Frequently asked questions

Sessions are highly flexible to fit your needs. Lessons can be conducted at local area pools, or instruction can be brought directly to your neighborhood facility or private residential home pool.

Instruction is customized for all age groups and skill levels. Programs are tailored specifically for:

• Toddlers & Young Children: Emphasizing water safety, breath control, and foundational water confidence.

• School-Age Kids & Teens: Developing efficient stroke mechanics, building endurance, and mastering safety skills.

• Adults: Ranging from adult beginners learning to swim for the first time to master swimmers looking to fine-tune their technique.

Yes. Providing a patient, supportive, and low-stress environment is a top priority. Whether teaching a young child or an adult beginner, lessons focus on building genuine comfort, water safety, and confidence at a pace that feels completely secure.

To drop time and improve efficiency, coaching breaks down the biomechanics of all four competitive strokes with precise corrective feedback:

• Freestyle (Front Crawl): Perfecting high-elbow catch, hip rotation (body roll), head positioning for optimal breathing, and a steady, rhythmic flutter kick.

• Backstroke: Focusing on a stable head position, continuous shoulder rotation, a clean hand entry (pinky first), and a powerful, compact kick from the hips.

• Breaststroke: Fine-tuning the critical "kick-to-glide" timing, maximizing power from the breaststroke whip kick, and ensuring a tight, low-drag recovery phase.

• Butterfly: Developing a fluid, core-driven dolphin kick, coordinating the "two kicks per stroke" rhythm, and mastering low-profile breathing to prevent dropped hips.

Yes. Races are often won and lost at the wall. Advanced coaching covers the fine technical details of every transition:

• Racing Starts: Perfecting the track start on the blocks, explosive push-off, clean entry through a single "hole" in the water, and transitioning seamlessly into the breakout stroke.

• Turns & Finishes: Mastering tight, fast flip turns for freestyle and backstroke, explosive open turns for breaststroke and butterfly, and finishing hard on the touchpads without coasting.

Underwater efficiency is often called the "fifth stroke." Training focuses heavily on maximizing speed off the walls:

• Streamline Positioning: Locking in a rigid, ultra-hydrodynamic overhead position to minimize drag.

• Underwater Dolphin Kicking: Building core strength and tempo for high-velocity underwater kicking in freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.

• Breaststroke Pullouts: Perfecting the exact sequence of the underwater arm pull, dolphin kick, breaststroke kick, and ascending to the surface without breathing on the first stroke.

• Breakout Timing: Teaching swimmers exactly when to initiate their first surface stroke to carry peak underwater momentum directly into their racing rhythm.

With extensive coaching experience—including serving as an NCAC (North Carolina Aquatics Club) Age Group Coach—advanced training is available across several competitive levels:

• Competitive Age-Group Athletes: Optimizing racing starts, turns, underwater under-dolphin kicking, and race strategy.

• Triathletes & Open-Water Competitors: Specializing in open-water sighting, efficient distance pacing, drafting, and navigating race-day anxiety.

• Fitness Swimmers: Structuring tailored endurance workouts to maximize cardiovascular health and stroke efficiency.

My philosophy is simple: swimming is for everyone, and every swimmer deserves elite-level attention. Whether you are an adult stepping into the shallow end for the very first time or an elite, national-level athlete fighting for fractions of a second, my approach remains completely individualized.

I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all training plan. I meet you exactly where you are today with a patient, encouraging, and technically precise coaching style. My goal is to build genuine water confidence in beginners and optimize hyper-specific racing mechanics in competitive swimmers—ensuring that every client finishes their session feeling faster, safer, and more confident than when they jumped in.

Private swim lessons and elite coaching sessions are $100 per hour, which includes individualized attention, immediate corrective feedback, and a personalized progression plan.

Booking is simple. Reach out directly to Sean at seangmcginley@gmail.com.