South West Swim Pool Squads & Group Coaching

Group training with a difference from South West Swim

Shape, maintain & improve your swimming in our amazing swim community

Helping you find & build your swim potential with our swim squads (group training)

If you’re looking for a truly flexible approach to your squad swimming, with fully coached productive sessions, amazing swim / lane mates, flexible booking options and a host of other benefits then look no further.

What Is A South West Swim Squad?

South West Swim Adult Swim Squads are group training sessions

Swimming with others in a group set cup is an amazing way to boost your swimming potential. Our sessions give you a great opportunity to swim a session with other like minded swimmers, performing the same session under coached guidance from a fully qualified coach.

Where are the sessions based?

Our squad sessions are based in Swindon Link Centre, Highworth recreation Centre and Royal Wootton Bassett Lime Kiln Leisure Centre.  

When are they?

We currently host six sessions every week, 2 of which are 90 minute sessions 

Each session has a different focus and we work on everything from pure technique sessions through to pacing development and endurance swims, we even throw in some sprint work to cover the whole training level spectrum.
– Monday 8:30-9:30pm, Highworth Recreation Centre.
– Tuesday 6am-7:30am, The Link Centre.
– Wednesday 9-10pm,
The Link Centre.
– Thursday 6-7:30am,
The Link Centre.
– Friday 6-7am,
Lime Kiln, Royal Wootton Bassett.
– Sunday 12:30-1:30pm,
Lime Kiln Royal Wootton Bassett.

Flexible PAYG sessions to fit in with your busy life

Unlike other coaches and clubs you only pay for the sessions you can attend on a PAYG basis, multi-buy sessions of 5 or 10 sessions are available, as well as single sessions.   All sessions are booked online, with swimmers able to book any session with availability, so you are not stuck with the same day and time week in week out.  This makes our sessions as flexible as possible to suit those with busy work and family lives.

If you can’t make a session you simply cancel it and if this is done within 24 hours of the session start time your session credit will go back into your booking account for use again.  Any session cancelled outside of this window, or a no show, will be classed as a lie cancellation and the session taken as normal.

South West Swim squads are coached by fully qualified coaches

All of our sessions are coached by fully qualified Swim England coaches with experience in coaching both adults and junior swimmers in competitive pool swimming, open water swimming and triathlon.

Head coach Jason is also Swim Smooth certified, a Swim England Level 2 coach & teacher and a fully qualified aquaphobic specialist coach.

See our ‘ About Us’ page for more information’

How Do I know If Squad Coaching is Right For Me

If you are wondering if joining a swim squad is right for you  then we are happy to discuss this with you.   

Swimming with a group of likeminded swimmers, all performing the same session and at a similar speed can be so much more  productive for your swimming than swimming by yourself or in a public lane session.  Our squads give you focus, provide a productive base for your swim fitness and technique and introduce you to our swim community who are the friendliest bunch of swimmers around. 

After your first session you will wonder why you did not join us  years ago.

We have tried to highlight a few key points about  our sessions in the dropdown boxes

Do I already have to be an amazing swimmer to join you?

No, not at all.  We do have minimum criteria to be able to join us though, so that you get the best out of your sessions (and other swimmers do too):
a) Be aged 18 years and over
b) Be able to swim at least 200m of non stop front crawl (with the head in the water)
c) Be able to swim at a minimum pace of around 2mins 40 seconds per 100m.
It is important to note that these sessions are not learn to swim sessions, we only cater for learn to swim on a 1-to-1 basis in our Endless Pool.
Our all inclusive style has swimmers of multiple levels in the pool at the same time.  We will match you with lane mates at a similar level to you.  All sessions are primarily front crawl based.

 

What are the entry requirements to join squad?

Our squad sessions are open to all adult swimmers (18 and over) who can swim at least 200m of non stop front crawl and swim 100m in a time of 2:30mins or faster.  We will swim much more than 200m in a session of course, but this distance is good enough to be able to be productive in our sessions.  We will soon have you swimming much bigger distances than this without stopping.

Who are South West Swim Squad sessions aimed at?

Our squad sessions are front crawl based and emphasised towards adult swimmers (18 and over).  Many of our swimmers are open water swimmers and triathletes but we also have those that are just swimming for fitness.

I've never done anything like this before, I am nervous of joining

Please don’t be put off if you have never swum in an organised session before, our friendly swimmers and coaches will make you feel very welcome.  Your coach will clearly explain each part of the session and sets are adapted so that the faster swimmers complete more lengths.  If you need a longer rest that’s no problem and you can ask your coach questions at any time. 

What is a squad session like?

Each fun and motivating session is designed to focus on a specific aspect of swimming.  Sessions are broken down into sets and are clearly explained by your coach with built in rest periods. Where applicable swim equipment is also used.  We will be actively coaching you in the session, giving instruction, advice, demonstrations and providing true motivation throughout.

Who coaches us?

Our head coach Jason Tait coaches the majority of sessions, Jason is Swim Smooth Certified, a Swim England Level 2 coach & teacher, Swim England Level 2 Open Water coach and an STA specialist open water coach, tutor and coaching qualification working group member.

Jason is occasionally assisted by Assistant coach Stuart Foster, Mark Hopkins & Ashley Cain.  These experienced Level 2 coaches also cover any sessions Jason is unable to coach himself. Please note that our other coaches are not Swim Smooth Certified.

All coaches are fully commercially insured under South West Swim’s policy. 

All of our pool sessions are lifeguarded by the venue operators

 

Swimmer age policy

AGE POLICY:  Our pool squad sessions are focused on Adult Swimmers and Triathletes, however we do host 2-3 younger teenage swimmers who have been with us for many years.  All new swimmers wishing to join our squad must be aged 18 and over.
If a swimmer is under 18 we would recommend a local swimming club such as Swindon Dolphin, Tigersharks ASC, Swindon ASC or Royal Wootton Basset Otters for their swim development.

Squad Benefits

  • Training in a group gives your swimming a real boost.  Work with others, meet new friends, be part of a real community of swimmers.
  • A choice of up to 6 sessions a week, swim once, swim twice, swim 6 times!  it’s up to you.
  • Truly flexible squad membership – Choose and pay for the sessions you want to attend at a frequency that suits you. You don’t need to stick to the same number of sessions or the same days each week.
  • Exclusive discounts available on SWS services and multi-buy squad session packs
  • Flexible purchase options from individual sessions to packs of 5 or 10 to use over time.  (sessions and packs have non extendable expiration dates)
  • Sessions that are broken down into key focuses, so you know what type of session you will be receiving to fine tune your development.
  • Squad VIP Discounts for our retail store, 1-to-1 based coaching sessions, Lake Memberships at Lake86 Cotswold Water Park Hire, Zone3 Retail, Precision Fuel & Hydration, Performance Cycles, ddipp changing robes.  We are always looking for more VIP reward discounts.
  • Pre session emails to keep you fully informed 
  • Team Kit available

More information.

Session times, session structure, kit required and session costs 

 

 

What kit do I need?

To make the most out of your sessions with South West Swim you will need the following kit, all of which is available from our South West Swim Store;
– A pull buoy
– A Pair of paddles (we can advise on the best ones for you after seeing you swim)
– A pair of Fins
– A Finis Tempo Trainer (optional but highly recommended)
– A Centre Snorkel (optional)
– Goggles
– Swim Hat
– Swim Costume
– Water bottle
– And of course a kit bag to put it all in

For your first few sessions do not worry too much about kit.  Make sure you like our sessions first (which I am sure you will) and then invest in the toys afterwards.

NEW MONDAY Squad 8:30-9:30pm (60 minutes) - Highworth Recreation Centre

Mondays will start as a technique and fitness session whilst our link centre session is closed.  Once re-opened this session will become a Threshold based session, with a similar oomph  to our Tuesday morning session.  This gives our evening swimmers a well rounded program of two sessions per week, with the key elements of Threshold and Technique.  Mondays are a welcome addition to our program and slot into our schedule perfectly.

In order to get the best out of the session a pool kit will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly.

 

Tuesday Squad 6:00-7:30am (90 minutes) - Link Centre

On Tuesdays we take advantage of our 90 minute pool time to bring you an amazing workout in the form of either our CSS or RED MIST session types.  These are some of our briskest sessions of the week and is a great session to work your pacing, endurance and fitness.  This session heavily utilises CSS training and tempo trainers, and you are swimming a tough session based on your own threshold paces (CSS).

This session does not give any technical input as it is a solid pacing based session.  It is best taken alongside another of our Technique based sessions (Wednesday, Thursday or some Sundays).

In order to get the best out of the session a pool kit will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly.

 

Wednesday Squad 9-10pm (60 minutes) - Link Centre

A focused technique session to make your stroke better and more efficient.  This session will be highly technique driven but in turn will build fitness and speed.  Training is delivered by Jason Tait, certified Swim Smooth Coach and will focus on low mileage but great form and technical learning.  

The Pure Technique sessions will be designed to complement our other sessions

In order to get the best out of the session a pool kit will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly.

 

Thursday Squad 6:00-7:30am (90 minutes) - Link Centre

A dedicated “Technique Endurance” session. These sessions are a halfway-house between Pure Technique sessions (Which we deliver on a Wednesday and the fast paced “Red Mist” Endurance Sessions or CSS pacing sessions (which we deliver on a Tuesday).  The addition will be a great way to add in an element of structured endurance work without being quite so intense as a full-blown Red Mist session. 

In order to get the best out of the session a pool kit will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly.

Friday Squad 6:00-7:00am (60 minutes) - Royal Wootton Bassett Lime Kiln Leisure Centre

Our Power Hour focuses in shorter distances and powerful swimming for low down speed and a compliment to our more distance and technique oriented sessions.  Friday is a high octane session with lots of kit use, short sprints and changes of pace.  As with all our sessions this squad is multi ability so various levels of athlete take part.    We encourage all abilities of swimmers so don’t let speed and distances worry you as we write different versions of the set for different ability groups.

In order to get the best out of the session various items of swim gear will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly if required, visit the store section in the booking system.

Sunday Squad 12:30pm-1:30pm (60 minutes) - Royal Wootton Bassett Lime Kiln Leisure Centre

As with all our sessions this squad is multi ability so various levels of athlete take part.  The Sunday squad has a different swimming skills focus every week, getting attention to all aspects of your swimming from pacing and longer distance swims, Shorter sprint sessions, Technique sessions as well as open water skills and occasional cross training sets (a swimmers favourite).

We use CSS based training methods so tempo trainers are well used, session distances can vary from 2km to 4km.  We encourage all abilities of swimmers so don’t let speed and distances worry you as we write different versions of the set for different ability groups.

In order to get the best out of the session a pool kit will be required.  See our recommended kit list in the drop down above.  All items available from South West Swim directly.

Advance Booking for regular swimmers

We offer our regular swimmers an advance booking service that guarantees their place in a particular session.  This is on offer to swimmers who swim the same session (or sessions) every week.

Advance booking holds a space in that session for you so you are guaranteed a spot, any session you can’t make you would cancel as normal and all cancellation policies are in force in the same way.

To apply for advance booking please click here

How do I join and what does it cost?

All our sessions are booked online via our booking system.

To join us simply click the link below to visit our booking system, (account set up required on first use, please check and sign our T&Cs and waivers), search and book the squad session you want to join, follow the booking and payment process and pay.

At checkout you will be given various choices of session pack, remember the more sessions you swim the cheaper it will be.  Note that each session pack has an expiry date that all sessions need to be used by.

You will also find our quick book widget below, to enable you to book your session from within this page (cookies required).

Single Session Purchase

£12.49

More Details

This is a single session for one of our swim squads, if you swim regularly we highly recommend purchasing the appropriate session pack of 5 or 10 sessions (depending on how often you swim per week).

Simply click on the link, book your session and choose the relevant purchase pack at checkout, alternatively book from the booking widget further down this page.

Please note that you do not need to book your session at the time you purchase, but if you know which session you would like to attend then it is advisable to book ASAP.  You have 24 hours before the start time of any session to cancel at no charge, the session credit will go back into your account.  Cancellations after this time, or no shows, are charged as if the session was attended.

5 Session Credit Pack
(Swimming once per week, 8 week expiry)

 

£54.99

More Details

Save money and buy your sessions in packs of 5.  This session pack is ideal for swimmers swimming once a week, it has an 8 week non extendable expiry.  All sessions MUST be used in this time frame or they will become void.

Simply click on the link, book your session (or sessions) and choose the relevant purchase pack at checkout, alternatively book from the booking widget further down this page.

Please note that you do not need to book all of your sessions in one go, but if you know which sessions you would like to attend then it is advisable to book ASAP.  You have 24 hours before the start time of any session to cancel at no charge, the session credit will go back into your account.  Cancellations after this time, or no shows, are charged as if the session was attended.

 

10 Session Credit Pack
(Swimming twice a week or more, 10 week expiry)

 

£99.99

More Details

Save more money and buy your sessions in packs of 10.  This session pack is ideal for swimmers swimming twice (or more) a week, it has an 10 week non extendable expiry date. All sessions MUST be used in this time frame or they will become void.

Simply click on the link, book your session (or sessions) and choose the relevant purchase pack at checkout, alternatively book from the booking widget further down this page..  

Please note that you do not need to book all of your sessions in one go, but if you know which sessions you would like to attend then it is advisable to book ASAP.  You have 24 hours before the start time of any session to cancel at no charge, the session credit will go back into your account.  Cancellations after this time, or no shows, are charged as if the session was attended.

Drop us a message

Drop us an email to jason@southwestswim.co.uk

Contact us via telephone

We are always happy to talk and you can reach Head Coach Jason Tait on 07751793234.

But due to being pool and lakeside most of the time we may not be able to answer straight away.  Please do leave a message, or better still drop us an email, and we will get back to you straight away.

Want to see us face to face online?

With so many forms of communication to use we are more than happy to hold a Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Messenger call with you.  This allows us to meet, before we have.....well met.  Drop us a line and we can arrange a suitable time for this to take place.