One of the foremost swim schools in Dubai, Hamilton Aquatics has some pretty impressive credits to their name: one young swimmer on the current squad is ranked number onejunior in the world for 100m freestyle another is a two-time Olympian, while 12 more would be ranked in Great Britain’s top 10!
Now operating in Abu Dhabi too, the swim school currently runs 36 classes, six days a week at Gems American Academy in Khalifa City, for children from three years old to seniors. ‘We cater for absolute beginners up to competitive squads,’ explains Chris Tidey, managing director at Hamilton Aquatics. ‘From our ‘Aquatots’ class that teaches little ones confidence in the water, to squad coaching which involves training up to six or seven days each week. At the top level, it’s less about teaching, more about conditioning a swimmer for competing.’
Building upon the success of the company in the neighbouring emirate, Hamilton Aquatics’ Abu Dhabi operations employs only fully-qualified staff with British or Australian teaching and coaching certifications, and will be offering a low swimmer-to-teacher ratio in all of the classes. ‘For Aquatots, it’s just four or five children per class,’ says Ash Morris, Head Coach. ‘As the child’s ability increases, so does the class size, although they are still very small so they can learn and you can give each child individual attention – it goes up to eight children per class, while squads will increase to up to four children per lane.’ With more quality time to devote to each individual, children learn faster and the standards become higher at an earlier age, he adds.
While there are other swim schools in Abu Dhabi, it’s Hamilton Aquatics’ holistic approach to learning and training that is helping it carve a niche all of its own. ‘There is a lot of talent here in Abu Dhabi,’ says Chris. ‘It is about providing the community with what they require to help them develop to their full potential.’
As well as teaching children the basics of swimming, and organising regular coaching sessions, the swim school also employs extra staff – including a strength and conditioning coach and a qualified nutritionist – to help kids stay fit and healthy all round. ‘We start this at squad stages,’ says Ash. ‘To begin with, we’ll talk generally to the children: what they should be eating before and after swimming. When we get to competitions, we’ll send out an information leaflet to the children and then monitor them at the meet. We like to tell them what they should be eating as they train and compete, when to eat, and why.’ When they get to a very high level on the squads, kids are encouraged to record what they eat in food diaries, which are assessed by nutritionist Mike Lee to calculate the amount of energy they’re consuming compared to what they’re using. Mike then looks at how to improve their overall diet and energy levels. ‘Once we’ve helped them manage their energy levels, we’ve often had kids come back to us saying that it’s had a knock-on effect at school,’ says Chris. ‘They’ll say that they’re finding it easier to concentrate as they’re not having the sugar rushes and dips, their energy levels are more controlled throughout the day.’
Another reason that the school is successful, says Chris, is because it is so structured. ‘Everything is very clearly defined for each level of a swimmer’s ability, and what they’re working towards.’ No matter what level they’re at, swimmers are continually assessed by teachers and coaches, and work towards completing specific tasks and demonstrating certain skills. In this way, each child can progress at his or her own pace, and will be moved up into the next class when they’ve fulfilled all the criteria, rather than waiting for the next term.
For those kids that do show potential, the swim school has an ongoing talent identification process, where coaches will work with the swimming teachers to identify children that would be suitable for the foundation squad – the lowest level squad for the little ones. The swim school also operates its own development series through swimming galas, kiddy competitions and one-length races, where it’s obvious to see the children who are suited to swimming competitively. ‘We have set criteria for kids moving up a level, and moving into the squads, but overall, we get to see from an early age who’s a racer and who likes to win,’ says Ash.
‘We know that not every child who comes to us is going to become a national level swimmer,’ adds Chris, ‘but we do believe that going through our structured programme gives every child the essential skills for life, whether it’s time management, the camaraderie of being in a team, fitness or commitment to training sessions.’
To find out more about Hamilton Aquatics in Abu Dhabi, visit www.hamiltonaquatics.ae
