I’m looking for good swimming instruction for my eight-year-old daughter. She’s got many of the basics down now but I would like to eventually switch her over so that the instruction is better and she eventually has opportunities to compete. I’m particularly interested to hear about coaches who have competed themselves in the past. I see a lot of bad habits when I’m swimming myself (breaststroke kicks that are just so wrong, for example) that I’m a bit skeptical about the teaching here, but I’m sure it can be found. Anybody have any suggestions?
I think TAS is probably what you’re looking for.
Lots of programs:
tasswimming.com.au/DesktopDe … &tabid=199
And their head coach seems to be very experienced:
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]I think TAS is probably what you’re looking for.
Lots of programs:
tasswimming.com.au/DesktopDe … &tabid=199
And their head coach seems to be very experienced:
tasswimming.com.au/Uploads/M … abe_CV.pdf[/quote]
That’s TAS in Australia, unfortunately.
Maybe the Taipei Sports University, or whatever it’s called, would have some swimming coaches there that could point you in the right direction.
Oops. 
Actually, I thought about TAS because I thought I recalled that they (in Tienmu) have an excellent swim coach, who is an elite international triathlete and coaches top level triathletes, but I don’t know if they have kids programs or if he coaches them.
Are you referring to the giant stadium at TunHua and Nanjing? I also thought of that place. They’ve got good facilities and lots of swim classes and teachers. My 8 year-old daughter takes classes there 4 days a week over the summer through her anchienban and she seems to be making good progress and is very happy with it.
Are you referring to the giant stadium at Dunhua and Nanjing? I also thought of that place. They’ve got good facilities and lots of swim classes and teachers. My 8 year-old daughter takes classes there 4 days a week over the summer through her anchienban and she seems to be making good progress and is very happy with it.[/quote]
Yeah, I think the university is somewhere near there, but I don’t really know for sure since I haven’t lived in Taipei City for over 6 years now. The place you’re talking about is the Songshan Sports Center, if I am not mistaken. That’s a good place to ask for leads, as well. I’m glad that your daughter is doing well with her lessons.
Thanks for everyone’s input. My wife asked where our daughter is getting lessons and I guess they have a team there (we live in New Taipei City). This leads me to believe that these teams for kids are fairly widespread. But I really want to shop around before we commit to any particular team or coach. Another thing is that the particular team at the neighborhood swimming pool meets at 5 am! That’s just too early, especially when the weather starts getting cold.
Where are you based, Marasan? I’ve heard there are good lessons and a club with competitions in Ximen. I didn’t find out more because it’s too far for us, but I can ask if you like. This is something I’ve really struggled to find too.
Where are you based, Marasan? I’ve heard there are good lessons and a club with competitions in Ximen. I didn’t find out more because it’s too far for us, but I can ask if you like. This is something I’ve really struggled to find too.[/quote]
I live in Xizhi but we often get over to the Nangang and we don’t find Neihu and adjacent areas too far to travel for something like this. My wife is also talking to a old classmate friend of hers who is a swimming coach, and so I’ll continue to update information as I find out about it.
Where are you based, Marasan? I’ve heard there are good lessons and a club with competitions in Ximen. I didn’t find out more because it’s too far for us, but I can ask if you like. This is something I’ve really struggled to find too.[/quote]
I live in Xizhi but we often get over to the Nangang and we don’t find Neihu and adjacent areas too far to travel for something like this. My wife is also talking to a old classmate friend of hers who is a swimming coach, and so I’ll continue to update information as I find out about it.[/quote]
Let me know if you’d like more information on the club in Ximen. It would be great if you could update us with anything else you find too.
I was just swimming with my youngest and he was teaching himself to dive in, which he did really well. He loves swimming and would really benefit from belonging to a club and having races, but I’ve struggled to find this in Taipei.
I’d like someone to take mine to the next level now that she’s swimming happily, but I also worry about standards here. That funny over-rotated front crawl stroke, for a start. My wife was taught that.
Would love to start her diving as well, but can’t see that happening anytime soon with a maximum local depth of 150cm.
Are there any diving pools (springboard, high board) in Taipei?
I’d like someone to take mine to the next level now that she’s swimming happily, but I also worry about standards here. That funny over-rotated front crawl stroke, for a start. My wife was taught that.
Would love to start her diving as well, but can’t see that happening anytime soon with a maximum local depth of 150cm.
Are there any diving pools (springboard, high board) in Taipei?[/quote]
My son is currently having his over-rotation corrected by his instructors. He picked it up watching older people swim in the pool, I think.
Youth Park pool has a really nice diving pool. It’s outdoors, 5 meter depth, with springboards. I haven’t been there in a few years, so I am not sure what their policy on usage is.
OP, have you tried the Xizhi swimming club? I am going to ask them about kids’ stuff next time I see their members at our pool and will let you know if I find anything out.
Another option is to find an elementary school that has a swim team and transfer to that school. Chidu Elementary is one option in the Xizhi/Chidu area.
I think this is a good option to consider. Maybe after another year if she’s still gungho about things. Our daughter has to miss the lesson today and she was really bummed out about that. I was surprised because they’re pushing the kids hard (non-stop, repeated laps for most of the hour). She’ll be 16 at the time of the 2020 Olympics. Perfect!
I’ve been doing a little searching online for pools that allow you to dive in. This is what I have so far:
Songshan Sports Center has a diving pool but you have to join their lessons to use it.
The Grand Hotel Pool has a diving board but I can’t work out if you have to get an annual membership to use the pool or if you can pay for single use.
There is a pool in Chung Ho that apparently lets you dive in: 中和自強泳池
[quote=“asiababy”]I’ve been doing a little searching online for pools that allow you to dive in. This is what I have so far:
Songshan Sports Center has a diving pool but you have to join their lessons to use it.
The Grand Hotel Pool has a diving board but I can’t work out if you have to get an annual membership to use the pool or if you can pay for single use.
There is a pool in Zhonghe that apparently lets you dive in: 中和自強泳池[/quote]
Is that diving from a board or just diving off the side? I didn’t think it wasn’t allowed to dive in at the deep end (assuming there is one). If that’s true, that’s a bummer.
Petrichor,
Not sure I understand what you mean. Which pool are you asking about?
[quote=“asiababy”]Petrichor,
Not sure I understand what you mean. Which pool are you asking about?[/quote]
I meant as a general rule. In the UK it’s permitted to dive in any pool that has a deep end. When you said you were searching for pools where you could dive in, I took it to mean that in most pools you can’t dive in. Do you see what I mean?
Ha, got it. I was looking for diving pools or pools that have diving boards. Many pools won’t let you dive or jump in, even from the deep end. Actually, a lot of the pools I’ve been in don’t have a deep end. They are shallow at the ends and deep in the middle. That means you have to do the treading water exercises for self-preservation in the middle of the pool. The Zhonghe pool has starter stands at the end of the pool that you are supposedly allowed to use. I’ll do some more asking around and let you know what else I find.
Okay, thanks asiababy. I’m hoping to check out our local pool later this week so I’ll post what I find out on here.
Could you tell me what’s Chinese for dive? 
Dive is 跳水 “Tiao Shui” (my pingyin is horrid so anyone can feel free to correct that!)
Diving board is 跳水台
I did a search in Chinese like this: 可以跳水游泳池台北 - Pools where you can dive in Taipei. Just pop that into google search or similar and lots of Chinese sites come up, mostly discussion forums where people are looking for the same thing.