Two quotes from Olympic swimming legends Aleksander Popov and Ian Thorpe sum up our approach: "The water is your friend...treat it kindly and it will help you move." (Popov) "I intend to swim for the rest of my life. I swim when I'm stressed, and that is quite frequently! I swim to relax, not to train - it washes my worries away."(Thorpe)
The aim of Swimming without Stress is to improve our relationship with the water and the co-ordination of ourselves. We work in the pool with you, going back to basics, helping you to release unnecessary tension, guiding you through new movements and teaching you to swim with ease.
We have been helping adults and children learn to swim or improve technique, through one to one lessons, since 1996. Author of Swimming without Stress Ian and Cheryl Cross run residential courses throughout the year in North Pembrokeshire. Chie takes single, weekly lessons in Oxford. Read testimonials of people we've helped.
The harder you try to compensate for your difficulties in water, the less enjoyable and beneficial swimming becomes. Swimming without Stress helps you learn to trust the water so it helps you move. Following the principles of The Alexander Technique and The Shaw Method, our lessons focus on relaxing your neck, breathing easily and letting the water support you.
We have taught hundreds of non-swimmers to enjoy swimming. If you are afraid of water, your relationship with it is likely to change from the first lesson.
We have helped an equal number of practising swimmers become more at home and efficient in water, happier about the process of breathing and able to swim for fitness. If you want to swim in triathlons and swimming is your weakest discipline, we can show you how to swim without exhausting yourself for the rest of the race.
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You can learn with Ian and Cheryl Cross through individual intensive swimming courses in Cardigan Bay, or with Chie Cross through weekly individual lessons in Oxfordshire. Oxford | Pembrokeshire | Rest of the U.K | Outside UK |
When learning weekly, momentum can be lost. With individual, intensive swimming lessons, you can make a lot of progress in a short space of time. Individual attention enables you to go at your own pace. Groups are inevitably made up of people with different abilities, which may be intimidating or frustrating. read more...
Here are some excellent places to eat which we recommend from personal experience. For a culinary treat in Newport, South of Cardigan, try Llys Meddyg or Cnapan. We also recommend The Canteen, great for daytime and early evening deals and the place we visit most, and The Golden Lion pub. A splendid cafe/ restaurant at Parrog beach, Newport, is Morawelon, which is unpretentious, friendly and has great quality food.
" I have read the book and went swimming yesterday with the tips it gave me in mind. I worked on pushing off, breathing and 'landing' (I have even got the terminology!). My swimming technique is pretty hopeless but I was amazed at how much difference I could make by 1. Not 'lunging' away from the poolside, 2. Making my breathing gentle, 3. Consciously relaxing into the water (especially my head, neck and shoulders), 4. Landing quietly. There is loads still to do but yesterday I managed to do length after length of front crawl without running out of breath every length, something I had not managed to do at all previously. Thank you for the most useful swmming info I think I have ever had. " - Colleen, Lancs
" Just a short note to thank you both for everything you both taught me and for completely changing my relationship with water. As you know, I was terrified of water and would never have put my face in the water. As a result of your course, I now can honestly say I love the water. Since returning, I have joined a Fitness club ( Only to use their pool!) and have been swimming every day. I have finally mastered the breathing and can happily do length after length, without feeling at all stressed. I have also discovered that I can completely float on my back- my knees are bent with my legs apart and not using my arms. I am soo chuffed and cant thank you both enough. " - Tricia, Belfast, July 2008
Check out this fantastic new goggle, the lastest in our bespoke range. The prestigious Cressi Right goggle has slightly curved lens to give maximum visibility and provides excellent sealing on most face shapes. We have tested the Cressi range of goggles (November 08) and like it very much.
Treat your hair with this lovely organic swimming shampoo. Aubrey Organics Normalizing Shampoo is great for stressed, dry or brittle hair overexposed to swimming, sun or perspiration. Helps remove chlorine, salt and other impurities with organic corn syrup. Our Price: £8.99
" Re Aqua Sphere Eagle goggles. I have used them regularly while wearing contact lenses and they make a great difference. No problems with water seal and a big benefit in being able to watch hand movement and judge speed off the bottom tiles. Also great to come out and drive home without the sting of chlorine and accompanying haze.. This is the first set of goggles that I have tried that have been effective." - Sam
Are you looking for the holy grail of swimming goggles?..... If there were such a thing, Swimming without Stress would just sell that and get rid of all the goggles we currently have in stock! We endeavour never to sell any rubbish but what works for one person won’t for another. And all goggles fog up, whatever it says on the blurb. read more...
In this interesting programme on BBC Radio 4, October 2nd 2009, Matt Blaize explores this commonly held belief. As the programme is no longer available on BBCi player, these notes, made by Ian Cross, of Swimming without Stress, may be useful for anyone who’s interested. read more...
With only three open water training sessions and virtually no fitness I completed this 3 mile swim on Friday night as the sun set over Cardigan Bay. It was a big challenge to my ego rather than my physical body. I was way behind the other, fitter swimmers, twice as slow as the winner. And even my plan to come last with poise didn’t quite come off as I struggled to find my form in my wetsuit. read more...
I attended a stephen shaw breaststroke workshop sometime ago. I swim regularly breastroke and back crawl but, despite studying his video, I still cannot do the crawl. I simply cannot get any propulsion using my legs. Any advice would be appreciated. read more...
I can swim for miles with the breast stroke but only a single length front crawl. When I practice the leg stroke with a float I do not seem to move very fast at all. Can you give me some advice on how to improve on this stroke? read more...
My neck hurts when swimming racing breast stroke - what am I doing wrong? read more...
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