John did an incredible job teaching our 4 year old son to be pool safe. My son is pretty stubborn, so I was a little concerned he wouldn't take well to John's tough love approach, but he really enjoyed the experience. He got after it right away and was swimming back to safety in no time. Now when I take him swimming he has a blast. He loves the independence his swim lessons have afforded him. This was well worth the investment! read more

Well, we had our first lesson with John and I must say it was brutal. I do not agree with his style of technique for kids. Personally, i believe if you want to teach a child how to learn you need to do it with positive reinforcement and fun. Kids are only young once, why put them through boot camp training for swimming. I would rather go to a swim school and have my child go there for a year and pay more than to have my child go 15 minutes a day 4 times a week with John. It is very traumatizing for the child and for yourself. You hand off your child (kicking and screaming) who puts their trust in you to have John drown them. Your child is under water needing help and you cant help them. What does that teach your child. He will eventually be afraid. Tonight, I put my child in the bath and he was hesitant to go in. I do not want that for my child. He is 24 months old and he doesn't need to learn how to swim Johns way. If you do not take my advice, PLEASE TRY a class and go through what I went through. That is not how you teach a child to swim, that is how you teach a child to be afraid of a pool! I am sorry to all who LOVE him, maybe this just wasn't for us. I can't do that to my children! read more

Ouch! If you are into scaring the crap out of your kids so they can learn to swim then this class maybe for you. The trauma that my kids were put through on day one of this class is just insane. Dunking the kids as a punishment for crying is not my idea of teaching a 2 year old how to swim. The fear in my child's eyes was absolutely heart wrenching and the teacher does NOTHING to calm the child. No consoling, no talking to the child, no trust established, just take the child and throw him/her under the water. This teaching style just isn't for us. We have had our child in ISR since then and the difference in teaching philosphy is night and day. The teacher is physically gentle with my child and builds trust by effectively communicating. I just don't believe you need to put your child through hell to get them to learn something. read more

Both of our daughters have attended lessons to John and gain the confidence to become avid summers. John's personality is his strength, he understands the children and knows their limits. And I have full confidence in my daughters ability to not only swim but maintain their skills read more

I would put ZERO stars, if I could. I strongly agree with the previous review. The lessons were so traumatizing for my 3 year old that he was terrified to swim or to take other lessons until he was over 6 years old. He occasionally had nightmares about being thrown into water and not being able to breathe. I have since talked with other people who have had the same experience that we had. I regret putting my son through that experience. Each day, I would ask John about my son being so scared and he would say, "he'll be fine in a couple of days...just be patient". But my son never became "fine". As a previous swim instructor myself, I should have known better, but I had read so many good reviews (on the website, of course) and was "sold" by John. He played on the anxieties I already had about water safety and convinced me that his method worked. At the time, I couldn't find any reviews that gave any other opinions. Please do not make the same mistake that I did. Since the initial 10 day lesson didn't work for my son, John offered to let him take it again at no charge. Needless to say, I declined. In addition, John is comfortable reprimanding your children in front of you and thinks that parents are push-overs if they listen to their children. I highly recommend AGAINST Swim2John. There are plenty of other methods out there to teach kids to swim. read more

I found John via yelp and we just finished our 10 days and had a great experience!! I was nervous because my son was only 24 months and very sensitive to sensory stimulation (water on his face, wind blowing too strong, e.t.c) and more of the "intellectual" type verses athlete... He did cry/ scream the first 2 days, but by the 3rd was excited to go! It was amazing to see the difference from day 1 to day 10. Every day I was able to see visible improvement! By the end he could swim to the edge and grab it, be dropped into the pool and turn to reach the side, and swim from the step to the adult calling him! It's hard to believe that just 10 minutes a day with John could produce such result! We since have been in the pool around 5 times and again I see improvement each time by doing the drills . He is getting more and more comfortable in the water and most importantly could swim to the edge should he fall in a pool! The cost for the results you get is well worth it!!! Instead of going all summer 2 times a week for lessons and at twice the cost, we now can enjoy all summer in the pool as a family, while WE continue to teach our son how to swim through the drills John gives you to continue!!! SO WORTH IT!!! I HIGHLY recommend to all my friends!!!! read more

I had been looking at several different swim schools, but I was worried my son would sit on the side and protest because he is very scared of the water, so I decided swim2jon's method might be best option. Day one was brutal, I came home second guessing my choice, re-reading all the reviews and feeling so sad for my 4.5 year old and what he just experienced. Next day was practically a 180! All 10 days I will admit he was never thrilled to go and cried a little on the way... However he was swimming and knew what to do if he fell in. He was always so proud of himself after lessons! He is now diving into pool and loves to swim! I highly recommend these lessons if you want your child swimming. Jon is not super warm and fuzzy in the pool, but he knows how to read kids very well and gets them to listen! read more

100% worth the money!! I signed my daughter up for Swim2John, knowing a little bit about how the lessons were conducted. I had some anxiety about it because it really is hard to find someone to give a raving review. Everyone kept telling me to take her to Floaties. But the truth of the matter is, I didn't want to be going to swim lessons all summer long. My daughter is 4 years old and she needed to learn to swim NOW! The first thing I will say about John is that he isn't mean to you or your kids. He has a proven way of doing things and either you're on board or you're not. He expects the children to be quiet and listen. If they do, they learn that much quicker. This is where my daughter was at the advantage. She was old enough to be able to listen and follow direction. The first couple of days she was NOT happy about what was going on and she told me after the lesson that she was sad. Yes, it was hard to hear this, but she also really wanted to learn to swim. Something happened on the 3rd day of lessons where her entire attitude changed. She came up out of the water with the biggest smile on her face and told me she loved swim lessons and she wanted to go everyday. We just moved forward from that day and after 2 full weeks of lessons, she is swimming. The last 2 days of lessons, the parent gets in the pool to learn how to do the continuing drills. This was really informative for me and my daughter loved having Mommy in the pool with her. Some of the most common assumptions are that John shoves your child under water. He most certainly does not do that. He holds them, drops them and gives them a little push towards the direction he wants them to go. When they get to the side or to him, he picks them up, turns and does it again. He NEVER physically forces your child underwater. John does expect you, as the parent, to be supportive on the sidelines. Your child is looking to you and if you are smiling, they will be reassured. Yes, it's difficult, but if your face indicates that there is something wrong, then they are going to be scared. I firmly believe that if I would have had my daughter quit after the 2nd day, it would have 1) sent the message that quitting when it gets tough is acceptable and 2) that I put her in harms way and was wrong to do it. If you are going to enroll your child in these lessons, do not quit after the 1st or 2nd day. Just try the 3rd day. Almost every kid that had lessons around the time of my daughter's had a revelation of sorts on that day. For those that have given Swim2John 1 star, I can't say I don't know where you are coming from, because after the first day or two, I would have felt the same way. I don't think there is anyone who would give 1 star after going through the entire program. My child has learned a valuable skill and no one is more proud than she is of herself. On the last day of swim lessons, she said "I'm so proud of me! Now I'm going to do the monkey bars!" read more

If you want your kid to really learn how to swim and possibly save themselves in the event of an accident, book an appointment with Swim2John. If you want them to learn how to sing Wheels on the Bus in the shallow end of a pool while clinging to you the whole time, call the Y. Yes, the first few days are rough. Your kid will cry, swallow some water, and express how much John is a meany. However, if you can suck it up and let John work his magic, you will have a child that is on the path to becoming an excellent swimmer and loves to swim as our child does now. Hey, you might even learn a little bit about yourself and your parenting technique. No question John will also teach my second child to swim. read more

Efficient, effective and WORTH IT! My son was swimming to the edge of the pool on his own by day 2. I was floored. We are at day 7 and he's now mastered the drop drills (practicing falling into the pool and swimming to the edge). John is a master and has built an incredible trusting relationship with my son, who asks to swim with John multiple times during the day after his lesson! Kimber, John's wife, handles the operations and is equally efficient and helpful. Forever grateful to John who has helped us save time and money. read more

We just finished Swim2John. My kids learned more in 10 days with John then they did in 3 years of swim school. John was professional and very efficient. He not only taught my kids to swim, he has given me peace of mind. I highly recommend Swim2John. read more

I know it sounds crazy- but it works! John had my 2 year old water safe in 5 days. What I mean by that is he was ok dunking his head in the water, and when he jumped in the deep end of the pool he knew how to independently get himself to safety. After the 10 day class, we practiced the drills john taught us and after 4 weeks he was completely independent, taking breaths in the middle of the pool, swimming back and forth from one side of the pool to the other. I think the most important step is to practice every day the drills John teaches you. I have seen my other friends who go elsewhere and it's 3 months before they are comfortable dunking their heads into the water. We are so lucky he is based out of San Diego. My friends all over the country wish he could offer lessons where they live. read more

Our 30-month old just finished Swim2John and we're thrilled - never expected the results we received. If I were to add one thing to the positive reviews below, it's that I had a preconceived notion about Swim2John that proved false. I expected these to be semi-extreme, tough-love lessons where my child would be physically taxed, possibly afraid and that both of us would be an emotional wreck. While typically a crier, my daughter only cried a few minutes on the first day. By day 2 she was excited to see John. Each time she swam to the wall, she was beaming. John is gentle with the kids, incredibly encouraging and never pushed my child beyond a reasonable comfort level. And thanks to this, my child is pool safe. Last summer I enrolled my two older kids in lessons up at the neighborhood pool - for two weeks, at 1/5th the cost of Swim2John. I bumped into my neighbor at the time, who said his kids had been taking neighborhood lessons for 4 years, yet none of the three had moved up a level. What is the point? To save money while risking their potential safety? Swim2John is the real deal and my only regret is that I didn't sign up my other children when they were younger. Thanks John! read more

Before taking swim lessons, my 3.5 year old daughter would refuse to dunk her head under water. But after taking lessons with John, she is confidently swimming to and from me, head under water. It can be very intense for some parents to watch; it took 4 lessons for my little girl to finally walk up to John in the pool without crying and be calm in the water. I especially love the diligence John has. He doesn't give in to crying but is constantly encouraging and celebrating the work your little swimmer is putting in! read more

John is simply the best swim instructor. His calm, deliberate, proven approach is why his classes sell out every summer. Our 5 year old son learned from John when he was 3.5 years, and today my 2 year daughter completed her swim lessons and is practically swimming like a fish! The younger ones cry and take a bit longer to learn, but water safety first! I'll take a few tears over a tragedy any day. My son was swimming half way across the pool by day two. My daughter took longer, but she got it down by day eight. John is the man! We are so grateful he taught both our kids water safety. read more

If I could I would give John 11 stars. His program is truly amazing. My (9 year old w/ASD) son had been in several different YMCA type swim programs since the age of 2 years old that hadn't worked for him and my 6 year old was still wearing floaties. .I had seen a recommendation for Swim2John on Facebook and thought it over for almost a year, - I wasn't sure if the method was right for my son and it was a little expensive- but ultimately decided to sign both of my children up because the reviews were all positive. It was SO WORTH IT and I am SO GLAD I did it. John not only taught my kids how to swim in ten days, but he boosted their confidence so much! My sister then decided to enroll my nephew on my recommendation and is also so happy. My nephew swims like a little dolphin now and his confidence got such a boost. If you are on the fence at all just take the chance with Swim2John and you will not regret it. read more

Swim 2 John is a life changing experience. We paid our money and 10 days later, our daughter learned the valuable skill to swim and to survive. But, I walked away with much more...I learned something about myself and my parenting style/skills. 'Parenting skills' is not a service listed on SWIM2John.com. But its hard to overlook the impact his lessons can have if you allow yourself to let the transition happen. Our first moments with John were very stressful, I was nervous and wanted to cry. I asked myself if I made the right decision for my daughter. He was firm, direct and rude. John said "just smile mom. Your daughter will know she is okay, just keep smiling". For days she cried while we drove to our lesson. She cried in the pool..but only for a moment before she was told to swim..together we struggled in the first few day. But my daughter gained confidence in herself and trust in John. She allowed herself to learn to swim. I too gained trust in John. Days 7,8,9 my daughter couldn't wait to get in the pool with John! She talked about John all the time. Back to Parenting Skills: His style and technique have transformed our parenting style at home. His direct and firm approach and technique apply to every aspect of good behavior and what IS expected from our kids. John expected our daughter to swim. And, she did. I am grateful for his service...remember, this is a survival swim lesson....and a bit of survival parent lesson too. Best money ever spent! I tell all my friends as I was told by a friend. read more

John's teaching methodology is unique and effective. We took our 2.5 year old daughter to him and she acquired the basic skills required to swim and "get safe". At 2.5 years, I don't feel any swim lessons are going to get her completely proficient, however it provided her with the foundation she needs, and we can build upon this over the rest of the summer. Today, she's jumping in on her own and swimming to the edge (with a parent in the water). By next summer she'll be a pro! Thanks John! read more

Swim2John was worth every penny! After 2 weeks of 10 minute instruction Mondays through Fridays, our son Luke has become a confident swimmer at just age 2! Yes, each day was intense, and the first few days brought forth some crying and resistance, but the structure that John maintained was profound in setting the tone for an environment for learning, rather than a time for water play. My husband and I who are both educators, felt that John's raport with his students was professional, yet exhibit of nurture and trust. He constantly used positive praise with our son and articulated to the parents how to continue the skills and drills practiced in each lesson, just as any quality teacher would do with students and parents in an academic environment. Although I was impressed by my son's increased ability to swim, what pleased me most was his gained understanding of water safelty and through the drills that John used. Our son understands that while the water can be a fun and enjoyable experience, it is also very dangerous and if he ever was to fall into the water when alone, that swimming to safety is of the utmost importance. John taught our son how to make the best choice in determining a safe location. I would highly recommend Swim2John to any parent regardless of the age of their child. John is extremely knowledgable not only in swim instruction, but in best teaching practices. I would urge you to disregard any reviews that state differently. Those reviews simply demonstrate a lack of understanding about the best ways in which children learn. Good teachers do not coddle. They lead through firm instruction, while praising and developming trust. John did just that... read more

A five-star rating on Yelp is really an understatement for what John's swim lessons are all about. If I could give him 10 stars, I gladly would! He truly is saving lives with this very unique program. Our son is 30 months old and we've been to three other swim schools in the last 12 months. I won't spend too much time complaining about those programs, but I will say that if we continued it would have take a year (or more) to get our son in a position to swim (and save his life). After just a couple of sessions with John, our little guy was starting to swim. It was truly amazing! I will warn you that some kids/toddlers will strongly protest this style of teaching. Our son threw intense tantrums before and during our first 8 classes. It was brutal. John was incredible with him. Very patient, but also very firm and always totally in control. He is not unkind or mean in any way. I actually felt bad that he had to contend with my screaming child day in, day out. The crying would have bothered me more, but it didn't really matter because I saw that my son, despite his tantrums, was actually swimming. After all, wouldn't you rather hear a screaming child (learning to swim) than a silent, drowning child. On our 9th day of class, with me in the water, our son was finally happy and loving his swim lessons. He cried when we got OUT of the water. It was like a miracle. He was swimming, and LOVING IT. Please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. None of the 1-star ratings completed the program. If your child is prone to throwing tantrums (as most 2-year olds are), be patient and keep up with the program. It's hard to hear them so upset, I know, but this truly is a life-saving skill and well worth a few tears. Thank you, John. We will always be grateful for your lessons and look forward to continuing the drills! read more

I am sitting outside relaxing in the sun as my 4 and 5 year old are enjoying swimming all summer long! This was the best money I have ever spent on my kids! John is amazing. My son has autism and I never thought he would be able to swim completely independently but as I type he is diving to the bottom of the pool to get things and completely pool safe. yes in 10 minutes a day for 10 days your child will be a swimmer and totally comfortable in the water. Follow his rules though and DO NOT give your kids any floatations devices once his lessons are over. I trully believe for my son that's what worked. My daughter still uses a noodle once in a while but can swim 20 or so feet under water with no break so I don't mind. but I didn't give her the noodle until she was out of lessons for a couple months. I absolutely love John he even put me in my place when I tried to talk to my kid during the lesson. He takes real pride in producing water safe kids. Now my son says he wants to be an Olympic swimmer! I even did the class in april worried that they would lose the swimming skills by the summer but they don't once they get it they are good! read more

With my first child I spent thousands of dollars on swim lessons (Noonans) and he still wasn't pool safe. Then I heard about John and had my second child attend... I was AMAZED as I literally watched him begin to swim by day 3! Not only was he swimming but LOVED coming to class... where as my first child hated attending his swim lessons. Needless to say.. I sent my third child too, all my friends and nieces/nephews.... HES AMAZING!! His mastered his job and is truly sweet, patient and loving to every child. I've NEVER seen or heard of a child that wasn't a success with John and that didn't love coming to class! read more

You cant put a price on your childs head!! WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! We moved into a new home 3 months ago that came with a pool. The anxiety of having a pool forced on me made me move quick for my sons LIFE!!! So, with that said, two weeks ago we used "Swim2John" after hearing how effective he was. And hearing people go to him again and again as their families grew. I have a 3 year old and I wanted him to be water safe. Yes, water safe!! I can happily say, my son is not only water safe, but he can swim. Knowing if my child fell into the pool he has the instinct of knowing where the safe place is and how to get out of the pool! Was the process brutal? Absolutely (to me, anyway)! I cried the second day because of me, not because I didn't trust who my son was with. It was MY anxiety and fears of this process. I second guessed this process, but so happy I got over myself and now my son can swim!! Did my son cry? YES! For the first two days, which increased my anxiety, but he was fine. Did I see some things that I would not do, of course. There were times I wanted to rip my son from Johns arms, but it wasn't about me. It was about my sons overall safety. Would I rather hear my son cry or be dead?? That is what I had to tell myself through this process. Reading other negative reviews about John, I did agree with some of them, but again, this process was not about US as parents. My son was safe with John. John wasn't there to be on playdate with our kids. He has a job to do and he did his job!! My son loved John!! He thanked him after every lesson (even when he cried). What doesn't kill our kids makes them stronger (even me through this process)!!! Im not cold or heartless, but on the contrary a very emotional person who never wants harm to ever come to my kids, especially, if I can prevent it!! Drowning is preventable if we take the steps to keep our children safe. I did the swimming lessons with my other two kids at Murray Callan Swim School, and they NEVER learned to swim or taught the fundamentals of water safety. During one of my daughters swim lessons she stepped out to far (while the instructor was with another child) and she did not know what to do. I almost jumped in when the instructor grabbed her. My daughter did not have the instinct to get to a safe place!!! Both kids ended up learning how to swim on there own after a while. The time and $$$ I spent trying to get my other two water safe was a JOKE! I wish I had known about Swim2John back then. I HIGHLY recommend this process for ALL kids. Take yourself out of the equation. YOUR KIDS ARE STRONGER THEN YOU THINK!! read more

We have had the pleasure of John providing swim instruction to our daughter for the past two years. It has been a wonderful experience. She is now a safe swimmer who loves the water and her "best swim teacher ever" John! We will be using him again when our younger child is old enough to swim. read more

My son just completed swim to John last week. We could not be happier that we sent him to John! Our son is 3 1/2 and prior to John was terrified of swimming. He would scream if water splashed on his face and would just sit on the steps of the pool with floaties on. My husband and I were hesitant and he was actually enrolled last August but I freaked out and dis-enrolled him. We tried other lessons and he just wasn't progressing and would cry the whole 30 minute lesson so this spring I decided to enroll him again. After 3 days our son was asking to go back to John and he had developed confidence in the pool! By the second week he was asking if he could swim longer with him. Not only is our son swimming but it gave him so much confidence! We have been to the pool twice now since we ended classes and our son is smiling the whole time and trying to push himself to swim longer distances. It's truly amazing! read more

Nothing but LOVE for Swim2John!!!!! This is my second time choosing him for my kids. My oldest son took his class in 2009, and today my youngest son is currently on Day 4!!!! I'm confident to leave a review mid-class because I already know how the end results are going to be. My youngest is already swimming on his own by Day 3. I got teary-eyed just watching that!!! I can't wait to see what he will accomplish after Day 10!!! My oldest is almost 15 years old and he learned confidence in the water. If he never took Swim2John when he was littler, he would've missed out on so many fun summer swim days with cousins and friends. We wasted one month of our lives taking those YMCA/Noonan/Floaties type swim classes that just have you doing nonsense kicks and crab-walks in the side of the pool with 15 other kids. Waste of time and waste of money. My oldest almost drowned with a floatie in that fricken class because the non-experienced millenial who was teaching my son was overwhelmed with the other students that he forgot about my son. F that! (still angers me to this day) New parents reading this, don't hesitate and don't think twice...just do it and enroll your child with Swim2John. You won't regret it!!! And I admit, I'm like those moms out there who always get sensitive or worried about the littlest things in regards to my kids. I tend to be a "helicopter mom" at times too. But I can't believe how strong his class made ME just by allowing me to put all my trust in him and letting him do what he knows best. I HIGHLY recommend Swim2John!!!!! Thank you!!!!! read more

My 3 year old recently completed her 10-day journey with Swim2John and I am still glowing over the experience. My daughter, Lucy, wasn't sure what to think during the first two days, but by day 3 she wanted to go to John all on her own and by day 10 she was truly, skillfully swimming substantial distances and able to swim to the side of the pool and pull herself up using the edge. I feel so much better about Lucy around the pool this summer. The life-saving skills she has learned are truly priceless. I had to jump in the pool after a friend's 2.5 year old at my folks' house on Easter Sunday last week. Afterward I was reminded about how thankful I am that, had it been Lucy, she would have known what to do in the situation. John's consistency and patient methods were reassuring to me and to the other moms in my session. I'll be using Swim2John without question for baby #4 when the time comes and am encouraging any and all friends with little ones to sign up for his upcoming sessions. No regrets! read more

We just finished SWIM2JOHN for our 22 month old daughter (our son Jack did it 2 years ago at 30 months). I have taken her into 3 different pools the week after her lessons were complete to do the drills. She is doing great. Of course everyone who sees her wants their kid to go to John too. You snooze you lose and will probably have to wait until next Spring since EVERYONE wants John to teach their kid these days and the summer is almost over. I was fearful she was too young at 22 months and I will admit that Jack was able to do more at 30 months by the end of the lessons. The most important thing John does, in my opinion, is get the ball rolling. The first few days you think it is NEVER gonna happen but out of nowhere the desire to swim willingly kicks in. It happens at different times for different kids. Kate now goes into the pool and gets on the first step. She has THE BIGGEST SMILE on her face. I get in the pool 5-10 feet away from her and say "Swim to Mommy" and this little baby girl launches her whole body in to pool and kicks those little legs all the way to me. Then I take her back to the step and she signs (and says) "MORE SWIM". Sorry folks--nothing cuter than that. We are having fun and she can participate in all pool parties actively now. Because of what John taught her I can practice with her and she will just get better and stronger until one day she pops her head out of water to take a breath. It is also nice that her 4.5 year old brother is part fish these days. Let John do the hard part. It is over so quick and even though the first couple days are hard and maybe longer for the littlest students. IT is so worth it. Whatever you do DON'T put your babies in floaties. It confuses the crap out of them when they have to REALLY learn to swim. They think their head should be out of water and they don't flatten out. John has to blow the first few days just correcting that. If you are excited to get your kid to swim with John--YOU should be. The secret is out--SO many people know about him now. All I can say is that I am glad I have 2 swimming kiddos and that is not my problem. read more

We used John to teach 2 of our kids how to swim in 2014 and 2016. They were 3 and 4 years old at the time of their lessons. He is absolutely amazing. I recommend him to everyone. The second time around we hosted our pool for the lessons and it was a well run operation with little impact to us. We will definitely use him again when our third child is ready to learn how to swim. read more

We had an amazing experience with swim 2 john. Last year we moved into a home with a backyard pool and frequently visit grandparents with a pool as well. Our youngest child, who just turned 4, always used a puddle jumper. Despite barrier fences, prior to swimming with John, our daughter had fallen in the pool without her puddle jumper twice and was utterly helpless but fortunately adults pulled her out immediately. We needed her to learn to swim on her own and John's methods were very effective and very fast. He gave her tons of positive feedback and was very kind to her throughout. The first two days were tough - on day 1 she cried and begged John to stop and mommy to help her. On day 2 she cried all morning and swam in her jammies. On day 3 she stopped crying and was swimming 8 to 10 feet. By day 6 she could be dropped into the water and was able to swim to the step or the side and get safe on her own! She's doing the drills with me now in our pool and I think she misses John! In retrospect getting through the first days was a pretty amazing lesson in grit and resilience as well, both for the kids and the parents. We are SO thankful and could not be more delighted or relieved by her progress. My only regret is not knowing about John's program sooner. My oldest child spent a few years in group lessons, gaining confidence but learning absolutely nothing. After two scary incidents, we enrolled her in a private swim school in San Francisco and she did eventually learn to swim, but it took an entire year and cost thousands of dollars. Compared to that, John was a huge value in time and cost. I also really appreciated that he coached my husband and I for the last two days of the session and made the simple suggestion that we coach our older kids ourselves to develop their skills. Thank you John and Kimber! read more

WOW, what an amazing experience. I have a 5 yr. old daughter and 3 yr. old son and we were fortunate to have them both experience Swim2John. For the past 2 summers we've tried other swim schools with 30 minute classes, multiple students and found it was impossible to focus with all the distractions. From the 1st minute of the 1st day, John gets down to business and shows the kids who's boss. He instills an immediate sense of trust for not only the kids but the parents too. As other posts have mentioned, there is no nonsense or games, but he allows small breaks to rest and bring on the "tickle fish"! My daughter was already able to swim, so John focused on strokes and let me tell you that girl was doing the breast stroke first day! My 3 yr. old son was a different story, although he loves the water, he had a false sense of confidence and would sink like a rock. On the first day John had him swimming short distances with face down, kicking and arms hugging....AMAZING! I couldn't believe what he was able to accomplish with my kids in such a short period of time. My only regret is we didn't do this sooner, would have saved a ton of money/time on other swim schools. We love John! read more

Just finished our 10 days with Swim2John and I'm really pleased and super proud of my 3.5 year old. To those parents trying to decide what type of classes to enroll in I'd highly recommend Swim2John: 1. As a household with 2 working parents, I was overwhelmed with the thought of months of classes at the Y or Aquapros. Trying to deal with traffic at rush hour etc... Yes, the 10 days is intense, but it's just 10 days vs. months. 2. No-nonsense approach. I won't lie, the first day was especially rough on my son and me. I had never heard him scream and cry like that before, but I knew this was part of the process. Each day there was less and less crying and by day 4 my son had completely stopped crying in the pool. John also warms ups after a few days and becomes more personable with the kids after he's established he's the boss. I was happy to see my son getting some high fives and praise from John as I knew that was helping my son's confidence in the water. 3. Emphasis on Safety. John does a great job teaching the kids "how to get safe" if they slip off the step or the edge of the pool. John uses this terminology in his classes with the kids and emphasis and coaches the kids on how to turn around and swim back to the step or the side of the pool. This really hit home for me as how much swimming is a life skill. What John is teaching could literally save your child's life. 4. Misc. Thoughts: Each child progresses at their own rate. One child was learning strokes by the end of her 10 days, another younger child was still mastering the basics, but each child was pool safe by the end of the session. In talking with other parents they mentioned that other swim schools they tried focused on blowing bubbles and their child wouldn't even put their head under water for months! My son liked watching the other kids swim and I think made him feel more comfortable about the whole experience, so I'd recommend getting to your session early to let your child "warm up" to the idea of getting into the water. Now that classes are over we're looking at joining a pool so that we can continue to practice these skills and eventually work on stroke development. Thanks John for providing this great service in the San Diego area - you are amazing with these kids. read more

We love Swim Coach John! Our daughter was 2.5 years old when she swam with John and after just a few days was swimming on her own. John is the toddler whisperer! He is so kind with the kids but also firm! He saved our daughter's life by teaching her to swim and we are so grateful! Months after finishing our 10 days with John and whenever we are headed to the pool our daughter asks "with swim coach John?" We can't wait to go back for some more lessons early next year!! Thank you John!! read more

I'm so glad I enrolled my son! A 10-minute commitment for two weeks doesn't seem like it'll be enough somehow, but wow did it work. On day one, my 3.5-year-old was swimming more independently than he ever had. And it just progressed from there. John is great with kids and gets the most out of every minute. I highly recommend Swim2John if you're looking to kickstart your child's swimming and water safety skills. read more

This was perfect for our almost 4yr old son. Can't recommend John enough and how great he was in terms of teaching our son the fundamentals of how to be safe in the water and how to build a great swimming foundation. Will use him again and recommend him to others. read more

Swim2John classes are priceless! I looked into several different types of classes before I chose Swim2John and I am so glad I chose John! He is very calm, and reassuring. I was amazed how quickly my little picked up the skill in just 2 weeks! The first few classes were hard to watch, as my little cried, but after you get over it, you realize this is one life saving skill that is worth the crying. We look forward to working with John again next year to brush up and reinforce what my little already learned. Thank you again! read more

We had a great experience with Swim2John. Our 3 year old was able to swim after just a few days of swim lessons with John. We had been doing swim lessons once a week for 30 minutes every summer but never saw much progress. We made the decision to do Swim2John this summer as we wanted our child to be able to swim independently without floaties and be pool safe. We got that with Swim2John. 10 minutes every day for 2 weeks (without the weekend) worked. Thank you Swim2John! read more

My wife and I sent our daughter and son to a larger swim school for awhile and it felt like they weren't learning anything. Instructor was always changing and there were multiple kids in the class so each kid only got a few minutes of attention. We found John online and tried to sign up last summer, but all locations by us were full. I signed up early this year and my daughter got a spot close to our house. She is 5 years old and loves the water, but was always hesitant to put her face underwater. She also has issues sometimes with male instructors. Fast forward to day one and it could not have gone better. John was training another gentlemen to teach his philosophy in Texas, so there were actually two instructors. My daughter loved them both. John is no nonsense, but truly wants your child to become safe in the water. Each day she would look forward to going back. I highly recommend getting in the pool with your child the last two days as they teach you how to continue the lessons on your own. On my first day in the pool my daughter tried to manipulate me, just like John said she would. He got her back in line and since then she has continued to learn and improve with me. I took her all 14 days, my wife was shocked the first time we took her swimming after the lessons were over. She didn't think 14 days for only 10 minutes a day was enough, but my daughter is great in the water for her age. John is very serious and does not mess around. However, knowing your kid is safe around water is priceless. I look forward to continuing to improve her swim abilities with the information John passed on to me. Next summer I will be sending the rest of my children and then I will have a family of safe swimmers. Trust John and know that he will not let anything bad happen to your child. You may feel like jumping in when your kid is struggling, but the look of confidence on their face when they realize they need to stop panicking and just swim to the edge to, "get safe," is priceless. The cost may seem high, but these will be on the only swim lessons you'll ever pay for. read more

This was an amazing experience for our daughter and our whole family. The initial thought was scary to force learning, but as we witnessed the efficiency of training, we now understand that the rigid approach gave her confidence after only a couple days. After the 10 day course, she has skills and loves the water. We feel confident that if she were to fall in the water that she will be safe, and we have a plan for her to see John again to become a more advanced swimmer. read more

I highly recommend John. If you are looking for someone with experience and is there to get the job done, then this is your guy. We had an experience with my 3.5 son in a different swim class where he fell off the step at swim (he thought he had the floating device on that they used to help train him to swim), no one saw and I ended up in the water getting him out. Right after that experience my husband and I decided that we did not like the method of teaching him to swim with floaties on his back and removing them as he got stronger. It gave him a false confidence that he shouldn't of had. He needs to have a respect for the water in order to be safe with it. John teaches them to swim on their own with no assistance (besides himself). The kids learn based off of natural instinct and the gentle direction given by John. My son cried the second day, but mostly out of nerves. After a few swims he was better. After that he was happy to go to swim and learn from John. He left the 10 day class feeling confident about his skills. John is a serious guy and he isn't there to chat and entertain your child. He is there to teach them a skill in the short time he has with them. When my son got scared or had concerns, John would comfort him or address him and get right back to business. The kids are there to learn! By day 5 my son could be pushed into the water off a step or off the side of the pool and he would turn to find the wall, swim to it and grab on. By day 10 he was swimming easily 10 feet between my husband and I. We took what John has taught both our son, my husband and I and do our drills at home before we do any pool play time. It is important to continue the training and help them strengthen their swimming. I highly recommend him and already have a few friends that will be looking into using him after see the difference in my sons newly learned skills. read more