seek another programme, if you want.
For children between 5-16 years old, MCRactive has resumed its swimming programmes. MCRactive swim instructors teach at six community pools across Manchester. Their web page lists which facilities and what you need to know about each one before signing your child up for swimming lessons.
While touring swimming facilities in Leeds, we spoke with several swimming class participants. They all gushed about how energised and empowered they feel after every lesson. They couldn't get over how learning aquatic skills has boosted their self-confidence! Theirs is a typical response to the benefits of swimming.
Safe Splash Swim School knows that feeling well. The instructors have developed a comprehensive programme to take kids from infant and toddler swimming lessons to mastering advanced aquatic techniques. These coaches teach in small numbers, with students grouped by age and ability.
Our tour of aquatic venues and swimming lessons in Manchester left us convinced that Mancunians lack nothing aquatics-related. The people we talked with impressed upon us that water safety and skills are paramount in their swimming education. As drowning is the leading cause of tragedy for the four-and-under demographic, we found that emphasis comforting.
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