Coach Duane's Pool School

Six Reasons to Swim this Winter:
1. Virgin Active pools stay heated to 28 degrees throughout the winter.
2. If you stay active, you stay healthy. Exercise is key for a healthy immune system.
3. You raise the endorphins to boost your brain’s positivity and your body’s activity.
4. You ward off the winter blues as swimming is a great anxiety reliever and help reduce depression in adults and kids.
5. Swimming is a total body workout and burn those winter calories.
6. If you come swim at the right time to Virgin Active’s Faerie Glen pool you can catch a super sun-drenched swim even in winter.

So lucky to be coaching at a pool with a view - where even the sunset doesn’t have to go unnoticed.

As a former provincial gymnast and competitive kettlebeller, I’m a keen adult swimmer who competed in several masters swimming galas and completed open water mile events all over the country.

In accordance with SSA LTS principals and Virgin Active rules I have all the professional qualifications required by law in order to perform swim coaching services and keep seeking ways of increasing my professional development. I have also had multiple prospective LTS instructors log training hours with me.

In 2010 I started coaching learn-to-swim (LTS) at Virgin Active Centurion for Pam Reynecke. From then on I gained tremendous experience by coaching hundreds of kids and adults at Virgin Active Eco Park, VA – The Reeds and also at VA Parkview with Stefan Cloete. Before coming to VA Faerie Glen, I coached for 5-and-a-half-years at Virgin Active Hazeldean.

My swim coach career started out in 2006 as a writer for Swimming South Africa (SSA) writing press releases, newsletters and swim articles for the local press and swimming and coaching fraternity. As ghost writer for the then president of SSA, I also wrote several articles on prominent SA swimmers for the international FINA World Magazine.

Tips on what to buy for swimming lessons.
• Chlorine resistant swimsuits are pricier than ordinary lycra swimwear, but last up to 20 times longer.
• For fast growing kids, they might not be an option, but if you’re an adult swimmer, consider buying chlorine resistant. Protect ordinary swimwear by rinsing with tap water after use.
• I prefer one-piece swimsuits for girls. Two-piece suits often come loose around the neck or back and waste lesson time.
• Boys can wear baggie shorts, but not so big as to cause drag or cover the knees. I then have difficulty judging the kick.

Tips on what to buy for swimming lessons.
• Swim fins or flippers or zoomers or trainers or ‘penguin feet’ as some kids call them, come in at least two types. The longer ones are for diving and not suitable for swim training.
• If the fit is too tight, they are just going to last for one season, but loose fins will lead to the kid kicking them off easily.
• Choose silicone and rubber over plastic, as they are often more comfortable.

Tips on what to buy for swimming lessons.
• Swim caps come in different materials with different advantages and disadvantages.
• Silicone caps are nowadays the most popular and great for general swimming. They tend to slip off easier than latex though, especially with long hair.
• Latex caps are more difficult to put on, tend to tear easier and need more after-use care.
• Lycra caps are great for kids that are sensory sensitive and don’t like tight things on the heads. When they’re not chlorine resistant, they tend to stretch and loose shape quickly though.
• Lycra caps tend to leave swimmers colder than silicone and latex caps. We apparently lose body heat through the head first.
• Great news for kids and adult with big hair – check out Swimma Caps on the internet for swimmers with dreadlocks, braids, afros, long hair and weaves.

Tips on what to buy for swimming lessons.
• Try buy age-appropriate goggles. Mom or dad’s adult googles will be a weak fit for junior.
• The easier it is to adjust the strap, the better for all. Simple adjustment mechanisms add to lesson time.
• I prefer clear goggles to dark ones. I can then see much better whether a swimmer is enjoying what she/he does or not.
• The most expensive goggles are not necessarily the best, but beware of the real cheap ones at the supermarkets. They tend to come apart easily.
• My experience is that goggles which are adjustable at the nose also, tend to leak less.