How to Modify Swim Instruction for Different Learning Styles

Unlock Every Swimmer’s Potential by Teaching the Way They Learn Best 

Not every swimmer learns the same way — and not every coach teaches the same way. Yet too often, swim instruction follows a one-size-fits-all model: “Watch me. Do this. Again.” While this may work for some, it leaves others frustrated, confused, or disengaged.

The truth? Swimmers have different learning styles — visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and social — and adapting your instruction to match these styles isn’t just “nice to do”… it’s essential for effective, inclusive, and joyful learning. 

In this guide, we’ll break down how to identify and teach to each learning style, with practical strategies, sample cues, and drill modifications that transform confusion into confidence — whether you’re coaching a 5-year-old beginner or guiding an adult learner back into the water.

🧩 The 4 Primary Learning Styles in Swim Instruction

Based on educational psychology (VARK model and beyond), most learners fall into one or more of these categories:

1. Visual Learners — Learn by seeing

2. Auditory Learners — Learn by hearing

3. Kinesthetic Learners — Learn by doing and feeling

4. Social Learners — Learn through interaction and collaboration 

💡 Most people are multimodal — they learn best through a combination. But everyone has a dominant preference.  

👀 1. Teaching Visual Learners

Characteristics: 

• Watches demonstrations intently

• Remembers diagrams, videos, or written steps

• Gets frustrated if they can’t “see” what to do

• Often says: “Show me again.” 

✅ Instructional Strategies:

• Demonstrate, then let them mirror you — underwater and above

• Use video playback (tablet or phone) to show their stroke vs. ideal

• Provide visual aids: posters of stroke phases, laminated cue cards

• Use color-coded equipment: blue fins for kick sets, red paddles for pull

• Draw stroke paths on a whiteboard — “Your hand moves like this…” 

🎯 Sample Visual Cues:

• “Watch how my hand enters the water — copy this angle.”

• “See how my hips rotate? Yours should look like this.”

• “Look at the underwater photo — this is your goal position.” 

🏊 Drill Adaptation:

“Mirror Me” Drill — Instructor faces learner in waist-deep water. Learner copies every movement in real-time — entry, pull, kick, breath.  

👂 2. Teaching Auditory Learners

Characteristics: 

• Remembers verbal instructions and rhythms

• Responds well to songs, chants, or counting

• Talks through movements (“Pull, breathe, kick, glide”)

• Often says: “Tell me what to do.” 

✅ Instructional Strategies:

• Use rhythmic cues and counting: “Kick 2, pull 1, breathe”

• Create stroke chants or songs: “Reach and glide, side to side!”

• Give clear, concise verbal feedback — avoid long explanations

• Record audio cues they can listen to before/during practice

• Use metronomes or tempo trainers for stroke timing 

🎯 Sample Auditory Cues:

• “Hear the splash? That’s your hand entering — make it quieter.”

• “Count with me: 1 (pull), 2 (breathe), 3 (kick), 4 (glide).”

• “Listen to the bubbles — steady exhale means you’re relaxed.” 

🏊 Drill Adaptation:

“Count & Kick” Drill — On back or front, kick while counting aloud to a beat set by coach. Builds rhythm and breath control.  

✋ 3. Teaching Kinesthetic (Tactile) Learners

Characteristics: 

• Needs to feel the movement to understand it

• Learns by trial, error, and physical feedback

• Fidgets or moves constantly — “hands-on” by nature

• Often says: “Let me try it,” or “I’ll figure it out.” 

✅ Instructional Strategies:

• Use tactile feedback tools:

  • Push their hips up to feel body position

  • Guide their hand through the pull path underwater

  • Place their foot in correct kick position 

• Incorporate equipment they can “feel”:

  • Fins for kick awareness

  • Pull buoys for body alignment

  • Noodles for support and tactile positioning 

• Allow exploratory practice — “Try 3 ways and tell me which felt best.” 

🎯 Sample Kinesthetic Cues:

• “Feel the water push against your palm — that’s your catch.”

• “Press your chest down — feel how your hips rise?”

• “Kick until you feel the board lift — that’s the right pressure.” 

🏊 Drill Adaptation:

“Blindfold Balance” Drill (Advanced Beginner) — With eyes closed, swim 10m focusing ONLY on how the water feels against hands, chest, and feet. Builds body awareness.  

⚠️ Only in shallow, controlled water with spotter.  

👥 4. Teaching Social Learners

Characteristics: 

• Learns best with peers or in groups

• Motivated by encouragement, teamwork, and games

• Enjoys teaching others or partnering up

• Often says: “Can I swim with someone?” or “Watch me do it!” 

✅ Instructional Strategies:

• Use partner drills and relays  

• Implement peer feedback — “Tell your buddy one thing they did well”

• Create team challenges: “Group float chain,” “Relay race with technique focus”

• Assign “Stroke Captain” roles — let them lead warm-up or demonstrate

• Encourage group goal-setting: “Let’s all reduce our stroke count by 1 this week!” 

🎯 Sample Social Cues:

• “Show your partner your streamline — they’ll give you a high-five if it’s tight!”

• “Work with your lane to complete 10 perfect backstroke flags touches.”

• “Teach the new swimmer how to do a flip turn — you’re the expert now!” 

🏊 Drill Adaptation:

“Follow the Leader” Continuous Swim — One swimmer leads stroke, tempo, or drill — others follow. Rotate leaders every 50m.  

🧭 How to Identify a Swimmer’s Learning Style

Use these quick observational tools:       

Constantly watching demo	👀 Visual
Repeating your words aloud	👂 Auditory
Jumping in before instructions	✋ Kinesthetic
Asking to swim with a friend	👥 Social
Drawing strokes in the air	👀 Visual + ✋ Kinesthetic
Singing or counting to self	👂 Auditory
Prefers games over drills	👥 Social + ✋ Kinesthetic

💡 Ask them! “Do you learn best by watching, listening, trying, or working with others?”  

🔄 Blending Styles: The Multimodal Approach

Most swimmers thrive with a mix. Try “The Triple Play” method:

Teach Every Skill 3 Ways: 

1. Show it (Visual)

2. Say it (Auditory)

3. Do it together (Kinesthetic/Social)

Example — Teaching Streamline:    

• 👀 Show a poster + demo underwater

• 👂 Say: “Lock thumbs, squeeze ears, point toes”

• ✋ Guide their hands into position + have them push off with you

🧑‍🏫 Practical Tips for Coaches & Instructors

✅ Start each lesson with a “Learning Style Check-In” — “Raise your hand if you want to watch first. Who wants to try right away?”

✅ Rotate cue types — Don’t just talk. Show. Don’t just show. Let them feel.

✅ Group by style for certain drills — Let kinesthetic learners explore, visual learners watch video, auditory learners chant.

✅ Use tech wisely — Underwater cameras for visual learners, waterproof audio players for auditory, resistance tools for kinesthetic.

✅ Involve parents — “Your child learns best by doing — practice at home by having them ‘teach’ you the stroke!”

📅 Sample Lesson Plan: Adapting for All Styles

Skill: Backstroke Flutter Kick 

• 👀 Visual: Show slow-mo video of elite back kicker + draw kick path on whiteboard

• 👂 Auditory: Chant: “Small toes, fast flows, hips go, no bends below!”

• ✋ Kinesthetic: Place noodle under knees — “Kick until the noodle wiggles!”

• 👥 Social: “Kick Chain” — 3 swimmers hold ankles, kick together in unison — first team to 10m wins!

💡 Bonus: Adapting for Neurodiverse Learners

Many neurodivergent swimmers (e.g., ADHD, autism, dyslexia) benefit from:

• Visual schedules — “First kick, then drill, then swim”

• Sensory-friendly equipment — Soft caps, tinted goggles, quiet pool times

• Predictable routines — Same warm-up, same cue words

• Movement breaks — Jumping jacks or water walking between drills

• Choice boards — “Pick your next drill: A, B, or C”

“Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need to succeed.”  

Final Thoughts

Great swim instruction isn’t about delivering the perfect demo — it’s about connecting with the learner in the way that makes the skill “click.” When you speak their learning language, frustration fades. Confidence soars. Progress accelerates.

So the next time a swimmer struggles with a flip turn or sinks during breaststroke, don’t just repeat the cue louder.

Ask yourself:

“Are they seeing it? Hearing it? Feeling it? Sharing it?”  

Then adapt. Experiment. Celebrate the breakthroughs — no matter how they come.

Because in the water, there’s no single right way to learn……only the right way for this swimmer, right now.