Start with your coach’s advice
Before practising between adult swimming lessons, ask your coach whether any extra water practice suits you and, if so, what to work on. You can wait for your next coached lesson if you are not ready.
Having a condo pool downstairs can make an extra visit tempting. Tell your coach what you have in mind, including the pool and who would be there. Explain anything that still feels uncertain when the coach is not beside you.
Penguin’s adult lessons accommodate different starting confidence levels. A useful question for your next lesson is: ‘Would any practice between lessons be suitable for me at this stage?’
Choose one familiar focus together
If your coach recommends extra practice, ask them to identify a skill you have already worked on together. Write down their cue in words you understand. Read it back during the lesson so they can correct any misunderstanding.
Ask what you should leave until the next coached session, too. Keep new skills and unfamiliar exercises for instruction. If you cannot explain the agreed task clearly, ask for another demonstration during your lesson before considering practice.
Agree the pool and supervision first
Never swim alone. The Singapore Life Saving Society advises using pools with a lifeguard on duty and choosing depth according to ability. SportSG’s SwimSafer 2.0 Water Safety Knowledge also says never to swim alone and to follow lifeguard and instructor guidance. Both references are linked below.
Ask your coach what supervision you need and whether the proposed setting is suitable. A friend’s presence does not establish that they are qualified to supervise you or respond to an emergency. Familiar surroundings and shallow water do not settle those questions.
Check the pool’s rules and access arrangements. If the agreed support is unavailable, postpone water practice. Discuss what changes in conditions mean you should leave the session for another day.
Complete this practice note with your coach
Copy these prompts into a note and complete them together before any extra pool practice. Keep unanswered fields as questions for your coach.
Coach’s advice for this week: water practice suitable / wait for next coached session / still needs discussion: ______.
Familiar skill and cue demonstrated during the lesson: ______.
Pool and specific area discussed with my coach: ______.
Supervision and support required, and how they will be provided: ______.
Agreed boundaries: what to repeat, what to leave for coached lessons, and when to end or postpone: ______.
Next lesson review: what felt clear and what I want my coach to check: ______.
This note is a conversation aid. Completing it does not make solo swimming safe or confirm readiness for a different pool, deeper water or new skills. Review it with your coach when the proposed arrangement changes.
Bring your observations back
After any agreed practice, write a few plain words about what you understood and what needs another explanation. You might note that you forgot the cue or felt unsure without the usual support. Those are useful details to share.
If an instruction becomes unclear, stop that task and ask your coach before repeating it. Bring the note to the next lesson. You can also bring questions if you did no extra practice; there is still something useful to discuss.
Ask Penguin about your lesson needs
If you already take lessons, start this discussion with your current coach. If you are looking for adult swimming lessons in Singapore, tell Penguin your current ability, your goal, preferred pool and available times.
Our adult and private lesson pages explain the available approaches. Use the contact link below to ask about a suitable lesson arrangement, including any uncertainty you have about practising between sessions.