LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

TNYA’s swimming program is the largest of any adult swim team in New York City, and aims to provide a fun, fulfilling workout whatever your schedule or level of swimming experience. Every practice features a structured workout directed by a member of our experienced coaching staff. Our coaches also provide swimmers with individual attention geared toward polishing their technique to improve speed and efficiency and avoid injury.

We call our regular practices 🌈Rainbow🌈 practices because they aim to provide a rewarding workout for anyone with a moderate to high level of proficiency in the four main swimming strokes; in our experience, folks who get the most out of these practices are able to comfortably swim 100 yards freestyle in under 2:00. The workouts include some stroke correction but are primarily workouts, with a coach to swimmer ratio of between 1:20 and 1:30.

We hold Rainbow practices every weekday and Saturdays, at the times and locations set out on our MINDBODY schedule. All swimmers must be either trial or full members of Team New York Aquatics. Under the terms of our pool rental agreements and insurance policies, it is essential that you join TNYA and book your workout before you arrive at the pool. Please also be sure to bring a swim cap and photo ID.

For swimmers looking to learn to swim or improve their swim technique with more active instruction, we offer three other practice sequences at the times and places listed on our MINDBODY schedule:

  • Adult Learn-to-Swim. TNYA is partnering with + POOL to provide six-week courses of instruction in basic water safety skills in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. ALTS features a 1:3 coach-to-swimmer ratio. More details, including pricing and schedule, will be made available in early autumn. You do not need to have any level of swimming proficiency to take part.
  • Technique Development (“TD”). Stroke improvement clinics designed for those who want to become proficient swimmers after learning to swim (whether as a child or an adult). You can attend as many or as few clinics as you like, but our aim is that anyone who attends the whole course will be able to join our Low Pressure Zone practices which are held alongside. TD also welcomes proficient swimmers seeking an opportunity to do more focused stroke improvement work than is possible in a main sequence practice. There is only one sign up for TD and LPZ – you can pick which of the two practices you do on the day.
  • Low Pressure Zone (“LPZ”). Low Pressure Zone offers main sequence workouts using a more variable pace appropriate for intermediate swimmers and a lower ~1:15 coach-to-swimmer ratio. It’s designed both for swimmers developing their skills who want a low-pressure practice to build confidence and fitness to reach the main sequence workouts, and swimmers who just want a lower-pressure workout. These happen at the same time as Technique Development.

Both TD and LPZ are open to those who have completed basic learn to swim instruction (can swim freestyle the length of the pool), but are open to anyone with a higher level of proficiency who wants a more technique-focused or lower intensity practice!

We regret that we do not provide individual swim lessons or individual unstructured lap swim; as our name implies, everything we do is done as a team.

Our membership spans all levels of experience, from enthusiastic beginners to swimmers who compete on an international level. Some of us swim to train for races; some of us never race at all, and are here for the exercise and the camaraderie; some are here simply to become better swimmers. Either approach is fine with us — although many of us train with the competition season in mind, our coaching program is designed to give everyone a rewarding workout that meets their personal goals.

For your first workout—pick anything off our workout schedule that’s convenient—we recommend that you arrive 20 minutes early to introduce yourself to the coach on deck and determine the best lane for you.

If you’ve never taken part in an organized swim practice before, you may find this intro to swim etiquette useful.