Catherine Quinn
Freelance journalist and feature writer

"You've got to walk before you can crawl" says Stephen Shaw, as we wade through the water making yoga-like stances. A professional swimmer turned teacher, Stephen has pioneered his own swimming method which incorporates Alexander style teachings into pool-based tuition. The concept will resonate with a lot of people who feel unbalanced in the water as it uses postural awareness to keep a graceful alignment, maximising the efficiency of your swimming and helping you walk tall on dry land.

"Rather than focus on arm movements like traditional swimming tuition, we focus on the core and the relationship between the back and neck" says Stephen, whose techniques, dubbed The Shaw Method use longer more graceful movements than those generally associated with racing strokes like front crawl and butterfly.

"If done properly, front crawl is the least aerobic of strokes" says Stephen, who maintains that with correct breathing and technique, swimming should be no more demanding than a gentle walk.

Using Stephen's teaching, I'm hoping to improve on my own swimming style, which was learnt age five, courtesy of a teacher who walked to one end of the pool and shouted "Swim! Swim!" until the hapless pool-bound infants splashed their way to the opposite side.

Initially I am quite nervous that The Shaw Method would see an adult re-enactment of my childhood classes, and I will be forced to swim length after length to perfect my strokes. Luckily, the lesson was anything but, as Stephen began by filming my style for a single length. I had opted to work on my front crawl, which Stephen broke into three simple exercises in order to help rid me of my habits of swimming my head wildy from side to side, churning my arms round like an errant windmill, and breathing in and out fast enough to mildly hyperventilate.

"The difference between an average and a really good swimmer is that a good swimmer knows at which point to put effort into the strokes" says Stephen, demonstrating that propelling your legs up and down with equal force has the effect of keeping you static in the water, whilst energy directed only downwards will power you forwards. "With breast stroke it should be your legs moving you through the water and your arms lifting you out" he explains. "A lot of people expend unnecessary energy using their arms to drag them at just the point the propulsion from their legs is moving them."

After a gentle warm-up the pool, Stephen guided me through the exercises, working towards a full front crawl. First we worked on a graceful single glide forwards, with no help from the arms and legs. Next this movement was teamed with three sleek arm strokes whilst keeping the head underwater and facing forwards - as opposed to my former technique of twisting it from side to side. Finally we added a smooth roll-glide to the end of the process, allowing the entire body to rotate the head out of the water for a breath, whilst keeping the spine in alignment.

The technique of using simple movements felt so much easier to adopt than previous lessons where I'd tried to do everything at once, and I was astounded to feel that I was making real progress.

I also felt the difference in the strain on my body. My neck felt long and relaxed, my breathing calmed, and I finally felt I had a template for a good working front crawl something that could take me gracefully from one end of the pool to the other without physically collapsing or inadvertently assaulting fellow swimmers.

In fact by the end of the lesson I left the pool really keen to practise on my own get the new technique down. It might take a bit of practise, but I'm hoping my next few forays in the pool will see me crawling before I'm walking.

Where can you do it?

Stephen teaches regular one to one classes at The Laboratory in Muswell Hill, but also has teachers throughout the country. Go to www.artofswimming.com, or call: 020 8446 9442 to find a Shaw Method teacher in your area. There is also a book and a DVD for those who want to practise lessons in their own time.