We're about to start on our 2nd year with Coach Mike and this is the best investment we could make for our kids. Coach Mike is calm but firm and the after each lesson our kids are visibly better swimmers. read more

My sons took lessons with Mike almost 3 years ago. My youngest had been taking lessons at Lifetime Fitness for almost a year with no progress. To put it into perspective, he was deathly afraid of the water and wouldn't even put his head in even if he was standing on the steps of the pool. Mike had him swimming in less than 2-3 lessons. He now does the 100 yard freestyle in 1:45 and is doing the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards this summer. read more

Absolutely a gem of a find. Coach Mike is so gifted at teaching kids how to swim. Both my children used to be so intimidated by the water and quite literally after just a few short lessons, they are both swimming on their own?! I'm so shocked and impressed at the same time. He is so motivating and encouraging to them and has immensely increased their confidence overall. My kids get so excited and look forward to their lessons with Coach Mike. read more

Mike has been instructing my three year old for two months now and in just a handful of lessons she is swimming off the wall on her own and floating on her back, and very close to being swim safe. Mike is wonderful with little kids and we could not be happier with his coaching style. Bella was very reluctant to start swim lessons with someone unfamiliar but Mike did a wonderful job of making her feel comfortable and she now looks forward to the lessons very much! Thank you coach Mike! read more

Though scheduling was a bit challenging, Mike shared any open spots and cancellations, so that we were able to book 5 lessons in two weeks. During that time, our daughter (5) went from being nervous about putting her head underwater to swimming freestyle. Mike is very effective and we are pleased with the results! We are relieved that our daughter is now water safe. Full disclosure: we were planning on getting our son (2.5) lessons as well, but we didn't end up pushing it because our son was upset about it. read more

Amazed! Surpassed my expectations of what my child would learn this summer. Background: My daughter had swim lessons every summer since she was a baby until she was 4 when we stopped because she had developed a fear of putting her head in the water. She would cry and scream so much and refuse to swim resulting in previous instructors giving up and letting her just play. This summer I really wanted her to be water safe and able to swim. I had heard praises of Coach Mike through people in the community so hoping for the best, decided to give him a try and I am soooo glad that I did. I started off with 30 minute lessons because I wasn't sure if my 6 year old would be resistant but I ended up switching to 1 hour lessons because my daughter absolutely loved lessons and didn't want to leave the pool when lessons ended. Mike made lessons fun even though he was firm by "diving for treasure," balancing her on his hand above the water, "blastoffs" to end the lesson and his fun banter to make her laugh. I was amazed with the quick pace at which she was learning. Mike really breaks down the swimming step by step to make it easy for my 6 year old to grasp and reinforces it with practice. She didn't want to stop with just 12 lessons so I signed her up for 12 more and now she can swim freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, doggy paddle, and can dive into the deep end. Totally worth the money! read more

Coach Mike is the ABSOLUTE BEST!! He took my five year old twins from being scared of the water to swimming in just a few weeks. Now they can both swim the entire length of the pool. He is so great with young kids. He is super fun and encouraging, and he definitely knows what he is doing! Our nine year old also improved a lot - she learned new strokes, and her form has improved tremendously. We've had a few other swim coaches in the past, but Coach Mike surpasses them all! I would give Coach Mike 100 stars if I could!! He is that great. read more

I found Coach Mike through yelp and it's been absolutely great. I've got 2 kids (22m and 4.5y) and it's great to see how they have learned to swim. Our goal was water safety. After just a few lessons, our eldest is swimming the length of the pool by swimming a few strokes then resting by floating on her back. She's jumping off the pool deck and swimming to the wall, and she's learning to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool. The youngest is blowing bubbles, putting her face in the water and starting to float on her back. To be honest, I thought that I would be able to teach my kids myself. But after seeing how they have responded to Coach Mike, it's been time and money well spent. I'm happy to recommend and we'll continue on with lessons. read more

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Tried contacting on the number listed for the last whole week. Multiple calls and voicemails. No response. This review is not for his service because I never got to that point. This review is for poor communication and unresponsiveness. read more

If I could give Coach Mike 10 stars I would! The honor is all mine that I met Mike and have had him teaching my two sons (almost ages 4 and 6) for the last few summers. Mike knows how to handle kids at all ages. My youngest son was "challenging" to say the least and would continue to cry and scream during each lesson. I was close to cancelling Nick's swim lessons all together but Mike encouraged me to step away and allow him to handle which made all the difference in the world. He was able to create a trust with Nick that allowed him to properly instruct and Nick to learn. Mike never gave up or become frustrated, he continued to work with Nick is a calm and loving way which is so encouraging that he cares for my children in this way. My older son is working on breathing and different strokes. I am so glad that he is learning the proper techniques the right way and just not doggy paddling like most children his age. Mike is wonderful, patient, knowledgeable and the perfect balance of asking them to achieve more while having fun! My kids just love him and look forward to their swim lessons. We started with once a week but very soon switched to twice a week due to the success the kids were having. My family is consistent with lesson 6 months a year (April-September). If you have access to a pool, please don't hesitate in investing the money and time in teaching your children how to swim. It is so convenient that Mike travels to you and you won't regret the peace of mine knowing that your children are water safe. Coach Mike is the reason my two sons are not only water safe but they know proper swim and breathing techniques and are so confident in their swimming skills. read more

Swim with Mike Arentz - Coach Mike and my two boys - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

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Searching yelp, I found Mike and was a little doubtful bc he only had 10 5 star reviews. I thought maybe these were his friends, but no, he is the real deal!!! (I later found out all his other 5 star reviews were hidden bc I guess yelp doesn't believe a guy could have so many 5 stars ) I couldn't be happier with our lessons. He is the best. Here's a list why: 1. he teaches the kids to float on their backs. I had called some other schools and coaches and they said they don't teach this method. Why? Isn't swim survival the most important? My son learned to float on his back after the first day. 2. He comes to you. His pricing is about the same as the swim schools, and you have the convenience of being at your pool without the distraction of other kids. Also imagine all the time you save driving back and forth. 3. He is the perfect balance of firmness and fun. He really gets my son to listen to him while having a good time. Always takes my son forever to get out the house, but not when it's swim time w mike! He's ready and out the door! 4. Always on time to lessons and responds quickly. 5. Keeps my son busy and entertained the entire 30 minutes (he's 4) and he comes home with a huge appetite and sleeps really well. My son is a picky eater and after lessons w mike, he will eat anything. Haha. Overall, he is the best!!! I couldn't be happier, and my son was swimming after the first day. After a week he was doing free style and diving off the deep end for "treasure". We did do 12 sessions, every day. I highly recommend this if you have the time and are flexible. I'm going to continue all summer with lessons. read more

Swim with Mike Arentz - Floating on his back after the first lesson. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

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Last summer I ran into Mike while visiting my parents in Irvine at their community pool and I got an opportunity to watch Mike teaching other kids to swim. I live in San Francisco where I don't have easy access to a pool so I planned lessons for my daughter with Mike knowing I would be in Irvine for a week. This was her first experience with swim lessons and my only regret is that we don't have another week. She will be 4 in July and I'm honestly shocked at how much he taught her in 5 days. She's got over her fear of having her face in the water and began to love these lessons. She can now see underwater, float, swim a few feet, roll over in the water, and grab "treasures" at the bottom of the pool. He was very patient with her especially on the one day that she lost it. Overall his style is kind, fun, and to gently push the kids so they actually learn. Not sure when we will come back for a long stretch but if we do I will definitely contact Mike. read more

I think Mike is the best instructor I've ever seen. His ability to teach swim is very smooth. My son is so happy with Mike's services. I will definitely return for more lessons. read more

Mike is awesome! After little progress with another instructor, our 5-year-old & 3-year-old made rapid progress with him. I feel like he must have a secret teaching method, handed down from swim guru to swim guru over the centuries. We plan on resuming lessons with him in the spring so I was tempted to give him a bad review. But that would be wrong! Very highly recommended. read more

Our 4-year-old son has been taking lessons with Coach Mike for about a year and a half and we would recommend him ten times over. We had our son in lessons at Water Works in Irvine, and it was just too long of a drive after work, the cost was crazy, and the instructors were too tough on our son. He cried every time we would tell him it was a swim day. We needed a change. Mike was less expensive, offered longer lessons, and came to our pool! That was the beginning & logistically made sense. But it only got better from there. Throughout the weeks and months that our son began lessons with Mike, he proved to be professional, kind but not a pushover (3 and 4-year-olds can be whiny and/or manipulative!), stern but not too stern, and our son has progressed in swimming faster and further than we ever thought he would! Now, our son gets excited when we tell him it's a swim day (we go back and forth from 1 day/week and 2 days/week) and we can't get him out of the pool after the lesson even if we offer a little jacuzzi time! We (and most importantly our son) love Coach Mike and we'll definitely continue lessons with him. read more

Mike is a seasoned and reliable swim instructor who works magic in the pool with kids of all ages year round. He also teaches adults to swim. Mike has been teaching my elementary aged twins for several months now and their progression in the pool is fun to watch. He makes it convenient to meet for lessons by being flexible and meeting at neighborhood pool. So happy we found Mike for swim lessons! read more

Two months ago,my son was afraid of the water,not dare to swim.Mike can let him fall in love with the pool,and now he can swim very well,and he has learned all the four styles of swimming.It is perfect to let Mike to be the teacher of swimming.We'll keep on learning from him. read more

I reached out to Coach Mike when my two-year old-refused to cooperate with her previous swim teacher because I heard that he is good with young children. Indeed, Coach Mike's techniques (and conversation topics) are great for young children and he is able to get crying children who don't want to be there to cooperate and learn something. Although my daughter cried a lot at the beginning, she did stop crying and eventually started to love her lessons. After a summer of swim lessons my recently-turned-three-year-old has learned a lot and is much more confident in the water. She spends her free play in the water practicing what she learned and many people have asked me how such a little kid can do so much in the water. read more

Coach Mike is amazing . I had initially started swim lessons for my son when he turned three with another swim instructor but she was very unreliable and also not good with kids. I had seen coach mike teaching other kids at our club house pool . After only few sessions my son knew how to turn and float on his back and was also very comfortable in the water . And now after 12 sessions he can actually swim and turn on his back when he is tired and needs a break . Coach Mike is very reliable , professional , on time and very good with kids. My son was afraid of the water when he started and would cry. Now I can't believe that's my happy kid swimming in the water . He even asks to go have swim lessons with coach Mike. I am extremely happy with coach Mike and highly recommend him. read more

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Tried Mike last summer (2016) with my two young boys (5 and 2 back then) and was super helpful. From the first two lessons my kids were already past the basics and my 2 year old passed his phobia in minutes! I had to call Mike again this summer as the boys lost most of their skills and from the first lesson they were back on track. He is dedicated to what he teaches and casts spells on kids to remove phobia (joking of course no spells here lol) I would recommend Mike as an instructor with no hesitation whatsoever read more

My daughter has tried with several Swim coaches, coach Mike is the best among all. He is ver professional, always arrives on time, being very patient with my kid. My daughter made quite a progress in a couple of months. I highly recommend him!!! read more

I can't say enough about Coach Mike and the difference he has made in our lives as far as water safety for our grandkids goes. Mike has now taught my 2 granddaughters who are 4 and 6 years old for 2 summer seasons for 1 week at a time while on vacation with us. They are now both swimming, floating on their backs, diving and jumping into the water. Our 6 year old is comfortable swimming on the bottom of the pool and she is learning the back stroke. Mikes patience and ability to make the girls feel safe and completely comfortable is amazing. His calm demeanor with the kids and the way in which he makes them trust him, and gets them to learn while having a great time is extraordinary. read more

Swim with Mike Arentz - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

Mike, who I introduced my 4 grandsons to as Uncle Mike. The Grandsons age range 3-9 years old loved Uncle Mike and felt so comfortable and listened to his instruction! Uncle Mike is patient and made taking swim lessons fun! The grandkids did not want to stop. I would highly recommend Uncle Mike!! See the video! read more

I was at the pool one day and saw Mike teaching other kids how to swim. I have been to swim lessons where kids cry through the entire time. Mike has an amazing ability to keep kids calm and happy to learn during their lesson. Mike is very responsive about scheduling lessons and always on time. His number one priority is teaching water safety first and swimming just goes along with it. My kids now ask when Coach Mike will be teaching them a swim lesson. That alone is a testament of what a well rounded and capable teacher Mike is. They went from crying before every lesson with other teachers to LOOKING FORWARD to swimming. Thanks Coach Mike for making sure my kids don't drown and giving them to confidence in themselves to tackle swimming. read more

Been training with Mike for some time now. Great trainer. I was scared of water since I was 10 years old. Now I swim with no problems. Learning to dive was a bonus. read more

Best teachers hands down. He has a lot of patience with little kids, my three-year-old learn how to swim within one month read more

For the past couple summers, my four year old daughter has been taking swim lessons. She was comfortable in the water, but this summer, I wanted her to swim-swim (as in swim independently and confidently and take breaths). I found Coach Mike on Yelp (thank you, fellow Yelpers), and I couldn't be happier! Mike comes to our neighborhood pool (no more driving to the other end of the city!) and is courteous and responsive to all my text messages and questions. And most importantly, my kids love him and have learned so much over a pretty short period of time. My new nickname for my daughter is "mermaid", as she is always the last out of the water and just loves swimming so much! Mike also teaches my seven year old son, who is very comfortable in the water but didn't know formal strokes. Thanks, Coach! read more

Like others, we've had a great experience working with Coach Mike. We started with Coach Mike last summer, and our daughter was swimming independently within a few weeks. What I appreciated about his approach was that he first focused on safety. That gave both my daughter (and frankly me) a lot of confidence. She is swimming the length of our pool and diving for toys and other objects. I don't have to go in with her and can watch from the side. Enough said! read more

My daughter started swimming lesson with mike this summer. She had great progress for the past 2 months. Mike is very kind, friendly and professional. Also he's always on time. My daughter loves getting lessons with him. I highly recommend mike. read more

We have about 20 lessons with Coach Mike thus far with our 3 year old and he is fantastic. Our daughter can float on her back, roll over and doggie paddle and back to her back across the pool with his guidance. She can also pull herself up from the water out of the pool. He is patient, fun and very experienced in coaching and swimming. Our daughter can also hold her breath down to the bottom of the pool. She has full confidence and trusts him as well as I do. I highly recommend him for your kids or even yourself if you want to learn how to swim. read more

My two sons have been swimming with Mike for over a year and I am very pleased with our experience thus far. As an instructor, Mike is firm, yet very patient and makes the lesson fun and enjoyable for the child. My boys always look forward to their lessons with Mike and I am very pleased with the progress they have made. Mike is also extremely friendly and professional, and incredibly responsive on text (which I greatly appreciate as a Mom trying to figure out a weekly schedule!). An added bonus is that Mike comes to your pool of choice. I have recommended Mike to various friends and would continue to recommend him to anyone looking for a private swim instructor. read more

Mike is an amazing instructor. My kids have progressed so quickly and it's all thanks to him! We love swimming with Mike!