How To Become An Open Water Swimming Coach.
How To Become An Open Water Swimming Coach.
Open Water Swimming is fast growing in popularity across the UK and it’s little wonder. This invigorating sport is accessible to anyone with a body of water nearby and best of all, it’s incredibly freeing and exhilarating.
It can be a little daunting for even experienced swimmers to take their first steps into a lake, loch, river, or ocean which is why Straight-Line Swimming wants to empower the world to swim. Here are our tips on how to take your passion for open water swimming and turn it into a career.
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- Get your STA Membership
If you haven’t already joined the Swimming Teachers Association, this is the very first thing that you should do. The STA is a professional network of over 11,000 international members of lifeguards, swimming coaches, first aiders and pool plants so you know that you’re in good company. The STA entitles you to exclusive discounts, insurance benefits and resources as well as being internationally recognised. It isn’t free to join but it is an excellent investment if you’re serious about becoming an open water swimming coach.
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- Consider entering a few open water events.
Whilst there are plenty of people who value open water swimming for its meditative properties rather than for sports events or races, triathlons and other open water events are growing more popular. As an open water swimming coach, you may be likely to encounter those who will need your help honing their open water swimming technique, ready for race day. Understanding the world of open water events will open up additional routes to finding students and clients. If this is something that already feels appealing then Straight-Line Swimming can help you gain confidence in coaching the water leg of Triathlon coaching.
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- Find Your Niche
Be it in finding the most insta-worth spots to take a dip, challenging yourself to swim the five widest rivers or by hosting regular group meet-ups at your local beach, finding your tribe of open water swimmers can be a great basis to become an open water swimming coach.
Passion can be infectious and often, just by sharing your joy of the sport, your followers are sure to see your passion shine through and might even become curious enough to come and join you on your next swim. Being an open water swimming coach is a gift in terms of social media because of all the beautiful natural water spots you can photograph and pop on your Instagram feed. At our 2020 virtual conference, we will welcome Charlie Eastabrook, social media editor and open water coach as well as Jonathon Cowie, the online editor for Outdoor Swimmer Magazine with their tips on how to grow a swimming business through social media. Keep an eye on our future conferences for more great speakers or buy tickets here.
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- Get out into different waters
The more comfortable you are in different kinds of open waters, the easier it will be for you to guide others into the world of open water swimming. So whilst you might feel at home in a lake or loch, the idea of moving water like a river might feel daunting. Try finding fellow open water swimmers to accompany you to swimming spots that may be a little out of your comfort zone at first but ensure that you’re staying safe at all times!
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- Hone Your skills
The best way to get a feel for whether you would enjoy taking the Level 2 Open Water Swimming Coaching Qualification is to try one of our CPD’s. These online short courses of just one hour are for open water swimmers who want to improve their technique in some way and so are a great taster for those thinking of becoming an open water swimming professional. They’re also perfect for those who are already swimming teachers who want to understand how to adjust their technique to open waters.
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- Take a Qualification with Straight-Line Swimming
If you feel ready to embark on your career as an open water swimming coach then our award-winning Level 2 Open Water Qualification is a great place to start. There is the option to take this qualification face to face or partly online but both options will cover the same areas. Both options are STA approved, endorsed by CIMPA, regulated by Ofqual and are internationally recognised. Importantly, both qualifications give you all the tools that you will need to become an open water swimming coach. We will arm you with coaching principles, health and safety legislation, advice on open water skills and equipment and skills from how to take swimmers into the water for the first time, right through to training for an event. Best of all, the support at Straight-Line doesn’t stop once you achieve your qualification. You’ll gain access to our private Facebook group of members where an entire community of open water swimming coaches are active in supporting each other to grow and thrive.
If you’re interested in earning your qualification and joining the community who want to empower the world to swim then you can join up here.