Swim2John

I hesitated for awhile about getting my child in swim lesson. Then my 3 year old son fell in the pool on vacation. He had been in his puddle jumper all day and when we took it off, he saw a toy and went in after it. Thankfully he was okay and a friend was near to grab him, but it scared us (and him terribly) and I knew we had to do our part to make sure he knew how to be safe and confident in the pool without the false confidence of floating devices.
John and his approach were exactly what we needed. I appreciated his no nonsense approach and I had a child who knew how to get safe half way thru the course. And truth be told I think we all learned a lot more than swimming during the 10 days! Worth every penny!
We finished 3 days ago and we went to the pool today and my child could not get enough … He loved it and was so proud of himself and I love being able to help sharpen his skills with the drills john provided at the end of class. Also, I had a few questions after classes were over and heard (quickly) back from john via email with some more great tips/​advice!
Thank you john (and Kimber as well!!). We can’t wait to get our next kiddo in the pool with you!

ATTENTION OC MOM’S SWIM2JOHN IS SAN DIEGO’S BEST KEPT SECRET!!!
My 2.5 year old daughter just got done completing Swim2John classes and the results were absolutely amazing! I did a lot of research on types of swim lessons and asked mom’s about their swim lesson experiences before enrolling my daughter in John’s classes. I did not know anyone personally who took his classes, but after reading all the reviews on Unilocal and watching the videos, I was convinced this was the class for my daughter.
Prior to the lessons, my daughter had probably been in a pool a dozen times with her dad and I right next to her and always with a floaty on. We never attempted to teach her any swimming lessons on our own. The first time her head had ever been dipped underwater or she had been in a pool without a floaty was on day one of John’s class.
The reviews about day 1 – 3 could not be more accurate and I came to class all the while knowing there would be tears. My daughter was so excited to begin, but the minute she was submerged under the water the fun was over for her. She began crying and begging to get out the pool. Even though I prepared that the tears would be there, the moment it happened I was taken back and felt pretty weak. John remained calm and talked me through the entire process. He said that that instilling confidence is done one brick at a time, day by day. On that first day, I don’t think I heard much of what he said because in all honesty it was the first time I had been in a situation with my daughter begging and crying for me that I did not come to her immediate aide. I kept the purpose of these classes at the forefront of my mind– remembering that teaching her to swim is teaching her to save her life.
Despite the tears on day one, two and three she kept willingly showing up, which showed me that despite the fear of learning something new, she had the confidence to keep trying. John’s approach is encompassed in consistency, simplicity and authority. His guidance is short and direct and his consistency in communication is repetitive day in and day out. He offers praise and affirmation to the new swimmer or «athlete» as he calls them.
I was amazed at how instinctual kicking and breathing was. There are no lessons on kicking or breathing, it is an automatic response that I saw my daughter instantly grasp. By day three she was swimming to John and continued to improve in her consistency everyday, without any tears! By the end she was completely swimming on her own to John.
This class taught me how much we can hinder our kids without consistency. This is a fact that we know, but the tears have an easy way of weakening hearts and playing on emotions. Obviously, tears are a part of life and have a place to be embraced, but had I given in to them on day one or three, I would have hindered her from being able to realize that she could learn to swim. On day ten my daughter was so proud of herself and what she had achieved. I was amazed and knew I had made the right choice. I think we both walked away having learned some valuable life skills and lessons.
John really cares about the work he does. His dedication to educating and teaching kids and parents seems to be a clear life calling.
OC Mom’s if you have a pool or know someone that does, gather your friends and give John a call to host lessons. You will not regret the investment for your little one!

Words cannot express how happy I am. As a former teacher, I know that in order to establish respect and an ability to have the student follow directions, you must be firm and stern at first. Because John has very little time to get your child/​athlete swimming safely in the pool, the first few days are tough for the parent to watch, yes. But, necessary. I have 3 children under the age of 6. I had all enrolled, none of which were thrilled to be taking lessons again. I have had them all in swimming lessons since birth, none could swim. The older two (5.5 and 3.5) wouldn’t even put their face in the water after all of those lessons. The youngest, 2, would, but nobody ever attempted to get him swimming or teach him how to get to safety. After one lesson; all were swimming, by day 5 all were willing to swim without complaint, day 10, they didn’t want to get out of the water. Both my husband and myself are no longer worried to be around a pool for fear of what may happen if one fell in. We have already been to the pool twice since ending the class less than 5 days ago and the kids keep asking to swim each day. The smiles on their faces and hearing, «Mr. John would be so proud of me!» Make it all worth every penny! We are so blessed to have found him. Both he and his wife, Kimber, are wonderful and willing to help or answer any questions at any time. You won’t go wrong with Swim2John!

Swim2John is amazing! I was shocked to see my 3 year old daughter swim on her own on day 1. She had done one session at a swim school the year before and one week at the YMCA 2 months prior to John. Both experiences were crowded and a lot of sitting and waiting.
John encourages the «athlete», gives them confidence, and teaches them to swim. On the last two days of class, John taught my husband and I how to continue to work with our daughter on the 10 minute drills. He makes it look easy! It’s actually quite a workout for the coach and athlete. We’ve been practicing and my daughter is becoming such a strong swimmer. She feels so successful and confident in the water now. We have already referred our friends to John. His program works! We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to Swim2John and we have peace of mind around pools now. Thank you John!

We just finished our lessons with John this April! It was worth every penny and every tear for the first couple of days my 24 month old cried! We now enjoy the pool as a whole family. It’s such burden lifted knowing that our son can swim to safety should he fall in AND that we as parents can continue training him as coaches.
I was amazed at the improvement during the 10 days and how he continues to progress even now months later each time he swims.
I honestly feel bad for other parents when they end up taking their kids somewhere else for lessons (more time/​time). I plan on taking my second child to John when they are old enough!

My oldest daughter completed lesson from Tom Bradbury (who trained John) and was swimming across our pool and getting to the side safely on day 3 of swim lessons at 2 years old. There was no doubt that we would do the same lessons for our youngest daughter. We moved to San Diego and did Swim2John when our youngest was 20 months old. She just completed her 10 day journey and is able to get safely to the side from a reasonable distance away. We continue to work with her every day and every day she gets better and better. John is fabulous with the kids. Although our daughter cried every day in the pool, she now says, «Swim to John? I like John» every time we go swimming. I highlight recommend doing Swim2John as other swim lessons just do not get the job done. We know that we will eventually work on more advanced swimming (strokes, etc.) with our kids when they are older, but for now, we know that our 4 and 2 year old are more safe in the pool because they know how to get to the side.

This was a great experience. I was trying to teach my three year old son to swim in our community pool but it was not working. John knows how to stay calm and work with kids. My son cried for first three days but was able to do his 2-​minutes drills by day 4. He also learnt how to get safe if he accidentally falls in pool. We really enjoyed our swim lessons with John.

Best money I ever spent. Had my daughter take lessons at 19 months old and again this year at 3 years old. She is so confident and comfortable in the water and I feel better knowing she knows how to «get safe» and swim to the side. It makes the pool more fun for our entire family!

On day 2, my 3 year old son was crying and screaming in the car «I DON’T WANNA GO!!» On day 8, he was crying and screaming that he had to get out of the pool…
Nothing on here that hasn’t already been said by other reviews. John’s methodology is efficient and effective. We did two summers at the YMCA and had a kid that was completely incapable of getting himself out of a life-​threatening situation. After ten days with John, my son is water safe and loves the pool. The lessons were worth every penny, and we’ll send our daughter there next year when she’s old enough.

Words can’t express my gratitude for John and his swim expertise. My almost three year old son was scared of any body of water and extremely unsure of himself when it came to trying to swim. John was patient, kind and just absolutely wonderful with him. After just a few days, my son was confident in himself and by day 10, he was completely able to swim on his own. We have continued to practice and my son now begs to stay in the pool. Thank you John!