Swim2John

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.

We have 33 month old twins and were referred to Swim2John by a friend that completed the program (successfully) with her 22 month old son last summer. Because both of my children loved the pool and were not scared to swim… I thought we would have no tears and this would be a breeze. I was wrong. The first four days were pretty emotional for both kids and me. Keep in mind, this program is different that traditional swim lessons. Its not ‘mommy and me’. Its not about seeing your child play in the water and laugh. This class teachs your child ‘where to get safe’ should they fall into water. It also teachs the parents quick drills to help their children become stronger swimmers. After the first four days, we had no more tears! The kids were actually fighting on who would to ‘swim to john’ first (they had back to back lessons). Thanks to John, i now have two kids that have basic swimming skills and parents that are more comfortable around water. I cannot express how amazing John is. His program works. I would highly recommend this class to anyone

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.

We saw Unilocal reviews and decided to go with John. But our experience today was shocking. Would like to share it.
Today was my son’s 9^th day of class with John. My son is just 27 months old. He has being going for the class for past 8 days. He still keeps crying and does not want to go. My husband takes him to the class with John everyday. Today I joined them. My son was crying as usual, when his turn came my husband handed him over to John who was in the pool. John did not hold him initially and my son was under water drowning. John had never done this before as per my husband for the first 8 days. After sometime John picked him and handed over to my husband. John asked my husband to hand him over again in the pool and this time again John didn’t hold him and my son again drowned and John picked him after sometime and handed over to my husband. My son this time after coming out started to run away with fear from the pool and was profusely crying and trembling with fear. I took him and told John than I am not comfortable with what he did. This might create a permanent fear of swimming in his mind.
As soon as I told him this John started screaming on top of his voice saying that «your son is manipulative and keeps crying. Do you know how many kids die and how many funerals you have seen with kids drowning and went on». John was just raising his voice and screaming. He was not willing to listen to me and made a big scene.
I tried to tell him a 2 year old is going to cry. We as adults need to make him comfortable and if we use force the kid might have fear. But John kept screaming, he was not even trying to listen to my concern and I decided to leave as this is not the way anyone speaks to a women.
Maybe his approach is hard but he cannot lose his temper and start screaming at the parent. He should be calm and try to at least listen to the parents concern and convince them why he is doing this and if the parent is ok.
A coach who wants to teach toddlers cannot scream in front of a child like this. 2 year old is very small to understand or even speak up. Toddlers only way to express himself is to cry. That’s how they react. You can’t loose your temper that its been 8 days and he is still crying and try to drown him to show that yes he can swim.
This was our experience and wanted to share it. He may be good at teaching swimming but he sure has temper/​ego issues and a Swim coach cannot take his frustrations on a small kid and his parent.

John is the way to go! He’s currently teaching my 2^nd child to swim with skill (John has already successfully taught my daughter to swim, who never progressed with other methods) and I am looking forward to him being pool safe when we are finished with our 10 days. He by no means «disciplines» his students (and both of my kids started out crying during the first few sessions). His teaching is methodical, yet he tailors instruction to each swimmer. My 2 ½ year old son has been so proud of himself and says, «I’m amazing!», something John has told him during the last couple of sessions. He is not harsh. John is CONSISTENT, always keeping his word, so that swimmers learn to trust him. He allows for breaks during each 10 min. session and teaches them to «get safe» (find the safe side of the pool). John is also a great resource. After completing a 10 day session he and Kimber send emails on how to maintain and take the next steps with your swimmer. They also encourage you to contact them with any questions. I did not receive that with other companies. There’s a reason why John’s swimming sessions fill up fast. He’s the BEST!

I cannot recommend John highly enough. My three year old daughter is on day four of ten, and she is swimming across the pool on her own, with no prior swim experience. John is kind, respectful, engaged, and no nonsense. He has a way with children, earning their trust and respect. My daughter tends to be shy, and she warmed right up to John. I noticed a recent reviewer stated that John’s discipline tactics are «disturbing,» and I could not disagree more. I have never seen any such harsh tactics utilized, and I have the utmost respect for John’s techniques. He does not allow kids to manipulate him by crying, and instead continues on with the lesson gently and firmly. He is a great example to us parents of how to approach discipline, and to be the authority figure that our children crave, while exhibiting kindness and encouragement. If you want your child to learn to swim, look no further than John. My daughter is so proud of her new skill. This summer will be a blast in the water — thank you, John!

We have had such a wonderful experience. Our 29 month old was swimming by day 4 out of the 10 days. I am truly amazed by his progress. I am so thankful that we decided to move forward and use John. I couldn’t be happier and would recommend him to anyone I know.

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 ¹⁄₅^th 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!

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.

I hesitated for awhile about getting my child in swim lesson. Then my 3 year old son fell in the pool on vacation. He had been in his puddle jumper all day and when we took it off, he saw a toy and went in after it. Thankfully he was okay and a friend was near to grab him, but it scared us (and him terribly) and I knew we had to do our part to make sure he knew how to be safe and confident in the pool without the false confidence of floating devices.
John and his approach were exactly what we needed. I appreciated his no nonsense approach and I had a child who knew how to get safe half way thru the course. And truth be told I think we all learned a lot more than swimming during the 10 days! Worth every penny!
We finished 3 days ago and we went to the pool today and my child could not get enough … He loved it and was so proud of himself and I love being able to help sharpen his skills with the drills john provided at the end of class. Also, I had a few questions after classes were over and heard (quickly) back from john via email with some more great tips/​advice!
Thank you John (and Kimber as well!!). We can’t wait to get our next kiddo in the pool with you!

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.

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.

Swim2John was the BEST swimming decision I made for my 3 year old daughter. I too looked into every local swim program and kept coming back to Swim2John. It was recommended by a few friends but I was so concerned because my daughter would not even get her face in the water. I thought there is no way she would actually do what John said and thought she would cry and be traumatized for having her do the lessons.
Day 1 and 2 were a bit hard. There were tears. He was able to get her to put her face in the water. She said she didn’t want to go back. John was so great and kind and encouraging… even though he was no nonsense and didn’t give into her crying. He was terrific. And by day 3… she was actually excited and swimming… face in the water. I couldn’t believe it. This class is amazing and John is amazing. If you have any doubts or concerns you will be so glad you took this class. BEST money ever spent!!! We never used floaties again after class and her confidence was so high. She has LOVED swimming ever since. Now a year later she is doing complete multiple arm strokes and practicing coming up for air. She also loves diving to the bottom to get rings. I plan on taking my other daughter as soon as she turns 18 months.

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.

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!

Before I decided to trust John with my 18 month old, I researched every single swimming instructor/​class in San Diego. Literally. YMCA, Noonan, Murray Swim, ISR, you name it, I looked them up, researched their instructors, classes, if there were any drownings, legal issues, etc. I got feedback from every single place… all of them, looked up the swimmers, looked up the philosophy. Call me crazy, but my 18 month old is my only child and I don’t take chances.
I also have a pool (with a tension net) so I wanted a place that can help my toddler learn to swim just so I can have an extra layer of safety.
After weighing out everything I learned, I decided to go with Swim2john. His guarantee applied to kids 36 months old… older than my son. But John’s background checked out, I spoke with past participants… made sure the Unilocal reviews were legit and went with him.
Boy am I glad I did. My 18 month old is now swimming in our pool and HE LOVES IT.
At first, I thought… no way. I dreaded going. I was going to change my mind. Day 1 to 4 were painful. My little guy did not kick. He screamed. He cried. He signed that he was «all done.» He cried at the sight of the home where the lessons were taught. And then, Day 5. I totally dreaded going in. I thought: my son was much too young… every kid is older than him and made up every excuse why it wasn’t working, but low and behold… my 18 month old started to kick in the pool. And from there on out, he began to swim.
This is not why I’m giving John five stars. I’m giving John 5 stars because he wouldn’t take payment from me until my son knew how to swim. And, he worked with my son, until I was comfortable that my 18 month old could swim. He spent the time with my son and seemed to really care if my son learned how to swim.
If you want your kid to learn how to swim and really get it, go with John. I will warn you, your kid may cry. John is all business, but he is really good with kids. I watched the kids before me and after me wail when they all started. But just like magic, and all at different times, they began to swim, and then, they began to enjoy it.
Totally worth the money and I actually feel like we got a crazy bargain for what we got out of it.

Best money and time spent!!! Highly recommend!
I think I saw an ad for John on FB and then my pediatrician said she did it with both of her daughters 10+ years ago, so I looked into it. I’ve taken my 4yo daughter swimming before and she wouldn’t even let go of me so I knew she needed some tough love.
Day 1 — went ok; I think she was a little in shock
Day 2 and 3 — there were tears. I think this is kind of when John shows them that he’s the boss and that they need to listen to him.
Day 4 – 10 — great, great, great!
We don’t have a pool that we can regularly swim at, so 2 weeks after John ended we took her to the local community pool. She did great and was swimming with a lot of confidence.
Now I have her enrolled at my local high school for lessons and while it’s fun for her because she’s with friends in the water, she really isn’t learning much. The lessons are 30 minutes vs only 10 minutes with John. 4 students to 1 teacher vs John’s individual lessons. I’m pretty sure if I had gone more traditional routes, I would’ve spent $ 1000+ and 1year+ of my time. My husband and parents all thought John was definitely better. I will definitely be sending my younger daughter next year.

I found John via Unilocal 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 3^rd 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!!!

It’s hard to write a review good enough for the experienced we received with swim2john. Our almost 3 year old son was actually swimming by day 6 and it was amazing to watch. He now LOVES swimming in any pool we take him to. Our family is forever grateful for John’s patience, encouragement and support with our son and we can’t wait until our daughter is old enough to learn to swim.

What a life-​saver this man is! We have a pool in our backyard and knew that we would be risking too much not to have our little ones swimming right away. So we have had him teach the last 3 of 4 our kids to swim. It amazes me that he can get a two year old swimming in 2 weeks time, but thankfully he can! His method not only works, but in record time!
I agree that it can be rough to watch your kids cry, but when you know it can save their life… it is sooooo worth it! He is not a harsh man, rather gentle in fact.
Our oldest learned to swim from regular swimming lessons before I knew about John. Not only did it take forever, but adding up the cost (and time) really shows what a bargain swim2john is!
Highly recommend!