Our Method

The Herrick Method of one-on-one swim instruction is an effective, progressive and nurturing method that has been perfected over the years and has helped cement our school as the premier swim school in the city of Los Angeles. Our method is based on core principles of trust, comfort and consistency and can be easily tailored by our instructors to be effective for children of all learning styles and physical abilities.

We first establish a deep level of security and trust between the student and instructor. We then work to create genuine comfort in the water; this will allow the student to open their eyes underwater, without goggles. We believe fundamentally, a swimmer’s ability to open their eyes underwater is an absolute key element to water safety. From there, we work through a series of proven steps and drills that, when practiced consistently, will result in a child who is water-safe. Only when a student can properly swim and comfortably tread water do we move on to teaching competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly).

Our definition of “water safe” is clear, common sense and consists of three basic skills:

• The ability to swim the length of any size pool while comfortably taking strong breaths


• The ability to tread water, in the deep end, for a minimum of sixty seconds


• The ability to dive or jump into the water and swim safely to the edge of the pool

Our students learn true water safety and proper technique, making them stronger, safer and more capable swimmers than those who learn elsewhere. Over the years, parents and coaches of competitive swim clubs throughout Los Angeles have validated this time and time again.