Welcome to Get Swimming, delivered by The Irish Times in association with Swim Ireland.
Week One
This week we’re building our swimming distance from 500m to 650m in three sessions, mainly using front crawl and back crawl.
Conor Pope Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Week Two
This week, we build up to a distance of 800 metres, with Olympic swimmer and swim coach Melanie Nocher, guiding you along the way.
Week Three
This week, we work up to 900 metres in three sessions, with the programme focused on breathing, breast stroke and mushroom float techniques. The instruction video meanwhile looks at turning and bilateral breathing.
Week Four
This week’s programme focuses on front and back crawl body and head positions and catch up arm pull. Your swimming coach, former Olympian Melanie Nocher offers tips on these and combination floating in our instruction video.
Week Five
This week’s programme focuses on: breast stroke, sculling practice and bilateral breathing.
Week Six
This week’s programme focuses on working towards being able to swim 1,200 metres
Week Seven
This week we’re building our swimming distance to approximately 1,300m or 66 lengths of a 17-20 meter pool
Week Eight
This week, we are working on extending the distance you can swim comfortably to 1,400m. The programme also focuses on tumbling in the middle of the pool and at the wall, breathing and floating.
Week Nine
This week, we are building up to swimming 1,500m and shortening our rest time between lengths. We are also focusing on push and glide techniques and changing direction when sculling. To relax we are looking at floating positions and picking an object up off the floor.
Week Ten
This will be your first week swimming 1,600 meters, congratulations. We are focusing on breathing, timing, leg kick and arm pull. To relax we are looking mushroom floating to hand stand and treading water. We are also going to give butterfly a go.
Week Eleven
In this week's programme, we are working on extending the distance you can swim comfortably to 1,800m. You are working on perfecting your stroke at this stage, turning at the wall and surface dives, head first and feet first. Your swimming coach, former Olympian Melanie Nocher, will address these areas in this week’s to see how this will go for you.
Week Twelve
Pat yourself on the back, next week you will be swimming a mile. In this week's programme we will work on preparing for the big day.
