This FAQs page will answer the most common questions people ask us about swim lessons.
Have a pool?
Unfortunately, we do not have a pool or access to a pool. The pool must be provided by the customer.
Do you give lessons at public pools?
No. They have their own swim programs they want you to use and/or they want to save space for public use and not have their lanes filled with private swim lessons.
Do you give lessons at apartment pools?
Yes. If you live in an apartment or condo with access to a pool, we are happy to teach swim lessons there.
What do you do for families that do not have pool?
If you don’t have a pool, we recommend finding a friend that has a pool and also needs swim lessons. We give discounts when instructors are at homes for longer amounts of times and when students pair up to take lessons together. So your friend may appreciate someone to take swim lessons with.
Ages? Adults?
We teach students ages 2 to adult.
What if my child is under age 2?
Thank you for your interest in swimming lessons. Currently we only offer instructional lessons which are designed for students ages 2 and up. We hope to serve you after your child turns 2. Until then, here is a video of some activities you can practice with your child in the bathtub.
Method? Instructors?
Please see our levels page for a look at the methods we use. Please see our about page to find out more about each swim instructor.
Intensive or weekly lessons?
We are happy to do either one, as long as scheduling allows it.
Most companies promote intensive programs because students are less likely to cancel lessons than when they are spread out. For the customer, these programs are also good if you have a soon approaching trip to prepare for. However, many students learn a lot during their intensive week, and then neglect to swim during the following months and forget what they learned. For that reason, we recommend taking lessons two or three times a week and practicing in between each lesson.
How many lessons?
We recommend starting with 5 hours worth of swim lessons. Depending on how long the lessons are, that breaks down to…
- 20 15min lessons (appropriate for students ages 2 and 3)
- 10 30min lessons (appropriate for students ages 2 to adult)
- 7 45min lessons (appropriate for students ages 4 to adult)
- 5 60min lessons (appropriate for ages 6 to adult)
Every student learns at a different rate. This is where our average student who does what the swim instructor asks is at at the end of 5 hours of lessons…
- age 2: can swim 6 feet or width of a backyard pool
- age 3: can swim 24 feet or length of a backyard pool
- age 4: can swim 48 feet or to the deep end and back
- age 5 to adult: varies depending on athleticism and courage
Time length for lessons?
The longer the lessons, the more students will learn in the lessons. Our lessons keep student attention longer than other companies because we teach students a variety of skills (e.g. swimming on their stomachs AND swimming on their backs), instead of only focusing on one skill for an entire lesson. However, there is still a limit to how long younger students can spend learning in the water. These are the time lengths we recommend for students of various ages:
- age 2: 15 minutes or 30 minutes
- age 3: 30 minutes
- age 4: 30 minutes or 45 minutes
- age 5: 30 minutes or 45 minutes
- age 6 to adult: 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 60 minutes
Group lessons?
While we offer semi-private lessons, as in two students can take a lesson together, we do not teach more than two students at a time for safety reasons. (Unlike at public pools, we do not have a lifeguard on duty to help the instructor monitor students.)
It is common for multiple families to coordinate lessons together, but we do not bill families separately. One parent must sign up and pay for the entire day of lessons at once. The only exception is if you have a large group of 3+ hours worth of students taking lessons. If that’s you, we have a special process for large groups that you can read about by clicking here.
Ideal pool temperature?
For preschool swim lessons, the ideal pool temperature is 90 degrees. Yes, it will feel like a bathtub at this temperature. The temperature your child feels most comfortable in the bathtub is the same temperature your child feels most comfortable in the pool. Warm students are more cooperative and learn faster.
Pool temperatures in the 80s are ok if children are swimming laps or are wearing wetsuits. Make sure the wetsuits are made from neoprene. Neoprene wetsuits keep students warm, while polyester wetsuits and rash guards only help protect students from the sun. For more about wetsuits, please read the following section.
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One thing you can do if you don’t have a pool heater, or would like to lower your heating bill, is to put a pool cover on your pool. The old-school bubbled plastic ones (solar pool covers) work well, and can get a non-heated pool up to 90 degrees! However, electric ones are less of a hassle. Even if you don’t have a rectangle shaped pool, you can still buy an electric pool cover. Electric pool covers also help prevent children from falling in the pool.
What to bring?
Instructors come with all the equipment they need to teach swim lessons.
However, sometimes students like using their own googles. When buying googles, try to get ones with a lot of cushioning around the eyes. There are a lot of variations within brands, so there’s not one brand that’s always best.
Also, wetsuits are great for cold pools, cold days, and kids that don’t have any body fat! The place with the biggest selection is Dive ‘n’ Surf in Redondo Beach, but they don’t carry toddler sizes. For toddler wetsuits, we recommend the brand O’Neil which you can find online. If you buy them online, make sure they are made out of neoprene. (Polyester ones protect kid from the sun, but don’t provide any warmth.) Most students do well with spring wetsuits that have short sleeves and legs, but some kids need the long sleeves and legs.
For adults, we recommend a neoprene rash guard to keep you warm. Polyester rash guards protect you from the sun and won’t keep you warm. Marci wears a neoprene rash guard to every lesson, because it makes that much of a difference! Sometimes she even adds neoprene pants.
Students with disabilities/autism?
Yes! The disability we have the most experience with is autism. In general, these students learn swimming at the rate of a neurotypical student one or two years younger than them. The biggest challenge for these students is the sensory issues associated with having to put their face in the water and submerge under water. To be honest, this is the biggest challenge for most of our students have, even adults. The only way to get used to doing this is to do it. There’s going to be a few tough lessons. However, after students go under water enough times, all students, even those on the spectrum, do get used to it and grow to like swimming.
Please note, we teach instructional swimming, so most lessons will include going underwater. We have used our swim instruction method to teach many students with disabilities, especially students on the spectrum. However, if you, or your child’s therapist, do not think that your child is ready to be submersed in the water, we recommend looking for a swim company that has a focus on playing in the water for now.
COVID precautions?
We teach our swim lessons outside, which minimizes the risk of spreading COVID. We are no long wearing masks, face shields, or checking the vaccination status of instructors.
Junior lifeguard prep?
To prepare for your child to pass the LA County Junior Lifeguard test, he or she will need to enroll in a program that uses a 25 yard/meter pool. These pools are probably not in your backyard or apartment complex. For that reason, we have compiled a list of programs (e.g. swim teams) you can enroll your child in, so they can get experience swimming longer distances. Many of those larger pool programs have try-outs that we can prepare your child for.
That’s it for FAQs. It’s time to book a lesson!
Please visit our home page to find out which instructors are available in your area and to use the online booking system.
If your question wasn’t answered on this page of FAQs, please email your question to Booking@RegalLessons.com.
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