Swimming Articles

If A 95-Year Old Can Do It, So Can You!

Posted by shawn on Jan 9, 2012 in Swimming Articles | 0 comments

Mary (Tom) MacDonald, a 95 year old grandmother from Sydney, Australia, frequents the pool three times a week! So how does she do it?

“I’m scared to death to stop unless I don’t get started again,” she says with a laugh. “No, really I love life and I love people and that’s what keeps me going.”

This proves that no matter how old you are, as long as you have the drive to succeed, you can still do it no matter what. It doesn’t matter what others say like, “oh it’s too dangerous for your age”. If you believe in yourself, you’ll be able to achieve whatever you set out to do. Therefore, if you truly want to learn to swim, go for it! Don’t be afraid of failure because noone is perfect. When you fall, just get back on your feet and try again, don’t give up!

http://www.capebretonpost.com

MacDonald (second from the left) also stated “To me, my age is just a number. My grandkids are already talking about my reaching 100, but as far as I’m concerned, I take it a day at a time.” For the full article, you can click HERE to check it out.

Remember, you only get to live once, so why not live life to the fullest? Swimming not only keeps you in good shape, it also retains your youth. Would you have guessed that she was 95 years old? If you’re able to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, you’ll realise a change in yourself. This change is not just in your fitness level, but in your attitude too. Swimming does help to give you a more positive outlook in life and makes you more driven. With these characteristics, you’ll be able to achieve greater things!

However, if you do decide on taking up swimming lessons, ensure that you do it with a certified swimming instructor. It is definitely not wise to learn it from someone who isn’t a professional. You might end up learning the wrong techniques or picking up bad habits instead. If you’re looking to look radiant and remain young at heart, visit our adult swimming lessons section! We offer swimming lessons for all ages. Furthermore, if you do not feel comfortable learning in a group, you can always opt for the private lessons. Don’t procrastinate anymore, make a change in your life today!

Tampines Swimming Complex

Posted by shawn on Jan 6, 2012 in Swimming Articles | 0 comments

Tampines Swimming Complex opened its doors to the public on 16th December 1989. It is a simple 10 minutes walk from Tampines MRT station. Although the complex has been around for quite some time already, it doesn’t lack in its facilities. It has a total of 4 pools available. They are a wading pool, a learners’ pool, a teaching pool and a competition pool. Lessons for beginners are normally conducted in the teaching pool and sometimes even the learners’ pool. For the intermediate and advanced students, they are normally trained in the competition pool, which resembles a 50m Olympic size pool.

For parents who are waiting for their child’s lesson to end, you might want to consider visiting Eastlink Mall. It’s a relatively small place with a couple of shops and a food court.

Tampines Swimming Complex is one of the more popular swimming complexes in the east area of Singapore. As there are 4 pools available, it is assumed that the complex is capable of holding more swimmers. The peak period, like any other swimming complex, is during the weekends, where it can be packed with lessons. Hence, if you are only free on the weekends, we suggest that you head over at night after dinner time. However, if you can make it on the weekdays, then it would be the ideal situation. For Tuesdays, remember to take note that the complex only starts operation from 2.30pm.

Address: 505 Tampines Ave 5 (529652)

Operating Hours: 8.00am – 9.30pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), 2.30pm – 9.30pm (Tue)

Opening Date: 16 Dec 1989

Facilities Type: 1 Competition Pool, 1 Teaching pool, 1 Learner Pool, 1 Wading pool

Seating Capacity: 400

Entrance Fee:

What’s Nearby:
Tampines MRT Station (0.58 km)
Darul Ghufran Mosque (B75129) Bus Stop (0.12km)
Tampines Plaza (0.38 km)
Eastlink Mall (0.51 km)

How to register swimming lessons? First, choose your type of swimming lessons
Baby Swimming Lessons (6 - 23 months)		Toddler Swimming Lessons (2 - 4 years)
Kid Swimming Lessons (5 years - 13 years)		Adults Swimming Lessons (14 years above)
Female/Ladies Swimming Lessons (Ladies only)		Holiday Swim Lessons (For School Kids Only)
Premier Swimming Lessons (*Highly Recommended Programme For All Ages*)
	For Family & Organization Family Swimming Lessons Organization Swim Clinic		Advance Programme Open Water SwimSafer Competitive Swimming LifeSaving Course

Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex

Posted by shawn on Jan 4, 2012 in Swimming Articles | 0 comments

Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex opened its doors to the public on 1st July 1986. It is a simple 5 minutes walk from Yio Chu Kang MRT station and Nanyang Polytechnic. Although it may not be the newest or most modern swimming complex in Singapore, Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex is still considered to be one of the more popular complex. It has the 3 usual pools that you can find in other swimming complexes as well. They are a wading pool, a teaching pool and a competition pool. The wading pool is usually used by toddlers to have fun and to get used to the water. The teaching pool is catered to children from 6 years and above to have their beginners lesson. As for the competition pool, it resembles a 50m Olympic size pool and is used for intermediate and advanced students.

For parents who are waiting for their child’s lesson to end, you might want to consider visiting Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Hub, which is situated beside the bus interchange. It is one of the largest heartland malls in Singapore that consisting of many eateries ranging from fast food to food courts to restaurants. Aside from that, you can catch a movie at the cinema or stay in shape at Fitness First. Let’s not forget about the many retail outlets and the NTUC Fairprice Xtra supermarket. For more information on the stores, you can check them out from here.

As mentioned, Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex is one of the more popular swimming complex in Singapore. Hence, more lessons are being conducted here and therefore, there are more students as well. The peak period are during the weekends as there are many ongoing lessons, especially for children. Therefore, the best timing for you to go is on weekdays before 5pm. This will allow you to swim freely and also allow you to have a lane of your own. With this in mind, do take note that the swimming complex opens at 2.30pm every Thursdays, so you might want to plan your schedule accordingly.

Address: 202 Ang Mo Kio Ave 9 (569771)

Operating Hours: 8.00am – 9.30pm (Mon – Wed, Fri – Sun), 2.30pm – 9.30pm (Thur)

Opening Date: 1 Jul 1986

Facilities Type: 1 Competition Pool, 1 Teaching Pool, 1 Wading Pool

Seating Capacity: 650

Parking Facilities: 225 (Car), 2 (Reserved), 74 (Motorcycle)

Entrance Fee:

What’s Nearby:

Yio Chu Kang MRT Station (0.29 km)
Yio Chu Kang Stadium (B55319) Bus Stop (0.23km)
Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Hub (1.41 km)
Bishan North Shopping Mall (2.68 km)

How to register swimming lessons? First, choose your type of swimming lessons
Baby Swimming Lessons (6 - 23 months)		Toddler Swimming Lessons (2 - 4 years)
Kid Swimming Lessons (5 years - 13 years)		Adults Swimming Lessons (14 years above)
Female/Ladies Swimming Lessons (Ladies only)		Holiday Swim Lessons (For School Kids Only)
Premier Swimming Lessons (*Highly Recommended Programme For All Ages*)
	For Family & Organization Family Swimming Lessons Organization Swim Clinic		Advance Programme Open Water SwimSafer Competitive Swimming LifeSaving Course

Swimming Aids – Kick Boards

Posted by shawn on Jan 2, 2012 in Swimming Articles | 0 comments

Kick boards can come in extremely handy when you want to learn a new swim stroke or improve on your swimming technique. This article focuses on the ways in which a kick board can be of help to you.

Design

A kick board, or float board, can be found at all of the public swimming complexes in Singapore. You can see instructors using kick boards to teach their students almost all the time. Float boards are normally rectangular in shape and comes in different colours. They are made of EVA foam.

Usages

Frog Kick: The kick board is most useful when you practice it with the frog kick. Simply grab on to one of the narrow ends of the kick board with your hands and ensure that the other narrow end points away from you. After that, push yourself off the ground of the pool and get your body into a horizontal position. Then, you can start doing the frog kick motion. You won’t have to worry about sinking in as the kick board provides sufficient buoyancy to your upper body for you to stay afloat. However, do short repetitions to ensure that you have time to catch your breath in between.

Flutter Kick: Aside from learning the frog kick, you can also learn the flutter kick, which is used in the freestyle or backstroke. Just like the frog kick, position your hands on one of the narrow ends of the kick board and ensure that the other narrow end points away from you. After that, push yourself off the ground of the pool and get your body into a horizontal position. Then, you can begin doing the flutter kick motion. Remember to practice short repetitions again. However, it is recommended to use short swim fins instead for a better workout.

Freestyle Arm Motion: Another usage of a kick board is to help you practice on your arm motion for the freestyle. To do that, place the kick board between your thighs to support your legs. This gives you freedom to focus on the arm movements. Some people prefer using a pull buoy instead. There is nothing wrong with that, but a pull buoy doesn’t offer as much buoyancy like a kick board does.

Conclusion

Kick boards are an asset when it comes to learning to swim. It plays an extremely significant role especially for beginners who wish to learn new strokes. However, once you have achieved what you set out to with a kick board, it is advisable to explore other options to further progress in your swimming techniques.

Christmas Charity Swim

Posted by shawn on Dec 26, 2011 in Swimming Articles | 0 comments

Firstly, on behalf of the Happy Fish team, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to one and all!

So how did you spend your Christmas? Take a look at this video:

These 54 residents gathered at Mattapoisett Town Beach, located in the United States to partake in their 11th annual Christmas Day swim, hosted by Helping Hands and Hooves. Helping Hands and Hooves is a Mattapoisett non-profit organization which advocates hollistic health care. Can you imagine braving yourself on Christmas day itself, when it is snowing lightly, to jump into the chilly waters? Well, these residents did it all in the name of charity.

This is not uncommon to see in the USA, it is merely an example. There are many other states and towns that practice this tradition too. Yes, Christmas is a festive season for us to celebrate with family and friends. However, we also have to spare a thought for the less fortunate among us. We might have our fair share of turkey, ham, beef and wine on this joyous occasion. On the other hand, the less fortunate might be struggling for just a piece of bread daily. Therefore, while we continue to soak in the Christmas atmosphere, always bear in mind that there are others who aren’t as fortunate. After all, Christmas is the season of giving!

How do this 54 volunteers brave the cold? Well, the first and most important thing is that they have to be able to swim! Without the proper set of swimming skills, they wouldn’t be able to join in the event to raise funds. Secondly, they are required to have knowledge of the open waters. Always keep in mind that the open waters are unpredictable and without the proper set of skills, you might be overwhelmed by it.

Want to learn more about the open waters? Want to be prepared and armed with the necessary skills to overcome it? Take a look at our website. We offer the Open Water course under the SwimSafer syllabus. It might not seem essential at first, but once you have acquired it, you’ll realise how handy it can come into play when you visit beaches abroad.

Once again, Happy Fish would like to wish one and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Difference A Life Jacket Makes

Posted by shawn on Dec 22, 2011 in Swimming Articles, Swimming Journal | 0 comments

Fishing is one of the most popular past times in New Zealand. The people there enjoy taking their dinghy out to the sea to find a nice spot to fish. A dinghy is similar to a small inflatable rubber boat, which runs on motor. It looks something like that:

http://www.infovisual.info/05/064_en.html

However, we are all aware of how unpredictable the open waters can be. There is no telling when strong waves will occur. Unfortunately for these two fishermen, who were fishing somewhere off Oakura, the weather picked up and flooded their dinghy before killing off their motor. After trying to save their dinghy for about an hour, the pair realised that it was to no avail. Hence, they decided to abandon their boat and swim to shore. We have always emphasized the importance of having swimming knowledge and skills. This shows us a classic example of how essential it is to learn swimming.

http://www.manufacturer.com

Thankfully for them, they had life jackets on, which made a huge difference in their two hours swim back to shore. In all, they spent a total of three hours in the water. Without the life jackets on, chances are that they would not be able to make it. At least with a life jacket on, they are able to stay afloat and concentrate on progressing forward. If they didn’t have any on, they would be struggling to stay afloat and would probably take longer than two hours. By then, they would have already lost their energy. Even with a life jacket on, one of them didn’t have enough strength to swim the entire way. The other guy had to assist him and pull him along. You can read more about the article here.

Based on this article, it is clear that by having swim skills, it can actually save your life. The next important thing to be highlighted is always ensure that you have a life jacket with you when you head out to the open waters. Also, keep in mind that the open waters are unpredictable unlike that of the swimming pool. With a life jacket on, you can definitely buy yourself much more time.

http://www.rentmydinghy.com/

If you’re keen to learn swimming, do feel free to check out our website. We offer various swimming lessons for different age groups. We have basic lessons in the pool, competitive lessons, lifesaving courses and even open water lessons. Arm yourself with these essential skills, so that you’ll be prepared should such a similar incident happen to you.