From My British Roots to Teaching Swimming in Florida

I am writing my very first blog from the UK,whilst visiting my family and where my journey as a professional swimming teacher began more than 35 years ago. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom and trained through the Amateur Swimming Association, now known as Swim England. During my career in the UK, I taught swimming across nine schools and owned and ran my own swim school in Southeast England. Those years gave me a strong professional foundation and shaped the standards I continue to uphold today.

Eight years ago, I moved to the United States and brought that experience with me to Southwest Florida, where I now teach babies, children and adults in their own pools. Alongside my professional teaching career, I also became a Team USA dragon boat medalist, representing the United States internationally and earning six medals. That experience has further strengthened my understanding of performance, discipline, teamwork, and the importance of excellent technique.

To me, professional swimming instruction is about far more than encouraging someone to move through the water. It requires an in-depth knowledge of body mechanics, breathing, body position, floating, recovery, stroke development, and the gradual progression of skills. Every swimmer should be taught as an individual, with lessons adapted to their confidence, ability, specific needs, progression, and goals.

Genuine water safety is also not one isolated skill or a short course. It actually begins before a swimmer even enters the water and is built through many layers: appropriate supervision, confidence, controlled breathing, the ability to float and recover, safe entries and exits, effective and controlled swimming technique, and vital survival skills like sculling, treading water, and knowing how to return safely to the side.

Qualifications and professional experience matter. Parents should feel confident asking a swimming teacher where they trained, what qualifications they hold, and how much teaching experience they have. A professional qualification represents proper training, assessment, and accountability,not simply a certificate created online or completed over a few hours.

Although I now live and teach in Florida, my British training and professional standards remain at the heart of everything I do. Returning to the UK recently has reminded me how deeply those roots have influenced the teacher I am today.

Through this blog, I will be sharing professional guidance on water confidence, swimming foundations, technique, and true water safety for swimmers of every age, from babies beginning with positive experiences at bath time, through to adults and performance athletes. I am also developing my online Swim Library, which will make my expert swimming guidance available to families and swimmers worldwide.

One of six international medals that reinforced my passion for discipline, technique, and elite performance.

Thank you for joining me at the beginning of this new chapter. I look forward to sharing more of my knowledge and experience with you.