Swimming coach in Singapore · Founder & Head Coach I've been teaching Singaporeans to swim since 1994.
Thirty years at the side of a pool teaches you one thing above all others: almost nobody who "can't swim" is actually incapable. They were just taught badly, or too fast, or by someone who mistook fear for stubbornness.
I started Star Swim because I kept meeting adults who had been put off swimming as children — rushed through lessons, embarrassed in front of a class, or frightened by someone who thought that was motivating. They had carried it for thirty years.
Why we teach the way we do
Singapore is an island. Every child here will end up near water — a condo pool, East Coast, a school trip, a holiday. Swimming is not a hobby you pick up if there is time. It is a safety skill, and it stays with you for the rest of your life either way: as confidence, or as a thing you quietly avoid.
That is why we will not hurry a nervous child to make a term look productive. A rushed four-year-old becomes an anxious adult swimmer, and I have taught enough of those to know exactly what it costs. We would rather spend three extra weeks on floating and have a child who swims for forty years.
It is also why our classes are small. Correcting a stroke means the coach has to see the stroke. In a lane of ten that happens once every few minutes; in a group of four it happens constantly. The fee difference between those two classes is usually less than parents expect, and the difference in progress is not subtle.
The last part is simply being straight with people. If your child does not need lessons, I will say so. If they need six months rather than the three you were hoping for, I will say that too — before you pay, not after.
Qualifications
Every coach on our team is accredited, insured and current on CPR and AED — not just experienced.
Four things we will not compromise on
Confidence before technique
A frightened swimmer cannot learn a stroke, no matter how good the drill is. We fix the fear first, even when that means a first lesson where nothing visible happens. It is faster in the end — every time.
Small enough to actually see
You cannot correct a stroke you did not watch. The SwimSafer recommended maximum is 10 and we offer it, but most of our students sit in a group of four or fewer because that is where progress comes from.
No shouting, no rushing
About a quarter of our students arrive after a bad experience somewhere else. Being hurried through a syllabus is how an eight-year-old becomes a forty-year-old who avoids the deep end.
An honest answer, even when it costs us a booking
Some children just need pool time with a parent, not lessons. Some adults are closer than they think. If that is you, we would rather say so than sell you four months of classes.
Where we teach
We run classes at public swimming complexes across the island, and at over 100 condo pools — which usually means we already teach at the pool downstairs from you.
- Heartbeat at Bedok
- Hougang
- Sengkang
- One Punggol
- Bishan
- Yio Chu Kang
- Yishun
- + 100 condo pools
Not sure whether we cover your pool? WhatsApp us your address and we will confirm within the hour.
Want to talk to me directly?
I answer my own WhatsApp — no call centre, no sales team. Tell me the age and the current level and I'll give you a straight answer about what the next three months look like.
First trial lesson from $30+ (45 minutes) · No long-term commitment · Cancel anytime