He swims a full length now, but with his head up the whole way. Worth getting it corrected at 9?

saffron_pigeon_927921 May 2026

Our son finished his second course at the pool near LB Nagar last week. He can now do a full 25 metres, which he could not do in April, and he is very proud of it. The trouble is that he does all of it with his head held out of the water, a kind of upright freestyle. The coach says it will sort itself out with more time in the pool, but he is also the coach who would like us to sign up for the next batch. I swim most mornings myself, and I can see his neck and shoulders working far harder than they need to. Is it worth paying for a few one-to-one sessions to fix the breathing now, or is it better to leave it while he enjoys swimming? I would rather not turn something he loves into a correction project.

1 comment

quiet_compass_53922 May 2026
my older one swam exactly like this till about 11. what changed it wasn't more lessons, it was a pair of goggles he liked and a friend who swam properly. turned out he kept his head up because water in his eyes bothered him and nobody had asked. worth checking that before you pay for one-to-one
- amber_sandal_992522 May 2026
  Goggles were half of it for my daughter too. The other half was being taught to breathe out through her nose while her face was in the water, which no group class had bothered with. She had four private sessions at around 10 and it stuck. I'd ask the coach whether he'll do breathing drills within the batch before paying separately.
- saffron_pigeon_927922 May 2026
  Replying to @amber_sandal_9925
  He does have goggles, but they leak and he complains about them constantly, so that may well be it. We'll try a better-fitting pair this weekend and I'll ask the coach about breathing drills directly. Thank you both, this is more useful than what I got at the pool.