Welcome to Swimming Los Angeles!

Matt has been a great teacher for my two kids for the last three years. We started both of them around eight months old. My three-year-old has progressed to being very comfortable in the water. Matt creates a great environment that not only gets the kids comfortable in water but also allows them to socially interact with both other adults and kids their ages. We would recommend this class for anybody looking to get their kids comfortable with the water. Thank you again Matt.

We started Swimming LA's Guppy class back when our daughter was about 4 months old and loved it from the start. It was great to have her get comfortable in the water in a group setting and the way Matt taught was so age appropriate for babies and toddlers alike. Each class had a similar structure where we started with certain kinds of skills like putting their head under water, or circling them around in the water, all to the tunes of familiar songs but with the words changed to be about water and swimming. I don't know if my description is doing the class justice but in a few short weeks our daughter progressed to being comfortable with having her head under water briefly and more.

There were older kids in the class too and I distinctly remember a child (18-24 months old maybe?) who had been taking Matt's class for months having progressed so much that with a little nudge, he could go from being above water, down to the swimming under water to the bottom of the shallow end of the pool, grabbing a ring that was on the pool's floor and coming up with it. I was so impressed and it was clear that the thoughtful water skill-building, coaching and baby/child-centered approach to the class had produced that impressive result.

Both my husband and I would highly recommend Swimming LA to anyone looking for swim classes for the child and can't wait to start classes back up for our daughter, with Matt!

Our kids (3 years old and 18 months) took Coach Matt's swim classes this past summer & fall. He took all covid precautions, and we felt very safe. Our kids had little to no swimming and water experience, and it was wonderful for them! They hesitated at first and we did have some tears, but by the third session, they were so much more comfortable, and by the end of our sessions, they loved it! Our 3 year old went from not wanting to get into the pool with me holding her to jumping into the pool and floating on her own. And months after the conclusion of our classes, she has still maintained that comfort and confidence in the water. It's clear that Matt has a lot of experience teaching kids and is very knowledgeable at the sport. Would highly recommend his classes!

I cannot recommend Swimming LA enough! My son started Swimming LA right around 6 months when classes began in El Segundo beginning of 2019. Swimming was my son's favorite activity. His confidence and comfort in the water is incredible. Matt helped me and my son feel comfortable with "up and unders" to the point that over the summer he asked to do "up and unders" in the ocean. As a former swimmer, Matt is wonderful with the kids and adults and he knows how to teach. I never expected the progress that my son made while at Swimming LA. I really hope El Segundo allows Matt to re-open soon as I will be there with my daughter!

We had no idea what to expect when we took our 13 month old daughter to swim lessons (during COVID!) but wow, we were blown away by the care and attention that Matt put into these lessons. He is wonderful with infants and exudes a calm patient energy that is very helpful for little ones navigating such a new and at times unfamiliar environment (he is great at putting the parents at ease too). In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable, it was also incredibly fun and we looked forward to class every week. We still sing "the kids in the pool" with our daughter during bathtime every night! Thank you Matt for such a valuable experience for our little one - I know it will benefit her for years to come.

We started taking our daughter to swim classes when she was only 9 weeks old! Matt was very patient with us as first time parents and we really appreciated that! Luckily, she took to the water pretty naturally and was pretty comfortable in it. We saw improvements each week and we're so happy that we enrolled her so young. She's two now and absolutely loves the water now and we have SwimmingLA to thank for that!

After we go to Matt's swim classes, for the next few days my son is constantly saying "Matt" "Matt" because he wants to go back right away. We have done a bunch of swimming with our son and nothing compares to the classes at Matt's house and at the pool where we also did lessons with Matt. We started lesson's when my son was just 6 months old and Matt made it really easy for him to get comfortable in the water, going under, floating on his back, etc. From that point on he just got better and better and when he was about 1 he was already able to grab rings under water. It's cool that Matt is able to combine a class that is super fun for the kids and also one where they really learn how to be comfortable in the water and swim.

Matt is fantastic. My son started swim lessons with him when he was 8 months old and it was amazing how quickly he became comfortable in the water. By our third class he was diving underwater (with my assistance) and a few months in he was diving for rings at the bottom of the pool. Even in a small group setting, each child is given personalized attention and we trusted Matt completely. We learned so many skills to continue practicing with our son even outside of class, and I couldn't recommend his coaching more. Our son is so comfortable in the water now and I attribute it all to Swimming LA!

Matt started teaching my daughter to swim at 4 months old and she is now so confident in the water and loves to jump straight in from the edge of the pool! He has provided some great tips on how to develop her confidence, even when access to a pool is inconsistent. Thanks, Matt!

We enrolled our 6 month old in Matt's classes and it was perhaps one of the best decisions we made, activities at that age are hard to come by but the stimulation from being in the water and the confidence building of working with a parent to learn how to find confidence in the water was priceless.

My son attended Matt's swimming lessons when he was a little over 1 year old. It went really, really well and I recommend it to anybody, probably starting a little younger than we did actually. In my son's case, he was definitely nervous about it the first week, but literally went from shaking and screaming in week 1 to no cries in week 3 and the most amazing proud smiles by week 4. It's really awesome to watch that happen and swimming is still one of his favorite things to do. Great program, the instruction worked for us certainly and seemed to be great for everybody else in the class also.

I am so glad Matt's class is able to be held at a time when so many physical activities have to be curtailed!

Matt helped my daughter (11 years old) to gain new skills (and hone the few she had) and her water confidence has soared! He took time to explain and demonstrate any new steps and really helped everyone feel comfortable, and this fostered a lot of trust.

His facility is *very* COVID-conscious, temps taken before entering, sanitizer, and more than 6 ft between students, etc. Class size very small so each student gets attention to their specific needs and no one gets crowded. You will be glad you asked Matt to help you or your child with water skills!

If you're an adult who wants to have fun and feel confident in the water, just go ahead and sign up already because all the reviews are true!

And yes, COVID precautions are in place! You arrive in your mask, and Matt takes everyone's temperature before you can step onto the property. Masks stay on during the first hour of Level 1 (lecture portion) -- which is also taught outside -- and you remove them once you're in the pool, maintaining a 6-ft distance. All of Level 2 is in the pool.

I'm 33 and have always loved being in water (pools and oceans), but if I couldn't touch the bottom or the side, or felt like I couldn't control my breathing, I'd freak out.

Well, not anymore! Matt does a really great job at explaining the science behind swimming to counteract the emotional fears we carry in our adult brains. Each skill you practice builds on the previous one, steadily building knowledge of how your own body moves in water. Matt meets you at your level and never forces a skill on you. Due to his experience, though, he's there to encourage you when he sees that you have what it takes to try out the next skill.

My confidence and enjoyment grew as Matt "demystified" my preconceived notions of water working against me. I did my first ever cannonball! I tread water for 10 minutes in the deep end! I even dove in headfirst!

Gaining confidence in myself and feeling empowered in deep water has been truly life-changing. I now have the foundation for all the water things I want to do -- learn to surf, SUP, dive off a boat, etc.

What's your fear keeping you from doing? Sign up, and start living your best life.

Thank you so much, Matt!

My sister and I took the adult swim level 1 & 2 the last two weekends. We were always scared of swimming in the deep end, but by the end of our 2nd class we were jumping and diving in without any hesitation!! We can't recommend the class enough, Matt is an excellent teacher and we really learned a lot in a short amount of time. We felt safe the whole time; the classes are small which allow proper social distancing and our temperature was taken before starting the class. The pool is not extra big but it does have a deep end. You learn how to feel safe and have fun in the water! We wish there were more classes! Great class!

We had a great experience with Coach Matt and our 2 yo son, Lucas. We had tried many other classes (group and private) with my older son, now 5, and we never really saw much progress. With Matt, I felt like my son got individual attention even though we were in a group class. He really pays attention to each child's needs and helps them work through it. His manner is very patient, calm and has a sense of humor. He makes class fun and encourages the parents too when he can see they're a little nervous, as I was! After a few classes, I was shocked to see that Lucas was almost at the same level as my older son! Another plus is that Coach Matt is always there week after week. In other classes, the teacher would change week to week, and that was really hard for my older son to connect/build trust with the teacher. Lucas definitely had a connection with Coach Matt!

Been taking our son to swimming classes with Matt at the El Segundo Pool since he was 8 months old. We did a free trial and he loved the water so we enrolled. Our son has learned a lot from the routine and songs. He is already familiar with the songs from the 3rd session. It's been a fun bonding activity for us and now a great weekly activity for him.

Matt is a great instructor and makes sure your child gets some one on one time with him during your first few visits until the baby is comfortable in the water. Luckily our son has had a majority of good days while in swim class. Makeup classes are easy to schedule and Matt is excellent with communication for any schedule changes or pool cleaning closures. He has been doing this for quite a long time and is very good with babies and safety in the pool.

The El Segundo location is an indoor heated pool. Great for all year round classes. Street parking is easy. Most parents bring a stroller to keep their stuff in. Grandparents/nannies allowed to watch.

We definitely recommend trying it out and seeing if your baby likes it.

Our son started swim class with Matt when he was 3 months old. He is now 20 months and very comfortable in the water. We are only ending our participation because of some financial issues. Matt is a great teacher and has been a positive influence on our son's early development! He has also coached us so well that we will both be able to continue practicing what we have learned in the class. This has been the best investment we have made early in our son's life. Matt is fantastic. A simple thank you is not enough for all he has taught us. We appreciate all you have done for our son.

Going to the guppy classes at Swimming LA is one of the best things we could have done for our baby. We attended Matt's classes from the time our son was 7 months to 15 months old. We only stopped going because we moved away from Los Angeles. Matt has a consistent routine with the babies that truly helps them start to understand holding their breath, simple counting, and basic water safety. I can't recommend Swimming LA enough!

This place is amazing, Matt is an excellent teacher and we had such a blast at our first class with our 5 month old son!

Our daughter Zoe participated in "Coach Matt's" class starting at 19 months until she turned two.  The only reason we stopped is because our daycare schedule changed and we could not make it during the week.  Zoe went from nervous in the water to happily diving in, holding her breath, looking under water, etc.  Coach Matt is great about building confidence in the kids, and using songs to memorize skills.  Zoe would sing the songs and practice during bath-time. We loved the class, and only wish there was an option on the weekend.  This is a great class to get your children familiar with the water.

Matt's the man... He comes from a competitive swimming background but had no problems relating to the kids. Ours was nervous at first but Matt did a great job of explaining the steps and phases of getting comfortable in the water and what we should expect. He's not just teaching the kids but he communicates well with the parents, eaching them how to prepare their kids for a lifetime of water fun and awareness!

Our little guy started swimming with Matt around 6 months. He is no 16 months and very comfortable in the water. He also build the strength and skill to scale the entire pool to get to the stairs and safely climb out. He also can go to the bottom of the pool and get a toy. Most importantly Matt taught us parents about the fascinating innate skill of our son! He helped us to relax and feel confident letting our son go under water and trusting that he would naturally know what to do ... hold his breathe!

My daughter started lessons when she was a little over 2 years old and after just one month I could see so much progress and am amazed at what she learned! Coach Matt is great and I can't recommend this program enough for little ones!

Matt's class was the first experience we had taking our 30 month old son swimming. We have an overactive child who is extremely headstrong. Even through all the resisting - he was able to float on his back within a month and take instructions from Coach Matt and perform through all the crying. It was amazing to watch my son's progress and Matt's dedication in the class. My husband and I were extremely amazed at how much our son had progressed and feel really proud. We are so glad we could take him to Matt's class. We have learnt a lot as well and continue to use the strategies to help our son swim.

We wanted our little one to be as comfortable with water as soon as possible and thanks to Matt she is! She started class at 5 months old and within 3 classes was loving it! Matt is gentle, but firm and so experienced with his instruction. He was so kind and understanding when I worried she was regressing after the first couple of classes. He listened to my concerns that she no longer loved bath time and assured me to stay the course and trust the process. Within the first month, she was back to loving the bath AND shower (his technique)... in addition to the pool! Matt, you are incredible at what you do and I am so fortunate our little one had you as her first swim instructor...I could not have asked for better!

I can't say enough good things about Matt and these swimming classes. Our daughter had done swim lessons before in the UK up to she was 8 months old, but we then had a gap when we moved to the USA until she was nearly 2. This meant that she was afraid of the pool and didn't want to go under.

The first two classes was very hard but Matt encouraged us to keep going. Then we had a breakthrough and by the 3rd class she loved going under the water and wanted to go more than anyone else.

We continued the classes until we left the USA and our daughter loved it every time.

We were a little late to the party and didn't start swim lessons with our son until he was almost 18 months old. To say he didn't care for the first lesson would be a dramatic understatement. He was screaming most of the time and begging to get out of the water. My husband and I were pretty concerned and unsure if we should bring him back. When I emailed Matt later that day, he was quick to jump on the phone with me for nearly 30 minutes; explaining the process and encouraging us not to give up. I'm so glad we went back. By the third lesson, our son was beaming with pride and laughing through most of his time in the pool. Matt knows what he is doing and we are so grateful he took the time to walk us through the process.

Do you finally want to face your fear of water or fear of deep water? If so, I highly recommend Matt Harrigan at Swimming LA, Inc. You should come out of his level 2 class feeling empowered, with a lot less fear of the deep end, with foundational skills to further your swimming abilities. More than likely, you will come out of these classes enjoying jumping into the 14ft deep end, feeling confident that your new knowledge and skills will safely take you aout of the pool and willing to jump in over and over again.

What I am not saying:
1) I am not saying that you will come out of these 2 sessions of three hours per session swimming free-style across the pool and back. That requires more practice, more technique and more swimming fitness.
2) I am not saying that you should venture into deep water without help and/or professional supervision after taking the classes.

My Experince With Water: my fear of deep water came about when I was 5. One of my brothers threw me into the pool. I just remember being under water and being in panic mode. He had to get me out of the water. Very traumatic experience.

Since then and over the years, I learned to do a little bit of free-style swimming, with my head above the water. But once I tired (6-8 yards out), I would need to know that I could stand up, or else I would panic.

I love the water and I feel determined to learn swimming skills and overcome my fear of the deep. I watched soke YouTube videos to learn how to swim free-style and to thread water. I put some of that knowledge into practice, but not in places where I would not be able to just stand up.

I started searching for swimming classes. Read about a lot of places and a lot of reviews. It had to be a quality place to learn at. After all, this should be an investment that can potentially save your life.

I read several reviews about Matt. The review that struck me the most was from a girl who also had a fear of the deep end, just like me. She totally caught my attention when she said that st the end of the level 2 class with Matt, not only was she jumping into the 14ft deep pool, but she was also having fun doing it. I wanted to experince what she experienced. So, I signed up for level 1 of Matt's classes.

Matt's experiences, swimming skills and calmness inspired a lot of trust in me. I stas rted to further my swimming skills in level 1. I Learned a lot more about how your body naturally floats in water, how to stay more calm in water (and this is key), how to face the feeling of having water in your mouth or nose and not freak out about it. Some other basics like blowing bubbles under water. Then, I started to learn how to swim switching from swimming with my face facing down to swimming on my back and then switch back to swimming with my face down. For me, this was key.... a breakthrough!

During level 2, Matt reinforced what we learned in level 1 and the he said the words I was waiting for, yet dreading " now we are gonna go to the deep side." Yes, I was scared! Once on the deep side, Matt further explained and showed us how our bodies flost in water when we fill our lungs with air. We let go of the edge of the pool and we were floating vertically and starting to threat some water. After, we had to swim across the the pool with our face down and then our our backs whennwe needed some rest. I had never been able to do this in deep water. Ever. I was still a bit fearful, but happy and excited at the same time.

Then, Matt said "time for you to jump into the pool." I felt like running for the exit... LOL, but I controlled my nerves. I hesitated a lot. I was the last to jump in out of our small class of four. Finally, I went into the water. My goggles shifted up when I hit the water. For a few seconds, it brought me back to my traumatic experience with water as a child. I used the knowledge and skills Matt taught to stay calm and I surfaced, swam to the edge, got out of the pool and jumped in again maybe another 10 times! I was actually enjoying jumping into a real deep pool; 14ft deep.

I left the class feeling entirely grateful to Matt and to my classmates because they also offered a lot of support through the process. I now feel ready to learn how to swim better a lot faster, now that my fear for deep water is well controlled. Matt taught me the skills I needed to be on my way to enjoying water a lot more. Yes, even in the deep end!