Founded in 1932, STA is a registered charity whose mission is:

“The preservation of human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques”

STA receives no UK Government funding or support, yet has experienced significant growth over the last few years. The increasing number of members, both in the UK and abroad, is evidence of the quality of STA’s standards.

Safety Training Awards is the awarding organisation / body name of the Swimming Teachers’ Association and has both Ofqual (Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) accreditation and approval to provide within a single organisation:

>  National Rescue Standard (NaRS) Lifeguarding / Lifesaving and First Aid qualifications;

> Swimming Teaching qualifications;

> Pool and Spa Plant qualifications.

Find out more about STA.

You’ll need a swimsuit unless you plan on skinny-dipping! Like many other things, technology has entered the swimsuit arena as well. Fabrics are designed for minimal resistance through the water, they tend to last a long time, and they resist fading even when used repeatedly in chlorinated pools. Of course, not all of us would be comfortable in the skimpy racing suits that you see Olympians wear, but the good news is that you can find more modest suits at sporting goods and department stores as well as through a number of online vendors. The bottom line to a swimsuit is to select one that’s comfortable. You’re less likely to swim if you’re uncomfortable in your suit.

Goggles

Goggles protect your eyes from chlorine (and anything else that may be in the water), and they help you keep your eyes open while you swim so that you can see where you’re going. You can even get prescription swim goggles if you wear glasses (check with your optician for availability). To find the right pair of goggles, do the following:

• Put the goggles over your eyes without slinging the strap over your head.
• Press the goggles into your eye sockets and let go.
• The goggles should stay in place.
• Experiment until you find the pair that fits your eyes best (price range: £10-£20).

Bathing caps

Bathing caps can serve several purposes. Some pool managers will require individuals with long hair to wear caps to keep hair from getting into the pool, and some people just like to protect their hair from the chlorine in the water. You may also decide to wear a bathing cap to cut down on resistance in the water. This really works, and so if you’re looking to increase your time a bit, a bathing cap might help. Many caps are made of latex, although you can find silicone, neoprene (keeps you warm), and Lycra as well. Choose the one that fits your head and is most comfortable (price range: £2-£10).

Flotation devices and other stuff

There are a number of flotation devices and other equipment available to help you learn how to swim, improve your swimming times if you start to get competitive, and add resistance to your water workouts to build muscular strength and tone. Flotation devices help keep you afloat so that you can slow down and work on your swim stroke without sinking or too much fatigue, and they help with confidence for individuals who don’t know how to swim. Read on to learn more about floatation devices.

Kickboards (price range: £7-£15)

Kickboards are devices made of foam or other materials that float, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The main purpose is for you to hold on and stay afloat while your legs do all the work. It’s good exercise for coordinating your kicking, and it gives your arms a rest. One technique that I suggest to swimmers who want to keep swimming continuously without a break is to leave a kickboard at the end of the pool, and when they get tired, grab the kickboard and do a lap or two with it until they get their arm strength back, and then drop the kickboard off at the end of the pool and swim again until they need the kickboard again. Many pools have kickboards available to try out.

Pull buoys (price range: £5-£10)

Like kickboards, pull buoys are flotation devices that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but unlike a kickboard, which gives the upper body a rest, pull buoys are placed between the legs to keep the legs afloat without kicking so that you can work your upper body. Pull buoys are excellent training devices for building upper-body strength, endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness. They can also help you work on your form because you can swim slowly and deliberately without sinking.

Fins (price range: £20-£35)

Fins fit on your feet and add propulsion to your kicks (think of a duck’s webfoot). They are great training for your legs and will help you swim faster. They come in long fins for beginners who want to work on their stroke and build up leg strength and ankle flexibility and short fins to help you go faster without overworking your legs. Fins should fit snugly but not so tight that they cut into your foot or cut off circulation. Wear socks with your fins if that feels more comfortable.

Hand paddles (price range: £10-£20)

Hand paddles attach to your hands and add propulsion to your arm stroke because they move more water. They can be a lot of work for the arms and shoulders because of the resistance in the water, and for this reason, they are used in water aerobic classes to mimic the resistance exercises that you do on land with dumbbells (for example, biceps curls). Hand paddles make a water workout difficult, and so you should warm up in the water without them first, and then build up slowly like you would with any resistance exercise workout so that you don’t overwork your arms and shoulder joints.

Gloves (price range: £10-£15)

Gloves, like hand paddles, also add resistance for your arms, although they are smaller than paddles and so the resistance is lighter. These might be a better choice than paddles if you’re just starting out with resistance exercise in the water.

Water dumbbells (price range: £25-£35)

Some manufacturers produce dumbbells made of foam for use in the water. They add resistance like paddles or gloves, but you can release them quickly after a set and then grab them again when you’re ready. Water creates lots of resistance, and so water dumbbells will make you stronger if you use them consistently. They’re fun!

Noodle (price range: £5-£10)

A noodle is a flexible, tube-shaped flotation device that you can wrap under your arms or around your waist to keep you buoyant so that you can keep moving in the water (kids love to play with them). The advantage of being able to keep moving is that you can work on your stroke without fatigue and increase your strength and endurance.

Aqua jogger (price range: £35-£55)

Aqua jogger is a flotation device that you wear like a belt. Like a noodle, it permits you to keep on moving without fatigue, so that you can work on your stroke as well as your strength and aerobic fitness, but it’s more heavy-duty than a noodle and will accommodate heavier people and more resistance. Aqua joggers also allow you to participate in water aerobic classes and water running without having to know how to swim or break frequently..

There is one other option for swimming in place, and it’s inexpensive (£10-£50). Swim stretch cords attach to the side of a pool and to your body so you can swim without going anywhere, or they come with a drag belt (sort of like a mini-parachute) that catches water as you swim and drag it behind you. Both are fine options for getting a great workout.

Actually discover how dry the skin can get right after a lengthy day in the pool? Nicely guess what? The extreme drying from the skin following a dip inside the pool truly functions to stop pimples!

You’ll find several basic factors why swimming might be extremely helpful for your skin:

The chlorine as well as other chemical substances within the drinking water act as antibacterial agents, killing all of the poor, acne-causing bacteria in your skin although concurrently drying out extra oils.

If you might be swimming within a salt-water pool or even the ocean, the salt will even act as being a quite effective anti-bacterial, much more so compared to chemical compounds within a chlorine pool! Salt is among the very best agents to avoid infection, and pimples is simply a slight infections and irritation in the skin. The salt you’re swimming in will assist recover that irritation and avoid long term breakouts!

Being outdoors inside the sun may also possess a good impact of the skin. Just like the drinking water, the sun can also be performing its portion in drying out the skin to get rid of oils, whilst in the exact same time offering wholesome quantities of vitamin D! The a lot more nutritional vitamins and vitamins and minerals the body gets, the less difficult it truly is to obtain distinct skin! Just be cautious not to obtain an excessive amount of sun!

The easy bodily exercise of swimming is extremely useful for your skin! Your breathing pattern whilst swimming will become slower and deeper, which encourages far more oxygen becoming employed for each and every and each and every breath. This increase of oxygen within the bloodstream brings about fast therapeutic from the skin, regeneration of new, wholesome skin cells, and more quickly detoxification of acne-causing bacteria.

All in all, should you like swimming, you will enjoy the extra advantage that it assists you to sustain a wholesome and acne-free complexion. Just be sure to utilise a superb moisturizer following a swim to help keep from finding also dry and flaky!

Even so, in the event you cannot stand the believed of swimming several instances per week, you will find plenty of other (and greater) approaches to get distinct skin!

The end note is, that the best way to take care of swimmers skin is to:

• Shower in fresh water immediately after swimming.
• Pat dry the skin with a towel and apply a moisturizer over the moist skin immediately afterwards.

I understand there should be no major changes in my diet for that day. Fruits and vegetables can be difficult to digest. Orange works for me. A salad or broccoli could be difficult to digest. Bananas can be OK but I’m not sure. Not sure about digesting grapes either. I stay away from spicy food. I cannot tolerate eggs on swim day. I like an energy bar during or before the meet. What specific food should I eat before my next swim meet? I worry about carbs, protein, and fats but more specifically, what should I eat?

I think you are doing a great job, making good food choices. There are plenty of food choices that will work for a swimmer before a swim meet or a swim practice, and as you have found, what is good for one swimmer is not as good for another. Some of the choices will vary based on timing – what works if eaten three or more hours prior to a meet might be a bad choice eaten 30-minutes prior to a meet!

The pre-swim meal decision requires some real-world testing, and with a day or two to go before the meet it may be a bit too late to try new things. I suggest you go with what you know works for each of them, regardless of whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or dinner type of meal. What is their favourite pre-swim meal? Go with it! It could be pasta, noodles, rice, cereal, toast, eggs, a sub-type sandwich, pancakes, fruit, waffles, or a peanut butter sandwich – it does not make a huge difference, as long as it is a meal that hits the main food groups, is easy for them to digest, and is familiar to them.

Get that main pre-swim meet or workout meal done two to three hours prior to swimming, then “keep the fuel tank topped off” with easy to digest, lighter foods – fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, raisins, pears, etc.), power bars, sport drink, pop-tarts, a simple sandwich (peanut butter and banana, banana and honey, jam, etc.), low-fat pudding, rice cakes, plain toast, etc.

What if you are travelling and not home? What nutritious choices are there on restaurant menus? No kitchen to make your favourite pre-meet meal? You can always grocery shop and look for good equivalents. Instant oatmeal only needs hot water. Some fast food restaurants have choices that might work, too – as would a regular restaurant. Talk with the restaurant staff, review the menu with them and maybe they can make something off of that menu in such way that it meets the needs of your swimmers – it cannot hurt to ask! I have had no problem asking for white-only eggs, no butter on things, steamed vegetables, etc. when I explain what is going on and ask politely.

Eat what you know is good for you and what you think of as tasting good and that they feel good eating. Later on, try a few different things prior to swim practices and learn what other choices may work for you as a swimmer.

WorldofSwimming.co.uk

Swimming tools, or “toys” as they are known in the tri community, can be a valuable asset in a swimmer’s arsenal. By design, these toys help increase efficiency, create a more consistent feel for the water, help build better swim mechanics, and improve overall strength and technique.

One of the most popular toys, however, is also one of the most misunderstood: Hand paddles.

If used correctly, and over the right distance, hand paddles can create substantial improvement in power and feel. But (and there is always a but) if used incorrectly, or for pounding out too many yards, you may be headed for shoulder soreness or potential shoulder injuries.

When the question of swimming with hand paddles comes up, there are a number of things I take into consideration.

1. The mechanical proficiency of the swimmer. 

Putting paddles on a swimmer who has technical issues (i.e. dropped elbows, bi-lateral imbalance in their hand entry, crossing the center line, a lack of feel for the catch and inability to anchor that catch) may not be in their best interest until some of the technical deficiencies are corrected.

If swim toys must be used, I will have the swimmer work with the Finis PT Paddles. These are a great tool for creating a better feel for the water because they take the hands out of the swimming equation. The swimmer will learn to incorporate the entire arm through the stroke motion along with better positioning of the hands, high elbows, best point of entry to maximize the catch and how to hold the water through the entire cycle.

If you don’t own a set or are looking for an easy, inexpensive alternative, you can always incorporate the closed-fist drill to help build the necessary mechanics. I am a bit old school so I carry a bag of tennis balls with me to help my swimmers create the same mechanical correction to an inefficient stroke. Swim with them in your hands for a while and tell me you don’t start to catch water better.

2. The right paddle for the job.

Manufacturers carry a plethora of paddles designed to help this and to improve that but choosing the right one can be very confusing.

Here are some tips:

Paddle size should be approximately 10 percent bigger than your hand. If you use a paddle that’s too big, you are potentially inviting shoulder troubles. I recommend the Speedo Contour Swim Paddle. I like the size and fit of the paddle along with how well it helps to encourage proper stroke mechanics. It also helps to keep the hands in the neutral position

A specifically-designed paddle is my second recommendation. The Finis Freestyler is an excellent addition to your swim bag. It encourages high elbows, proper hand entry, along with extension and proper catch. If you are not using it as designed, the paddle will slide in your hand giving you a great barometer for proficiency

Paddles or any swim toy should not be used for more than 25 percent of your total workout. I will always be the first to recommend anything that can help my swimmers become more proficient, but never at the expense of becoming dependent on swim toys.

For more proficient swimmers, I recommend the TYR Catalyst paddles. They are great for encouraging strength and power through the entire stroke. Just remember, the stroke starts at the pelvic girdle, it’s not about how hard you can pull.

Before incorporating any type of hand paddles into your swimming workouts, ask yourself the following questions: What am I going to get out of this workout? What is the purpose of doing a set with paddles? Am I working technique, power, strength or speed?

When executing any swimming stroke, there are a number of basic principles to bear in mind that will make the stroke most effective. It is important that the torso and legs are kept as parallel as possible to the surface of the water. If they drop, drag against the water will increase and slow the swimmer down. The hands should be extended as far in front of the head as possible, thereby increasing the length and the speed of the stroke. When swimming front crawl, the time spent on the side should be maximised, as the shoulders will break the water-line and produce bow waves. The narrower the width and the longer the length, the less impact water drag will have. To further reduce the frontal-cross section, the narrowest direction of head, hands, legs and arms should be oriented into the water.

It is also essential that swimmers learn good breathing techniques as this will allow for greater speed and endurance. Competitive swimmers take in one breath and gradually let it out over three or four strokes. As swimmers become more tired, it becomes difficult for oxygen to get to the muscles and thus it is necessary that competitive swimmers train themselves to keep going on low levels of oxygen. A good training technique is attempting to cross a swimming pool underwater or by letting one breath last over six strokes.

Swimming Strokes

There are a number of swimming styles that have been developed which depend upon the position of the swimmer to the water. These styles are known as strokes and the stroke used will depend upon the purpose of the swim.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is the oldest known swimming stroke, as evidenced by cave drawings which have been found depicting Stone Age inhabitants using the motion. As the easiest stroke, Breaststroke is the most popular style for swimming recreationally and for fitness, and it is the slowest official stroke used in competitive swimming.

The Breaststroke is performed by leaning on the chest with the arms breaking the water slightly and the legs staying under water constantly. The body should be in line with the water surface and the shoulders and hips flat in the water. The arms are moved in a long circular motion and the legs are kicked in a movement similar to a frog’s kick, which is what slows the swimmer down. Breaststroke is difficult to perfect because, unlike front crawl or back stroke, the legs and arms are used in synchronisation. Professional swimmers will use the abdominal muscles and hips as well as the legs to add extra power to the kick.

Butterfly

Butterfly was originally derived as a faster alternative to breaststroke. One American researcher discovered that the swimmer is slowed down significantly in breaststroke by bringing the arms forward under water and instead developed a technique of bringing the arms forward over water. Butterfly requires more stamina and strength than the other strokes with both of the arms coming out of the water at every stroke. As with Breaststroke, both hands start in the water in front of the shoulders.

The hands are then pulled towards the feet until they reach the thighs, when they are thrown out of the water back to the original position. In order to lift the arms out of the water, the head needs to stay in the water at all times, except for when a breath is needed. The breath should be taken just as the arms reach the thighs and taken quickly so as not to disrupt the order of the stroke.

Backstroke

Backstroke is the only official swimming stroke to be swum on the back and the second slowest stroke in competitive swimming. The advantage of Backstroke is that it makes breathing easier but it also means that the swimmer cannot see where they are going.

Backstroke mainly uses the arms to move forward, with the legs kicking in an up-and-down motion to stabilize the body. The arms provide the power in backstroke and the movement required has three stages – the pull stage, the push stage and the recovery stage. One arm starts in a straight line above the shoulder and, once it reaches the water, it should push down towards the feet. The elbow is bent slightly and the elbow is pulled by the side to the thigh.

The elbow continues to be pushed towards the feet until the elbow is straightened. This constitutes one complete arm stroke and the arm then goes back to the original position. In Backstroke, each arm does the same thing but not at the same time. As one arm comes out of the water, the other arm should go into it, meaning one is always pushing and pulling as the other comes back round to its original position.

Front Crawl

It is the fastest stroke, but can be difficult to learn, chiefly because it is hard to find a good breathing point. Front crawl is also used interchangeably with the term ‘freestyle.’ Although freestyle officially means that any stroke can be swum in competition, swimmers will always choose front crawl as it is officially the fastest stroke.

In front crawl, the body should be as close to the water surface as possible with the hips and legs behind the shoulders at all times. The leg movement requires a long and fast kicking motion, ensuring the whole of the leg is moving up and down. The knees are to be bent slightly and the feet should make a small splash. As with backstroke, the arm movement in front crawl consists of a push and pull stroke and a recovery stage.

The arms provide the power for the stroke with one arm following the other, through and over the top of the water. One hand should start in front of the head, stretching as far as possible with the hand pointing down thumb first, into the water. The elbow should be bent and the hand pushed towards the feet, keeping it going until it reaches the top of the leg. The arm should then be lifted out of the water and back to the original starting point in as controlled a fashion as possible. Front crawl is difficult because the face is in the water so, to breathe, the swimmer should turn their head to one side, leaving the side of the head resting in the water.

David Walliams said he felt relieved after completing a 140-mile swim along the length of the River Thames.

He reached Westminster Bridge eight days after starting near the river’s source, during which he battled illness and rescued a dog.

By the time he finished Walliams had raised more than £1m for the Big Splash Challenge for Sport Relief.

After his swim, Walliams told the BBC: “A bath is the only water I want to see for quite a while.”

The comedian had already completed swims across the English Channel in 2006 and the Strait of Gibraltar in 2008 in previous charity events.

The Little Britain star entered the water at Teddington Lock on Monday morning, completing a further 15 miles to reach his goal.

The last leg of his challenge saw him tackle the tidal stretch of the Thames, with strong currents and undertows, along with busy river traffic.

‘Thames tummy’

Walliams was greeted on Westminster Bridge by his wife Lara Stone who has been following his progress in a support boat.

Fellow comedians Lenny Henry and Miranda Hart and Olympic rower Steve Redgrave were among the huge crowd cheering him on.

As he clambered out of the water just before 18:30 BST towards a podium at County Hall on the southern bank of the Thames, there was a shower of red, white and blue ticker tape.

He said as he crossed the finish, there was a wave of “relief that I didn’t have to do any more”.

He began near Lechlade, in Gloucestershire, on 5 September but soon suffered a bout of “Thames tummy” which left him with a high temperature.

“It was hard work,” Walliams told BBC News.

“It was really, really tough and the distance took it out of me. I did a lot of training but I don’t know quite how you can prepare for this because it’s an endurance event.”

He said it was “beautiful” coming into London and seeing the Houses of Parliament in the sun.

“I felt really proud to be British and really proud that all the people cared,” he said.

Organisers of the BT Sport Relief Challenge said Walliams’s swim had raised £1,093,325 by the time he finished, with more continuing to come in.

This section provides full details of all of the qualifications accredited by the ASA including Teaching Aquatics, Coaching Diving, Coaching Swimming, Coaching Synchronised Swimming and Coaching Water Polo.

These qualifications have been developed by the ASA to meet QCF standards and currently range from Levels 1-2, please also find details of the UKCC Level 3 Programme for Coaching Swimming and the National Curriculum Training Programme.

Please click here to view the pre-requisites for the below UKCC qualifications.

ASA Level 1 Award in Teaching Aquatics (QCF) 
ASA Level 1 Award in Coaching Swimming (QCF)
ASA Level 1 Award in Coaching Water Polo (QCF)
ASA Level 1 Award in Coaching Synchronised Swimming (QCF)
ASA Level 1 Award in Coaching Diving (QCF)

ASA Level 2 Certificate in Teaching Aquatics (QCF)
ASA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Swimming (QCF)
ASA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Water Polo (QCF)
ASA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Synchronised SwimminG (QCF)
ASA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Diving(QCF)

ASA UKCC Level 3 Coaching Swimming
ASA UKCC Level 3 Coaching Water Polo
ASA UKCC Level 3 Coaching Diving
ASA UKCC Level 3 Coaching Synchronised Swimming

National Curriculum Training Programme (NCTP) Module 1 & 2

Train indoors and outdoors

‘Ok, so during the winter you’ll have to train in a pool,’ says Brownlee. ‘But when it gets warmer you should practise in open water so you’ll know what to expect during a race. You want to do one speed session and one distance session per week.’

Get some coaching

‘It’s a good idea, no matter what your level,’ says Brownlee. ‘Even if you’re doing loads of training on your own, there could be crucial technical aspects you’re getting wrong.’

Warm-up properly before the event

‘I do two or three sprints of around 20 strokes and go for a short jog just before a race,’ says Brownlee. ‘Keep moving around right up until the race starts so your muscles are warmed up.’

Make sure you have enough in the tank

‘I have a good breakfast on the day of the race – something that’s packed with slow-release energy, such as cereal or porridge,’ says Brownlee. ‘I’ll have an energy bar just before the race which delivers a quick-hit of fuel.’

Be prepared for some argy bargy

‘The first 200 metres of the swim are really frantic,’ says Brownlee. ‘People will try to get past you by grabbing your shoulders, pulling your suit down or elbowing you in the face. If you’re new to triathlons and are more concerned about finishing than winning a race, I’d recommend starting on the outside of the pack. That way you’ll avoid the worst of it.’

Slipstream to save energy

‘You’ll want to save energy for the next two stages, so ideally you want to find someone who’s slightly faster than you and get into their slipstream,’ says Brownlee. ‘If you swim on their feet, they’re breaking up the water so there’s less resistance to slow you down or tire you out. It’s also important to scope out the route so you know where you’re going – you want to take the fastest, straightest line between the buoys.’

Break up your breathing

‘Normally people breathe once every two to five strokes,’ says Brownlee. ‘If you take a breath every stroke it will stop you building up the kind of speed that two or three strokes in a row generate. If you’re in a scrum someone could stop you lifting your head out of the water when you plan to, so you have to be able to break your breathing pattern. You should practice breathing at random intervals during training – look up every ninth or tenth stroke to get your bearings. Just make sure it’s a continuous part of your stroke or it will slow you down.’

Use your arms more than your legs

‘Your arms should be doing most of the work so you’ve got power in your legs for the next stages,’ says Brownlee. ‘You need to reach ahead with your leading hand while raising your other elbow so you’re pulling water back with a sculling motion. The most powerful bit of the stroke should be from when your arm passes under your shoulder until it comes out by your hip. Pull it out of the water in a relaxed manner so it can recover a bit for the next stroke. Kick from your hips and keep your leg straight so the whole limb is generating power.’

Get the right wetsuit?

‘You need one that’s buoyant and gives a lot of freedom of movement around the shoulder area,’ says Brownlee.