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I am a mom of two wonderful children, Shelby (4 years) and Jake (11 months). I have taught traditional lessons (Red Cross and WSI) as well as stroke development for over 10 years.
Like many parents, prior to hearing about ISR, I enrolled my daughter in the traditional program of Mommy & Me (7 months old) and then a private swim school at 18 months old. I spent a fortune watching a young girl teach my daughter by counting to 3, blowing in her face and dunking her under water. As my daughter screamed, cried, and swallowed water, I was told to go in another area where other mom’s were also watching their babies with arms crossed and a look of fear on their faces. Just like them, I thought, am I doing the right thing for Shelby. We have a pool and although I had taught Red Cross lessons, I chose NOT to teach her myself. I not only had the doubt that Red Cross lessons would work but I definitely had doubt in this swim school and their teaching practices. Yet, I still continued to take her to the swim school until she was 3. Shelby had learned to move through the water just fine but every time she needed air, she lifted her head out of the water, her legs and body fell vertical and she gasped for air while flailing her arms until the instructor picked her up.
Also, like many parents, I was mislead by traditional lessons to believe that because Shelby could swim 3 feet from the instructor to the wall- she was water safe. The next summer I had my baby boy, Jake, and felt that Shelby was water safe yet every time she swam off the top step into that huge
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body of water know as the pool, my heart sank and my stomach flip flopped with anxiety- could she get back? Where would I put the baby if I needed to go in and get her? This “parent panic” I felt was a clear indication to me that traditional lessons had failed my daughter and would not save her life if she fell into the pool without me. As a WSI Instructor, I went through all of my own tricks and techniques to improve her ability but she just couldn’t develop a SUSTAINABLE confident swim. Then a friend emailed me the YouTube clip- just like many of you- I watched in amazement as little Miles swam to the surface, rotated to his back and stayed in a float until rescued. Even with all of my years teaching traditional lessons; I couldn’t believe my eyes. I inquired about the program for my own children and as I learned more, I decided that this was more than swimming lessons, these are life saving skills that can save children including my own!!! I resigned from my position as an IT Staffing Project Manager and began ISR training in San Diego 3 weeks after seeing the initial YouTube video. I am now a Certified ISR Instructor and my children are both “ISR Kids” who are now naturals in the water and really are aquatic problem solvers. My 4 year old can now dive down to the deep end, collect multiple dive sticks in one breath, swim back to the surface and roll back to float. Once she gets her breath, she flips over and continues swimming to a wall with ease. My son was trained at 6 months old and can fall in face first and roll back to a float and maintain the float until someone gets him.
I think what really sets me apart from other swim lesson programs is a combination of the incredible ISR techniques and my experience as a mother of two young children. I understand what you feel while watching lessons and I am always open with my communication as to what I am doing and what your child is learning every step of the way. By the end of the 6 weeks, I promise you will not feel that “Parent Panic” when your child is in or near the water.
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