Backyard pools are a great way to unwind and relax with loved ones but can pose risks when rules aren't followed. Here are the essentials keep your family safe while having a blast around the water.

It is time for sunshine and warmer weather, I swear it is just around the corner. Pool covers will come off, new swimsuits will be purchased, barbecues will be fired up. Parents start asking "is my child okay to swim on their own? When will my child be safe in the water?"

Coach Jim's Blog: Our teaching philosophy at JMSS is each child is different and each child learns at their own pace. Every class level is integrally related to the previous level and the following level. Certain skills are emphasized at each level and swimmers can progress from one class level to the next when they are able to correctly perform a skill (check out your child's current skills in the parent portal for detailed information on each student). In order for a child to pass a skill, they must demonstrate the skill consistently, comfortably and confidently. Then the deck supervisor is called over to review the same skill before it is checked off as completed.

Our heated indoor pools provide the perfect environment for year round lessons. Keeping skills up, working towards being water safe(r) and maintaining a child's bond with their instructor and the facility is important for success. Swimming isn't just a sport, it contributes to positive social, emotional, and cognitive development. We recommend maintenance lessons year round to keep your kiddos swimming safely and confidently.

 They underestimate the inherent risks of water. While few parents would allow their child to swim unsupervised in a lake (16%) or ocean (13%), 37% would allow their child to use a backyard, hotel or neighborhood pool without adult supervision, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan. However, even strong swimmers can be easily affected by distance or other factors such as a cramp or swallowing water.

Summer approaching, kids out of school and lots of activities planned around the water. In case you could not participate in our Water Safety Week, I wanted to give parents our water safety checklist to make sure our kids are always safe at the pool and around the house. 

Happy Holidays to all our JMSS Families! Seasons Greetings from the Jim Montgomery Swim School! As the holiday season picks up, we want to share with you the latest deals, news, and tips from JMSS!

Halloween is right around the corner, and while Halloween is scary, swimming doesn't have to be! Many people have a fear of swimming. Sometimes these fears develop because an individual has never learned how to swim. Other times, these fears develop because of a frightening experience in the water. Regardless of why someone fears swimming, that fear can prevent them from enjoying the health benefits and social benefits that swimming has to offer, such as days at the pool with friends and improving cardiovascular health. At Jim Montgomery Swim School, we have a passion for helping people overcome their fear of swimming and reap the benefits of the sport we love!

Here are a few tips that can help:

MAY is Water Safety Month | Summer is coming, are you ready?
As pool season fast approaches we are encouraging all of our families to do a safer inventory of their home pools and to make sure their family establishes safety guidelines with their children of all ages. Kids of all ages and even adults can never be considered completely safe in or around any body of water.

As I look ahead to 2019, there is a lot be excited for. We will have our second swim school in Flower Mound up and running and we are looking to further grow our pre-competitive and competitive swim program. All of this is thanks to you, our amazing JMSS  staff and families - who without, none of this would be possible - so thank you for your continued support.

Short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. This month I will be kicking off a series of talks to our JMSS Sailfish USA swim team. First up is goal setting for the upcoming competitive swim season. What I want to get across to our swimmers, first and foremost, is that goals must be action oriented.
That is where Moment Goals come in.

Ready for Swim Team? I get a lot of parents asking me when I think their child will be ready to join the JMSS Marlin developmental swim team. The team practices on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings 6 - 7 pm and Saturdays 8:30 - 9:30 am in the 25 yard course "big" pool. The first thing I ask is what level of swim class is their swimmer currently in.

The JMSS System and Why it Works: Our teaching philosophy at JMSS is each child is different and each child learns at their own pace. Every class level is integrally related to the previous level and the following level. Certain skills are emphasized at each level and swimmers can progress from one class level to the next when they are able to correctly perform a skill (check out your child's current skills in the parent portal for detailed information on each student). In order for a child to pass a skill, they must demonstrate the skill consistently, comfortably and confidently. Then the deck supervisor is called over to review the same skill before it is checked off as completed.

Teamwork makes the dream work: My dream of owning a swim school began in 2006 when I attended the United States Swimming School Association national conference, I was blown away with the commitment and professionalism the organization and its member schools displayed. From there I spent the better part of a week traveling around Arizona and California checking out the top swim schools in the industry. Then came the hard part, renovating or building a teaching pool that made economic sense in a good location. I spent years looking at possible sites until one day in the spring of 2015...

Our heated indoor pools provide the perfect environment for year round lessons. Keeping skills up, working towards being water safe(r) and maintaining a child's bond with their instructor and the facility is important for success. Swimming isn't just a sport, it contributes to positive social, emotional, and cognitive development. We recommend maintenance lessons year round to keep your kiddos swimming safely and confidently.

Summer is just around the corner – be ready for hot weather fun with swim lessons and water safety.

Join us for Jim Montgomery Swim School's first Water Safety Week and Water Safety Challenge. Our goal is to dramatically reduce drowning incidents by teaching parents and kids how they can be safer in and around the pool.

I was a skinny 14-year-old high school freshman who played a lot of sports and liked to swim. It was a defining moment in my life that set me on a journey that, to this day, has affected my career and family. It happened one afternoon at the Madison East High School pool. I was goofing off in lane six; the lane where they put team members who were not serious, just getting by, going through the motions. But my coach at the time, Pat Barry, pulled me out of the pool grabbed my little finger and said "Jim you have more talent in your little pinkie than the rest of the swimmers in the whole pool combined. You have so much more potential – if you would just use it!"

 February Newsletter

~ We are excited to announce JMSS has joined USA Swimming foundation water safety initiative, Make a Splash.