No matter what you want to learn to do, there are often two things you need: time and money. With swimming, it's rarely any different, but there are options out there to learn how to swim for free or at least very little.
Before we look at some of the ways to get free swimming lessons, let's see why you should learn how to swim, when you should start, and how long it should take. Then, we'll answer how much it could cost, whether or not you have to learn how to swim, and look at some of the initiatives across the country and the free ways you can learn how to swim.
Why You Should Learn to Swim
There are plenty of good reasons to swim, but the most useful and obvious reason is that it could save your life. Even if you're not near large bodies of water very often, being comfortable in the water can help.
Here is where to discover the best swimming lessons near me in Australia
Swimming can also save your life in other ways as it's a really good form of exercise. Swimming almost every part of your body, but it's also a low-impact activity, which means that you're unlikely to sustain injuries by doing it.
Swimming is also fun and can open up a world of related activities that you wouldn't be able to do without knowing how to swim. If you want to take up surfing, paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking, polo, or any other watersport, it's certainly recommended that you learn how to swim.
What Is the Best Age to Start Swimming Lessons?
No matter what age you are, now is the best age to start learning to swim. If you're wondering about what age your children can learn how to swim, you can get them acquainted with water as early as six months, but really learning to swim shouldn't take place until they're at least 1 year old.
Between the ages of 1 and 4 is considered ideal, but there isn't a point of no return with swimming and adults all the way into later life can take up swimming for the reasons we mentioned earlier.
Children tend to pick up new skills more quickly because of the way our brains are at a young age, but that doesn't mean adults can't learn new skills, either. In fact, adults have an advantage in some ways since our comprehension is better so we can have more complex concepts explained to us and understand them more rapidly.
In either case, both adults and children have the hurdle to get over of feeling comfortable in the water, something which can be more problematic for adults if they've spent their whole lives avoiding it.
How Long Does It Take Adults to Learn How to Swim?
Everybody's different so there'll never be a perfect number to describe how long it takes to learn how to swim, but there are some pretty good estimates out there based on the average time taken.
Some estimates suggest that learning to swim takes between 20 and 25 hours of private swimming instruction. With group lessons, this number should increase as not every minute of the session will be spent focusing on you.
There are also a lot of factors that can affect this number such as your familiarity with water, your health, your fitness, your age, and the frequency of the lessons. Generally, little and often is the best way to learn and you can easily learn how to swim in a matter of weeks if you go for about an hour every day.
Can You Teach Yourself How to Swim?
If you're adamant that you don't want to pay for swimming lessons, you may have considered teaching yourself how to swim. Lots of people teach themselves new skills all the time, but learning to play a musical instrument or speak a new language doesn't come with a risk of drowning.
Teaching yourself how to swim is certainly possible, but even then, you should always be supervised and not just by the lifeguard on duty at your local pool.
If you've made your mind up that you're going to teach yourself to swim, then you should go with a friend or family member who's a confident swimmer and stick to the beginner pools or the shallow end of the pool.
What Is Learn2Swim Week?
A great way for young children to learn to swim for free is through Learn2Swim week, an initiative that offers free lessons for kids under 5.
Learn2Swim week normally takes place towards the end of September and the beginning of October and is also a national water safety campaign.
Various swim schools across the country can partner with Learn2Swim Week to offer children under five a free swimming lesson, which is both great for kids who want to learn how to swim and also an excellent way to save lives.
The easiest way to find out if your local pool is participating is by asking them or by going to the Learn2Swim Week website. You can find nearby swim schools and see if they're offering free lessons.
Find a private swim instructor for swimming lessons on Superprof!
How Do You Get a Swimming Voucher?
Another initiative to help children learn how to swim is through swim vouchers. There are initiatives from state governments that offer “Learn to Swim” vouchers to children.
In the Northern Territory's Learn to Swim program, children can receive two $100 Learn to Swim vouchers. For this program, they need to be registered with the Royal Life Saving Society's water safety awareness program.
In New South Wales, the program is called “First Lap” and a $100 voucher is offered to the parents, guardians, or carers of children aged between 3 and 6 who aren't enrolled in school. You can find the First Lap learn to swim vouchers on the NSW Government website.
The Queensland Government program is called Fair Play vouchers (previously Get Started) and offers vouchers up to $150 for various activities, including swimming. Check that the club is registered to accept Fair Play vouchers.
Wherever you live, there are plenty of programs and initiatives for free swimming lessons for children so speak to your local government and they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Other Ways to Learn How to Swim
For quite a few of you, you may just have to bite the bullet and pay for swimming lessons. Fortunately, there are lots of options out there for all budgets.
Learning to Swim with Swimming Lessons
This is often the cheapest and most obvious way to learn how to swim. If you go to your local swimming pool or leisure centre, you should be able to find group classes for all ages.
These are generally cheaper than private swimming lessons because every attendee is sharing the cost of the instructor's time and expertise.
As these lessons are in groups, though, you can expect to learn more slowly than you would with a dedicated swimming instructor. Fortunately, for absolute beginners, it's very common for lessons to be for small groups of 4 to 6 people for safety reasons.
The cost for these kinds of swimming lessons will depend on where you live and who's teaching them, but generally, estimates place them at somewhere between $15 and $30.
There are often ways to reduce the cost of lessons, especially if you have a membership to the pool, leisure centre, or gym.
Learning to Swim with Private Swimming Lessons
If you want to learn how to swim more quickly and are willing to pay extra for it, private swimming lessons are an excellent option.
While private lessons and tutoring were once just an option for wealthy families, the democratisation of the industry means that there are now instructors out there for all budgets.
You should remember that you get what you pay for, though, and the very best instructors will be in-demand and likely charge a premium for their services.
To save money on private swimming lessons, you can either go as a small group or work with somebody just starting out as an instructor.
You can find swimming instructors online through tutoring and coaching platforms and sort them by location, how their other customers rated them, and by how much they charge.
So Can You Learn to Swim for Free?
As you've seen, there are free options out there, but most of the free options are for young children looking to learn how to swim. If you're an adult looking for swimming lessons, it's more likely that you're going to have to pay for them.
You may be able to get a free lesson or two to get you started but to become a confident swimmer, it's probably in your best interest that you pay for your lessons.
Find swimming lessons here on Superprof.
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