"Where Champions Grow"

is the basis of AquaGyms philosophy for our swimming teaching programme.

We believe that every New Zealand child should be given the opportunity to gain the lifetime benefits of being able to swim.

We know that not every child will become a world swimming champion but we will provide a positive teaching experience that will make them feel like a champion as they are encouraged to give of their best during the learning to swim and training process.

Benefits of Swimming

Learning to swim well from an early age provides lifetime skills and benefits to our children, including safety, confidence, health and fitness. Swimming is a skill that can be enjoyed throughout your life.

Learn to Swim all year round!

We recommend you stay in lessons all year round. Children who have lessons continuously make quicker progress and reach their goals sooner.

Every child in our programme will be given the opportunity to not only be the best they can be in the pool, but at the same time they will be learning a life saving skill. New Zealand is surrounded by water and our children will have numerous opportunities to use their aquatic skills whether on the school swim team or water polo team, kayaking, surfing or one of the other aquatic activities that New Zealanders are lucky to have easy access to.

The AquaGym Way
Our policy has always been to apply international best practice policies and new innovations in our Swim School Programme where appropriate.

In 2002 we started studying and working alongside USA Professor Bill Boomer, applying his practices to our entire programme from Learn to Swim to Senior Competitive Level.
Since then our programme has adopted the latest proven teaching techniques.

The aims of the programme are:

• To encourage learners to become completely comfortable in, on and under the water, moving through the surface from all directions.
• To develop an understanding of the use of body balance to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the water.
• To teach techniques which utilise each individuals body to maximum advantage and optimise efficiency.

You will notice an emphasis on the following:

Developing appropriate survival reflexes in the water.
In order to make educated survival decisions the human brain must feel comfortable in the environment. The natural fight or flight reflex, although efficient for survival on land is inappropriate in water and we must therefore spend time suppressing this response to danger, re educating the brain for aquatic balance and breathing. The idea is to transfer the aquatic experience from the Reptilian brain (instinct or survival) through to the Cortex or thinking brain.
"Real" Aquatic Safety
In New Zealand there are endless natural aquatic hazards. In an emergency situation the skills of orientation, floating and balance are the keys for survival, rather than the ability to swim a given distance.

New Stroke Techniques and Injury Prevention
For more efficiency and ease of movement we are teaching well- balanced stroke mechanics. This reduces water resistance, the possibility of injury and increases speed possibilities.