Hi, I'm John Quintana, your virtual swim coach. I've over 20 years of teaching and motivating swimmers at all ages and,skill levels. Whether your focus is learn to swim, overcoming fear, swim team preparation, masters, competitive stoke development, triathlon preparateion or ocean swimming, I've experience in helping swimmers at all levels define and reach their goals.
A brief background : I grew up in Southern California, spending my youth as a pool rat, and body surfer. Weekends, vacations and summers would find me on the pool deck or at the beach (Southern Californian speak for "shore"). I competed in water polo, swimming and springboard diving, as well as, coached these sports at the age group, high school and college levels. For over 14 years, my full time focus was aquatics. My formal education, my fulltime vocation, my recreation, my social life were all aquatics related. I read the periodicals, books and research of the day, interviewed coaches and swimmer. Spent most sunrises, sunsets and weekends watching, teaching, coaching and motivating swimmers.
Perhaps it was my history of competitive aquatics, or perhaps it was due to the fact that only efficient swimmers entered my competitive world. Or perhaps it was a simple lack of empathy on my part, whatever it was, this fact remained, I took for granted many of the skills and unconscious competencies aquatic athletes and enthusiasts have at their disposal.
These skills include:
¨ Having no negative response to water in ones mouth, nose, eyes and ears.
¨ Breathing naturally and effortlessly in all situations.
¨ Treading water for long periods of time.
¨ Moving relaxed and effortlessly on, in and through the water.
- Staying relaxed and in control even while being tumbled by surf regardless of orientation to the surface.
¨ Waiting confidently for one's body to "pop" to the surface after a dive, ride or wipeout.
In short, I took for granted the freedom "confidence-in-the-water" brings to a swimmer. The ability to be free of anxiety, concern or fear while in the water. And in particular, free of anxiety and fear while in the process of learning new aquatic skills.
Over the last few years of teaching beginning swimming skills (and performance swimming), to children and adults, I've come to recognize these "basic skills" don't come easy to all. And that many have to overcome deep-seated fears to simply get their faces wet or allow themselves to float. All critical skills needed before moving on to the more complex, yet basic core body, leg and arm motor-skills.
What does this all mean to you? It means that more than being trained, motivated and experienced in teaching aquatic skills through current methods and proven progressions, I am also committed to teaching all my students to master these skills without fear, introducing each new motor skill when the student is ready, both physically and emotionally.
I look forward to our time together and encourage you to flag any concerns or ask any questions. I will forward to you information on the skills as pertinent and keep you posted as progress through written reports as well.
Sincerely,
Q
NOW
