Celebrity Swim Lessons
Athletics legend and sports pundit, Colin Jackson, and BBC Breakfast TV presenter, Naga Munchetty, have started to learn to swim with us at the ages of 52 and 44 respectively.
According to research carried out by Swim England, one in five adults in Britain are unable to swim. Colin and Naga are determined not to be part of this statistic and recently began swimming lessons with national leisure operator, Everyone Active.
Both will be following our 12-week Learn to Swim programme to build their skills and confidence in the water. They have set themselves the goal of participating in a charity swim next year, where they will have to conquer at least 400 metres – 16 lengths of a standard 25-metre pool.
During a career that spanned more than 15 years, Colin Jackson became a two-time World and Commonwealth champion and Olympic silver medallist in the 110-metre hurdles. He is now a well-known authority on athletics and a regular sports pundit. Despite his penchant for sport, however, Jackson admits that swimming is not a skill he has ever mastered.
Naga presents BBC Breakfast, which is on BBC One from 6am every morning. As well as being part of the team hosting the nation’s favourite Breakfast news programme, she is a keen sportswoman but, like Jackson, admits that she has never been competent in the water. Alongside her husband, television director James Haggar, she is learning to become a stronger swimmer.
Find out how they are progressing through their swim lessons below.
Week Two
Colin and Naga recently took part in their second swimming le…sson with Everyone Active. We caught up with their teachers to find out how they got on.
Danielle Sealy – Colin’s Swim Teacher | ▶ Watch Colin’s second lesson here!
What did you cover in Colin’s second lesson?
We started by recapping what we worked on during the first lesson to make sure we were developing these skills as well as learning new ones. I worked on building Colin’s confidence and making his movement less rigid, as well as improving his breathing techniques. We also did more work on his front crawl and tried out some different strokes for the first time. Backstroke proved a bit more of a challenge so it’s something we’re going to work on in future sessions.
We started by recapping what we worked on during the first lesson to make sure we were developing these skills as well as learning new ones. I worked on building Colin’s confidence and making his movement less rigid, as well as improving his breathing techniques. We also did more work on his front crawl and tried out some different strokes for the first time. Backstroke proved a bit more of a challenge so it’s something we’re going to work on in future sessions.
What improvements have you noticed?
I am really impressed with the progress Colin’s making with his front crawl. During the first lesson he very quickly became tired and out of breath, whereas this time he was able to breath more naturally and swim for longer. He’s starting to look like more of a natural swimmer!
I am really impressed with the progress Colin’s making with his front crawl. During the first lesson he very quickly became tired and out of breath, whereas this time he was able to breath more naturally and swim for longer. He’s starting to look like more of a natural swimmer!
Have you come across any challenges?
The main challenge is getting Collin more ‘swim fit’. He’s had a lifetime of getting fit on dry land and now he’s learning very different techniques in the pool. He’s really throwing himself into the challenge though and I’m confident he’ll prove to be a very competent swimmer.
The main challenge is getting Collin more ‘swim fit’. He’s had a lifetime of getting fit on dry land and now he’s learning very different techniques in the pool. He’s really throwing himself into the challenge though and I’m confident he’ll prove to be a very competent swimmer.
Hollie Burke – Naga and James’ Swim Teacher
What did you cover in Naga and James’s second lesson?
We started with a quick overview of their previous lesson to make sure they remembered the skills and techniques we practised last time. We then focused on front crawl and ensuring both Naga and James were practising the correct movement with their arms. We also started to introduce breathing to the side. To compliment the work we did on arms, I also got them doing some kicking practice on their back to make sure they had a strong leg technique from the hips and were able to keep their bodies in the correct position in the water.
We started with a quick overview of their previous lesson to make sure they remembered the skills and techniques we practised last time. We then focused on front crawl and ensuring both Naga and James were practising the correct movement with their arms. We also started to introduce breathing to the side. To compliment the work we did on arms, I also got them doing some kicking practice on their back to make sure they had a strong leg technique from the hips and were able to keep their bodies in the correct position in the water.
What improvements have you noticed?
I’ve already noticed a huge improvement in both Naga and James’ confidence and technique. They’re really enthusiastic to learn and that is a great benefit when it comes to their development. I’m using their competitive nature to my advantage and setting them challenges to keep things exciting. At the end of their second lesson I had them both competing against each other in a ‘surf board’ race. It was great fun but also helped them to improve their arm movements without realising!
I’ve already noticed a huge improvement in both Naga and James’ confidence and technique. They’re really enthusiastic to learn and that is a great benefit when it comes to their development. I’m using their competitive nature to my advantage and setting them challenges to keep things exciting. At the end of their second lesson I had them both competing against each other in a ‘surf board’ race. It was great fun but also helped them to improve their arm movements without realising!
Have you come across any challenges?
Breathing and timing are usually the hardest parts to master, so we’re breaking down all the strokes to ensure they are comfortable with each individual aspect. They both have different strengths. Naga has a beautiful backstroke whereas James feels more at ease on his front. Learning together has helped them to support each other to improve in different areas.
Breathing and timing are usually the hardest parts to master, so we’re breaking down all the strokes to ensure they are comfortable with each individual aspect. They both have different strengths. Naga has a beautiful backstroke whereas James feels more at ease on his front. Learning together has helped them to support each other to improve in different areas.
Week Three
Danielle Sealy – Colin’s Swim Teacher
I’m really pleased with how Colin’s progressing. His en…thusiasm to get in the water and try new things is brilliant, and he’s always open to taking advice and working on the skills he finds most difficult.
During his last lesson, we identified backstroke as an area that Colin finds challenging. He was determined to improve, so we spent a lot of time in his third lesson focusing on this stroke.
Ankle movement was the main challenge. Stiff ankles force swimmers to work a lot harder, which means they’re often expending too much energy and can’t swim for long. We used fins to help Colin understand the ankle movement and start loosening his kicks. Once he grasped this he was able to stay afloat far more easily and propel himself further using less energy. By the end of the session he was swimming a full 10 metres kicking on his back.
Between entering the pool at the start of his lesson to leaving at the end, Colin is making really noticeable progress. I’m looking forward to seeing what new skills he leaves with from his next session.
Hollie Burke – Naga and James’ Swim Teacher
Naga and James have both made fantastic progress.
By their third lesson, they felt confident enough to swim in the main pool, and both managed to complete a full, 25-metre length of front crawl.
The main focus of the session was working on body position and maintaining a streamline posture. It’s really easy to panic or curl up when you get tired in the water, which they soon realised makes swimming a length really tricky. Once they focused on stretching out the movement it became a lot more effortless.
Due to work commitments, Naga and James will have a couple of weeks before their next lesson. They’re both really keen to maintain their progress though, so I’ve provided them with drills to practise while they’re away.
We wouldn’t expect everyone to be able to swim a full length by their third lesson, but Naga and James’ development proves how quickly you can build your skills, and how it’s possible for anyone to go from a non-swimmer to enjoying being active in water.
Naga Munchetty Swim Lesson Update
After a short break recovering from a knee injury, Naga Munchetty is back in the pool alongside h…er husband James to continue their swim lesson journey.
Swim teacher Hollie Burke discusses their progress in recent weeks.
“We’ve been doing some gentle strokes to ease Naga and James back into their lessons. Naga hurt her knee a little while ago away from the pool, but because swimming is such a good activity for people who are recovering from injury, her physio was happy for her to get back in the water on the proviso we avoided breast stroke.
“Naga and James have both got so much more confident when swimming lengths, and I’ve seen a huge improvement in their fitness and stamina since they began their lessons. Because of this, I’ve been able to introduce different skills and more difficult drills to their lessons.
“In their week-five session we introduced tumble turns and I was really impressed with how quickly they picked them up. Just swimming lengths can get a bit tedious, so introducing a new skill like this helps to add some variety to their lessons and I could see that they were becoming more motivated as they mastered it.
“The biggest challenge for both Naga and James remains timing and breathing. These are often the elements people find the trickiest. James was generally managing bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides), but he needed to allow for more capacity when inhaling by breathing our when his face was submerged.
“Naga had a habit of lifting her head out of the water when taking a breath, meaning her legs would sink.
“I found the easiest way to combat this was to set them both a challenge like surfboard racing, which makes certain movements more effortless and enables them to concentrate specifically on their breaking technique.
“I’ve also found it really beneficial to video them swimming so they can self-critique. I really recommend this to anyone who’s learning to swim. We often we get in to bad habits without even realising it until we see it for ourselves.
“I can see that the techniques I’m teaching are really starting to make sense now and I’ve noticed them giving each other tips, which is really great to see.
“I’m hoping if Naga’s knee injury continues to get better, we can tackle breast stroke again next week, as I know both her and James enjoy the challenge of learning a new stroke.”
Naga Munchetty Swim Lesson Update 22/11/19
We caught up with Hollie to see how Naga and James were progressing in their adult swim lessons.
“Naga and James have been making fantastic progress and are now comfortably completing a six-length warm up at the start of their sessions. They’re getting a lot more ‘water fit’, and this really shows despite them having a break in the lessons due to work commitments.
“We’ve been working on backstroke and specifically the use of their arms. James was finding this a bit more difficult until we introduced the arms, at which point he was able to maintain the stroke really well. Naga had always been a natural with this one, but again introducing the correct arm positioning helped her to move through the water with ease.
“I find that people’s swimming always improves if they are relaxed and comfortable. This is why I introduce a fun element at the end of each lesson, to distract them from over-thinking. I’ve seen both Naga and James do some of their best strokes during this time, when they’re focusing on winning the challenge and not over-analysing their movements.
“I’ve now just started to prep them for a distance swim, which will be the next element of their development. The prep work is helping them to gauge the differences between short and long-distance swimming, and also helps me to understand how their swimming alters as they tire. We’ll then use the remaining sessions to build their confidence and stamina over larger distances, while also maintaining their water fitness.”
Naga Munchetty Swim Lesson Update 26/11/19
Just a few short months ago, Naga would avoid swimming pools b…ecause she lacked confidence in the water. Look at her now! Seven lessons down and she’s just attempted her first dive. Go Naga!