Knowing how to swim is a must if you want you and your family to be safer around water. There are lots of places you can take swim lessons in Knoxville, TN, all with their own unique spin on learning to swim. These differences include duration of lessons, teaching philosophy, pricing, location, and lesson types.
As you look into different places that offer swim lessons, consider these questions to figure out if they are a good fit:
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- What is there teaching philosophy?
- Do the swim instructors go through any kind of training? If so, how much?
- Does the swim school have safety plans in place in case of an emergency?
- Will there be other instructors or students in the pool besides the ones in my student’s lesson?
- Will I be able to watch my child during their swim lessons?
- How much am I involved with my child’s swim lessons?
- Do they teach adults?
- Do they offer group lessons, private lessons, or both?
- How many people will be in the water during my swim lesson?
- Will my swim instructor change or stay the same?
- Am I required to get in the water or stay out of the water during my child’s swim lessons?
- What is the goal for student’s who take lessons there?
- Does the curriculum have clear ways to measure progress?
If you or someone you know offers lessons that are not on this list, let us know! Also let us know if the information is inaccurate. We want to be as comprehensive as possible. To keep it simple, we are only listing lessons within Knox County Limits.
Also, you may be interested in places to go swimming in Knoxville, TN. Check out this list to find the right place for you and your family to enjoy the pool!
Since we are the ones writing this article, we thought we would start with our swim school.
Table of Contents
List of Every Place to Take Swim Lessons in Knoxville, TN
All Knox Swim
All Knox Swim provides private swim lessons in Knoxville, TN throughout the year at residential and hotel pools. We utilize the family-oriented model, which means the parents and caregivers are intimately involved in the process of learning to swim. Our vision is “A Drowning Free Knoxville”, which means we not only provide swim lessons, but include water safety in our curriculum. We also seek to promote water safety throughout Knoxville.
Pros:
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- Private swim lessons for intimate experience
- High parent involvement
- Adapt our teaching philosophy to style of parent and child
- Able to accommodate people with disabilities
- Curriculum developed by former Special Education Teacher and NCAA D1 Swimmer
- Flexible schedule for convenience
- Extensive instructor training
- Utilize many pools throughout Knoxville, giving students a variety of pool experiences
- Provide lessons to all ages
- Online, easy booking
- Small number of people in the pool
Cons:
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- Private lessons are more expensive
- Doesn’t have their own facility
- Doesn’t offer group classes
Swim Schools / Larger Programs
British Swim School
British Swim School is a large chain of swim schools that offers swim lessons typically at host sites, such as hotels and fitness centers. This location is at the National Fitness Center of Tazewell Pike.
Pros:
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- Group swim lessons
- Indoor lessons for year round lessons
- Easy to understand curriculum
- Large chain that gives them lots of experience to prove their curriculum
- Lessons for all kids
- Pool space allows for swimming before and after lessons
- Weekly lessons for consistency
- Package discounts available
Cons:
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- No private lessons
- Limited class times
- May have different instructors if doing more than one lesson a week
City of Knoxville
The City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation department offers swim lessons at two different locations. They abide by the American Red Cross curriculum.
Pros:
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- Group swim lessons
- Indoor and outdoor options for year round lessons
- Among the cheapest swim lessons
- Lessons for all kids
- Pool space allows for swimming before and after lessons
- Package of lessons for consistency
- Sibling discounts available
Cons:
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- No private lessons
- Limited class times
- Government-run program
Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center
Fort Sanders is a large facility with tons to offer outside of swim lessons. It is associated with a hospital, which makes their fitness offerings expansive and diverse. They abide by the American Red Cross curriculum for swim lessons.
Pros:
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- Offer private and semi-private swim lessons
- Swim team for more advanced swimmers
- Indoor facilities for year round lessons
- Lessons for kids and toddlers
- Pool space allows for swimming before and after lessons
- Amenities and facility are really nice
- Red Cross curriculum is utilized all over the country
- Group classes for infants and toddlers
- Fairly cheap for group lessons
- Seems like they are flexible with scheduling
Cons:
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- No easy online booking
- Must be a member (as far as I can tell)
- No adult beginner classes (doesn’t say explicitly learn-to-swim for adults)
Knoxville Racquet Club
The Knoxville Racquet Club is primarily a tennis facility, but they offer a pool option during the summer months. There is a large variety of instructors and no clear statement that they abide by a certain curriculum.
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- Offer private swim lessons
- Swim team for more advanced swimmers
- Large list of instructors to choose from
- Lessons for all kids
- Pool space allows for swimming before and after lessons
- Amenities and facility are really nice
- Seems like they are flexible with scheduling
Cons:
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- No easy online booking
- No adult lessons (at least doesn’t say explicitly)
- No unifying curriculum (seems like the instructors are more like independent contractors that just use the pool)
LB Endurance
LB Endurance is a team of coaches that primarily work with adults and athletes. They have a lot of ways to improve performance for people anywhere in their sports journey. Although this doesn’t really fit our list, it is worth mentioning for those who are interested.
Pros:
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- Offer private and semi private swim lessons
- Master’s swim team for more advanced swimmers
- Can have them coach a group of people
- Adult lesson focus
- Expertise in all aspects of athletics
- Large variety of offerings available
- Seems like they are flexible with scheduling
Cons:
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- No swim lessons for kids
- Seems more geared to serious athletes
- No easy online booking
National Fitness
National Fitness is a full-service gym, pool, and workout facility. You can do just about anything here regarding fitness, including swim lessons. They have locations throughout Knoxville. There is not a whole lot of information online about their curriculum, but they do have 5 different levels to best fit your needs.
Pros:
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- Multiple locations to fit your schedule
- Swim team for more advanced swimmers
- 6 lesson packages for consistency
- Indoor facilities for year round lessons
- Lessons for all ages
- Pool space allows for swimming before and after lessons
- Amenities and facility are really nice
Cons:
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- No easy online booking
- Don’t list their methods or teaching philosophy online
- No information about training level of instructors
SafeSplash Swim School
SafeSplash is part of a national chain of swim schools and provides swim lessons in Knoxville, TN to people of all ages and ability levels. Their goal is for students to know the “joy and skill of swimming”. Their curriculum was developed by people from a broad range of fields, including Olympic swimmers.
Pros:
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- Weekend swim lessons
- Provide lessons to all ages
- 2 pools with generated current and underwater cameras for video analysis
- Indoor heated pool and nice facilities
- Online, easy booking
- Lots of time slots
- Extensive instructor training
- Lessons generally booked once a week, but do have some week-long options
- Large chain that gives them lots of experience to prove their curriculum
- Group lessons as a cheaper option
Cons:
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- Primarily geared toward group classes, so less private swim lesson availability
- Little parent involvement (parents watch from the waiting area, except for Parent and Tot classes)
- Based on number of instructors, could be a lot of people in the pool
UT Aquatic Center
The University of Tennessee has a huge facility where they offer swim lessons. There isn’t a whole lot of information about swim lessons on their website, but they do offer lessons to non-students.
Pros:
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- Group swim lessons during the summer
- Indoor and outdoor options for year round lessons
- Average price for swim lessons
- Lessons for all kids
- Utilize the American Red Cross curriculum
- Package of lessons for consistency
- Private lessons available during indoor season
Cons:
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- Instructor for groups are assigned to you based on availability
- Cannot utilize facility before and after lessons (only for staff and students)
- No group lessons during indoor season
YMCA
The YMCA is well known across the nation for being a family-friendly place for recreation, fun, and swimming. There are several pools throughout Knoxville that provide swim lessons. The fact that they are a national chain allows them to utilize a curriculum that is thorough and proven.
Pros:
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- One of the cheaper options
- Lots of time slots
- Weekend lessons available
- Tons of information about their curriculum online
- Indoor and outdoor swim lessons
- Year-round swim lessons at some locations
- Private and group classes available
- Accelerated programs during the summer
- Easy online booking
- Large chain provides great basis for curriculum development
Cons:
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- Little information about training for instructors
- Seems like their is often a waitlist for private lessons
- Classes require minimum 2 participants, so classes may get cancelled
Solo Instructors / Smaller Programs
Adventure Swim
Local swim school that takes place essentially in “Mr. Ed’s” backyard. It is a covered pool area in a neighborhood. He has been a local swim instructor in Knoxville, TN for multiple generations of students. He developed his own curriculum that has worked with many students.
Pros:
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- Local swim instructor with tons of experience
- Lessons for all ages and ability levels
- Group classes for a cheaper price
- Easy online booking
- Lots of equipment and materials available to purchase
- Non-traditional equipment use that is fun and works for many
- Plenty of class times
- Online bio for Mr. Ed is quite impressive
Cons:
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- Large group classes (possibly 10 students?, hard to tell online)
- Private lessons are very expensive
- Doesn’t offer year round classes
Alana’s Aquatics
Alana’s Aquatics, as you could imagine, is a solo gal by the name of Alana. She doesn’t have a website, but she has a Facebook page. In order to take swim lessons with her, you fill out a form on her Facebook page to take lessons. She primarily seems to teach the back float and roll over technique to get kids to safety. She has been around Knoxville for years and has become quite the name in Knoxville.
Pros:
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- Solo instructors, like Alana, usually have the most experience
- Indoor pool for year round lessons
- Looks like she does go outdoors sometimes
- Large focus on water safety in various circumstances
- Primarily private lessons (might do siblings together?)
- Awesome bio on the Facebook page
Cons
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- Doesn’t teach adults (as far as I can tell)
- No easy online sign-ups
- No listing of price
Baby Otter Survival Swim Academy
Baby Otter has been around for a while. There are 3 instructors listed on the website and it looks like they have all been teaching swim lessons in Knoxville, TN for a long time. They are part of the Survival Swim Network, which focuses on the back float and roll over method.
Pros:
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- Private pool (I assume residential)
- Small team of instructors with lots of experience
- Safety focused
- Group and private lessons offered
- Teach young children primarily
- Looks like they put a dome on the pool for year-round lessons
Cons:
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- More expensive end if calculating hourly rate
- No adult classes
- No weekend classes
Knoxville ISR LLC
Korey Dye is the solo gal for this operation. She is a name we hear often when we talk to parents about places to take swim lessons in Knoxville, TN. She is part of the ISR network of swim instructors. She focuses on the back float and roll over techniques.
Pros:
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- Solo instructors usually have the most experience
- Indoor and outdoor pool for year round lessons
- Large focus on water safety
- Private lessons
- Part of a larger network of instructors
- Primarily teach young children
Cons:
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- No easy online booking on website
- ISR philosophy isn’t what some parents want
- More expensive hourly rate
Jenna is an Olympian who mostly does training for kids read for a swim team. She is a very experience coach and athlete. She does provide swim lessons for all levels, but that does not appear to be her main focus.
Pros:
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- Solo instructors usually have the most experience
- Indoor pool year round lessons
- Large focus on stroke development
- Private lessons available
- Semi-private lessons available
- Having an Olympian coach your kids is pretty cool
Cons:
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- No easy online booking on website
- No information about curriculum online
- More limited to stroke improvement
Swim with Kim
Kim is another solo gal that does some lessons in Farragut. She has an impressive record in the pool and can truly instruct all levels and all ages because of that. There isn’t much information about her curriculum on her website.
Pros:
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- Solo instructors usually have the most experience
- Indoor and outdoor pool for year round lessons
- Teaches all ages and ability levels
- Private and semi-private lessons
- Can accommodate the most advanced swimmers
- Has swim team options available
Cons:
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- No group classes for swim lessons (though she does swim team groups)
- No mention of teaching philosophy
- Looks like her winter lessons are in Lenoir City, not ideal for Knoxville residents (though hard to tell from website)
Swim with Sarah
Sarah is a solo instructor in Knoxville, TN that does lessons in Farragut. She doesn’t have a website, so all this information is the best I can deduce from her Facebook Page.
Pros:
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- Solo instructors usually have the most experience
- Lessons are cheap
- Teaches primarily children
- Private lessons
- Offers groups for siblings
- Does underwater photography
Cons:
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- Doesn’t seem to offer adult lessons
- Looks like summer swim lessons only, no year-round lessons
- No website, so not much information about philosophy
