Swimming is often seen as an individual sport, but bringing a friend or “swim buddy” into your aquatic journey can transform the experience. Whether you’re a parent signing your child up for swimming lessons in Cheltenham, an adult beginner in Gloucester, or a seasoned swimmer training for the next competition, having a partner by your side can boost motivation, enhance learning, and make every lesson more fun.
At Swim Design Space, we’ve witnessed how the buddy system creates an inspiring, supportive community where swimmers thrive together. In this article, we’ll dive into why two is better than one in the pool – exploring the science of social motivation, the power of peer learning, and real stories of camaraderie from our classes.
Grab your goggles and your best pal, and let’s discover how swimming with a buddy can elevate your skills and enthusiasm!
The Power of Two: Why Buddies Boost Motivation
Showing up is half the battle when it comes to learning to swim or sticking with a fitness routine. When you have a swim buddy, you’re far more likely to stick to your commitments. Research confirms what many of us feel intuitively: working out or practicing with a friend is more motivating than going solo. For example, a recent study on exercise habits found that people who went to the gym with a friend increased their attendance by 35%, despite the extra coordination it required. Why such a big boost? It turns out two key factors come into play:
- Accountability: When someone else is counting on you to show up, you’re less likely to hit the snooze button. You won’t want to let your friend down, and knowing your “swim buddy” will be at the pool at 6 pm every Tuesday gently pressures you to be there too. Psychologists note that we feel a sense of responsibility to our workout partners – we don’t want them to think we’re quitting or slacking. This accountability can be a powerful push, especially on days when motivation is low.
- Enjoyment: Everything is more fun with a friend! People simply enjoy activities more when they do them together socially, which makes them want to keep coming back. Instead of dreading a tough lap session, you might look forward to chatting with your buddy during rest breaks or sharing a laugh about your attempts at butterfly stroke. The pool deck becomes a social space, not just a place of work. Group camaraderie turns lessons into a fun, shared experience rather than a chore
By combining accountability and enjoyment, a swim buddy helps you build consistency. Week by week, those consistent classes or practice sessions add up to real progress. This is especially helpful if you’re the type who finds it hard to stay motivated alone. In fact, studies show the buddy system tends to benefit the less-experienced or less-confident person even more – they get an extra boost in participation and effort when paired with a more active friend.
So if you’re nervous about starting swimming lessons, bringing along a friend (perhaps one who swims a bit better) could spur you to attend more classes and try harder, benefiting you both in the long run.
Social Support: Confidence and Camaraderie in the Water
Learning to swim (or improving your skills) isn’t just about strokes and kicks – it’s also a mental and emotional journey. Having a friend by your side provides invaluable social support that can turn anxiety into confidence. We see this every day in our Swim Design Space classes: pairs of siblings, couples, or best friends cheering each other on and celebrating each small victory.
A swim buddy serves as your personal cheerleader. They’ll give you encouragement when you’re struggling to float or perfect your freestyle breathing. That emotional support helps you push through challenges. As one swim school notes, “when swimming with a buddy, you can be each other’s personal cheerleader and provide emotional support and motivation”. That extra reassurance – a thumbs-up from your friend or a “you’ve got this!” between laps – can work wonders for your confidence.
Many adult beginners feel self-conscious or overwhelmed at first, but with a friend alongside, those fears fade. You realize you’re not alone in the learning curve. Knowing someone is in your corner makes you braver and more willing to keep trying.
This supportive atmosphere isn’t just for adults. Kids also thrive with buddies. In our children’s classes, we often see friends or siblings encourage one another – sometimes holding hands as they enter the water, or excitedly pointing out each other’s progress. Swim instructors even use the “buddy system” in lessons so peers can learn from each other, which boosts kids’ social and communication skills. For example, one child might demonstrate a skill like blowing bubbles or floating, while their buddy watches and copies.
Children often learn through observation and imitation (a concept known as social learning), so seeing a friend accomplish a skill can inspire them to try it too. Moreover, practicing together teaches kids teamwork and empathy – they learn to be patient and help if their partner is nervous, and they celebrate successes together.
There’s also a comforting sense of “we’re in this together.” For anyone feeling unsure around water, having a familiar face nearby can ease that anxiety. If you’re an adult who never learned to swim, walking into the pool for the first lesson might feel intimidating. But when you come with a friend who shares your beginner status, suddenly it’s less scary. You can laugh off the awkward moments and support each other through any fears.
At Swim Design Space, our instructors foster a warm, friendly environment so that even if you come alone, you quickly feel like part of a group – but coming with a buddy accelerates that process. You instantly have someone to bond with, and that sense of camaraderie often spreads to the whole class, creating a real community feeling.
As one of our adult students shared in a review, “Jan and her team have helped build my water confidence and swimming skills whilst making the experience fun and enjoyable. ”With peers and coaches providing encouragement, overwhelming tasks start to feel achievable.
Friendly Competition: Pushing Each Other to Improve
Another benefit of having a swim buddy is the possibility of friendly competition. Humans are naturally a bit competitive, and when used positively, this can be a great motivator. Training with someone else encourages you to push a little harder than you might on your own. Maybe your friend challenges you to “just one more lap” or you playfully race each other during drills. This kind of healthy competition inspires both buddies to improve their performance.
Sports psychologists note that some people feel a boost in a social exercise setting because they don’t want to be the one left behind, and they find it rewarding to chase a friend’s pace. As long as it stays friendly and supportive, each of you pushing the other can lead to breakthroughs – whether it’s swimming an extra 100 metres, trying a faster interval set, or mastering that dolphin kick.
In children’s classes, seeing peers achieve milestones can light a motivational spark as well. If one child earns their 5m distance badge or finally dives to retrieve a toy from the bottom, others in the class realize “hey, I could do that too!” Healthy peer inspiration (as opposed to negative comparison) is a tremendous force.
We intentionally incorporate group activities and little games in our lessons for this reason. For instance, kids might do a “treasure hunt” game, diving for rings or a WellyWeight light-up diving toy that we drop into the pool. In pairs, they race to tap the WellyWeight as it lights up underwater, turning skill practice into a fun challenge.
These friendly contests get kids excited to participate and try their best, often without even realizing how much they’re learning in the process. The result? Giggles, splashes, and stronger swimmers! (And yes, lots of proud high-fives between little buddies when they succeed.)
For more advanced swimmers or those in training, a reliable swim partner can be the secret sauce to reaching the next level. Many competitive swimmers train in groups or pairs because it’s easier to maintain a hard pace or complete a tough set when someone next to you is doing the same. If you have a buddy of similar ability, you can challenge each other – trading who leads each set, or pacing side by side. If your partner is a bit faster, they can tow you to better times (and you give them someone to chase). And on days when one of you is less motivated, seeing the other grinding out laps can inspire you to dig a little deeper.
Over time, this dynamic can dramatically improve endurance and speed. Even for triathletes or masters swimmers, knowing a friend is waiting at the pool at 6am for that training session can be the difference between hitting snooze and seizing the day.
Learning Together: Better Technique Through Peer Feedback
Swim coaches often say that two pairs of eyes are better than one. When you practice with a partner, you not only get your instructor’s guidance – you also gain a peer perspective. Buddies can give each other informal feedback and tips, reinforcing what the coach is teaching. For example, your friend might notice that you lift your head on your breathing (causing your legs to sink) and remind you to tuck your chin, or you might help your buddy by demonstrating a proper streamlined glide after pushing off the wall. Teaching someone else is a great way to solidify your own understanding, so both partners benefit from this exchange.
Moreover, observational learning plays a role here. In a paired or group setting, you can learn by watching others execute a skill. Maybe you’re struggling with coordination in the butterfly stroke – sometimes seeing your buddy do the motion correctly (or even watching them struggle and then improve) can make the lightbulb go off for you.
We’ve seen adults in our classes pick up on subtle technique fixes just by observing a fellow student and listening to the coach’s feedback to them. In private lessons you get all the attention, but in buddy or group lessons you get the bonus of those “aha!” moments from watching peers.
Swimming with a partner also lets you share knowledge. Perhaps one of you used to swim competitively and has a great drill for kick technique, while the other is new but has done yoga and can share some breathing exercises that help with staying calm underwater. Together, you pool (no pun intended) your knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences.
This kind of peer-to-peer learning builds confidence too – you each become both student and teacher, which reinforces skills and fosters mutual respect.
Making it Fun: Turning Practice into Play
One of the best parts of having a swim buddy is that it simply makes swimming more fun. Humans are social creatures, and we tend to stick with activities that we enjoy. When you know your friend will be at class or swim practice, you associate the activity with social connection and enjoyment, not just effort.
You can chat during warm-ups, share jokes with the instructor, and have someone to grin at when you finally nail that flip turn. As fitness experts put it, group exercise adds an element of enjoyment that keeps people coming back for more.
For kids, fun is essential to learning. Pairing up friends in lessons injects playfulness into the sessions. We encourage buddies to play games like “follow the leader” (where one child swims or kicks with a silly style and the other imitates), or timed challenges they can do together. With a friend, you can create endless games and mini-challenges: from relay races to synchronized swimming tricks, or even seeing how long you can both float like starfish.
As one swim school aptly stated, “Swimming with a friend is not only safer, but it is more fun! … With a friend, you can do more activities, play games, [and] create challenges”. That sense of play keeps kids engaged and eager to come back. Instead of “I have to go to swim class,” it becomes “I get to go play with my friend in the pool!” And when kids enjoy the process, they learn faster and build positive associations with exercise that can last a lifetime.
Adults might not play Marco Polo at lap swim, but the lighthearted camaraderie of a swim buddy can still make your workout feel like play. You might chuckle together at the latest aquatic fail (we’ve all had the occasional belly flop or wayward kick that splashes our friend!). Or maybe you and your training partner set quirky goals, like “who can do the most dolphin kicks in one breath” just for laughs. Little moments of joy like these reduce stress and burnout.
Swimming starts to feel less like solitary exercise and more like a social hobby. Many of our adult swimmers report that class days become a highlight of their week – a time they get to decompress with friends, not just a workout.
Gear Up with Your Buddy: Making Sessions Comfortable and Engaging
While the company and support of a buddy are the key ingredients, having the right gear can further enhance your joint swim sessions. If you and your friend are comfortable and equipped, you can focus on helping each other and having fun. Here are a few gear tips to consider for a smooth buddy swim:
Quality Goggles for Everyone
Water in the eyes is no fun, and fumbling with leaky goggles can distract from learning. Make sure both you and your buddy have well-fitted, anti-fog swim goggles (in kid or adult sizes as needed) so you can clearly see each other’s underwater high-fives! A good pair of goggles keeps you comfortable and focused – no more excuses about chlorine irritation. Check out our selection of kids’ swim goggles with fun colors for little swimmers, as well as adult swim goggles designed for clarity and a secure fit during training. Clear vision will help you follow your buddy’s demonstrations and navigate those synchronized drills together.
Matching Swim Caps for Team Spirit
If you really want to feel like a team, consider grabbing a pair of matching or themed kids’ swim caps for the young ones. Kids love expressing personality with colorful caps – whether it’s a shark design or a pretty mermaid – and it can make them excited to put their gear on. (“Let’s both wear our shark caps today and be the shark squad!”) Caps also keep hair out of the face, which helps both buddies concentrate on their lesson instead of on tangled hair. For adults with long hair, a simple cap can similarly reduce distractions (and protect your hair from chlorine), so you can focus on your technique and your partner’s tips.
Training Aids for Two
Certain training gear can be excellent for buddy practice. For example, using a center-mount swim snorkel lets one swimmer focus on their stroke while the other gives feedback or counts laps, without interruptions for breathing. Short training fins are another great tool – both buddies can put on fins to even out differences in kicking strength and enjoy cruising through a few lengths side by side. Fins add speed, which is thrilling and can keep a more hesitant swimmer engaged (zooming like a dolphin together!).
You can also challenge each other with fun tools like pull buoys or kickboards: one buddy uses the kickboard while the other does pull-only swimming, then swap. These tools build strength and technique, and using them together turns drills into cooperative challenges rather than mundane exercises. Just remember to choose gear appropriate for your level and practice under guidance if you’re new to it – our coaches often incorporate gear in classes, and they’re happy to show buddies how to use equipment safely.
Toys and Games
We mentioned the WellyWeight light-up diving game earlier for kids – it’s one example of a toy that buddies can use to transform practice into play. Any simple pool toys (dive rings, balls, etc.) can be used by friends during free swim time to bond and build skills together. For instance, two friends can play catch with a waterproof ball to practice treading water and hand-eye coordination, or take turns tossing dive sticks for each other to retrieve, building underwater confidence. When you infuse play into practice, you and your buddy will look forward to pool time even more, which means more time in the water and faster improvement.
Join the Swim Design Space Community – Together!
Perhaps the greatest advantage of having a swim buddy is that you become part of a community. At Swim Design Space, we cherish our strong community and learning-focused culture. Our classes in Cheltenham and Gloucester are filled with supportive pairs and groups who motivate one another. When you and your friend join, you’re not just two individuals learning to swim – you’re contributors to the positive energy that makes our swim family special.
Many of our adult students have made new friendships in class; some started as buddies and grew into larger friend circles that extend beyond the pool. It’s common to see a group chat form among class members sharing encouragement, swim memes, and scheduling their next practice meet-up at the pool. This social network keeps everyone engaged and excited to continue on their swimming journey.
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of buddy-powered swimming firsthand, we invite you to take the plunge together. Grab your partner (or child, or parent – yes, we’ve even had parent-child duos take lessons side by side!) and join us for a class.
We offer swimming lessons in Cheltenham and Gloucester across several convenient locations, including Dean Close School (Cheltenham), Everlast Fitness Gloucester, Everlast Gym Cheltenham, Etloe House Farms (Blakeney), and Sir Thomas Rich’s School (Gloucester). Each venue provides a friendly, safe environment where you and your buddy can learn under the guidance of our expert instructors. You can easily book a class at any of these Swim Design Space locations to get started. Our team will ensure you’re in the right class for your ability – and if you sign up with a friend, just let us know so we can place you together!
“The classes were challenging but fun and relaxed. All the instructors are highly qualified and very responsive to my needs. I would highly recommend them, whatever your level of swimming ability.” – Tom K., Swim Design Space student
“After years of only being able to swim breaststroke... coach welcomed me with open arms and has helped grow my confidence as I try to change how I swim and breathe!” – Karen C., Swim Design Space student
These are just a couple of the glowing words from our 5-star Google reviews – real students who have found confidence, skill, and joy in our lessons. We believe a big part of that success is the supportive, community-driven approach – the very same spirit that thrives when you bring a buddy.
Dive In Together and Thrive
In swimming, progress is measured not only in seconds dropped or meters swum, but in confidence gained and fears overcome. Those victories often come easier when you have someone to share them with. The buddy system brings out the best in swimmers: it turns apprehension into excitement, solitary workouts into social outings, and tentative attempts into triumphant achievements. From young children learning the basics, to adults conquering lifelong water worries, to competitive athletes pushing for personal bests – everyone benefits from a bit of partnership in the pool.
So next time you feel hesitant about diving in, bring a friend along for the ride (or swim!). Together you’ll create memories, keep each other motivated, and hold one another accountable to your goals. As you cheer on your swim buddy’s first lap or celebrate their improved stroke, you’ll find your own love for swimming growing even stronger. At Swim Design Space, we are passionate about pairing quality instruction with a welcoming community spirit. We’ve seen firsthand that when swimmers support each other, progress accelerates and the journey becomes much more enjoyable.
Don’t go it alone – come experience the difference of a swim buddy for yourself. Equip yourselves with a positive attitude (and maybe some new goggles and fins), and dive into your swimming adventure together. Your skills will improve, your motivation will soar, and you might just forge a friendship that extends well beyond the pool. In the end, the road to swimming success is sweeter – and wetter – when traveled in good company. See you and your buddy at the pool!
Ready to get started? Bring your buddy and book your swim class now – let’s make a splash together!