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Gigi S., Mission Viejo, CA Swimming Coach

Gigi S.

Gigi Steele Swimming

Swimming

SILVER

Background Check Verified

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47yr competitive swimmer & Red Cross certified Water Safety Instructor (WSI) and Lifeguard. Specialized programs for kids, adults, and military recon/rescue swimmer preparation. View all coaching experience

This coach is unavailable to take clients at this time.

Training Locations
  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

  • 7 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Sprint Freestyle, Open Water, Individual Medley, Distance Freestyle, Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke

  • Pulling, Pacing, Technique, Starts, Sprinting, Relays, Open Turns, Kicking, Flip Turns

Credentials

  • Florida Institute of Technology (FL)

  • 7 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

Services

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Sprint Freestyle, Open Water, Individual Medley, Distance Freestyle, Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke

  • Pulling, Pacing, Technique, Starts, Sprinting, Relays, Open Turns, Kicking, Flip Turns

More About Coach Gigi

Private swimming coach/instructor since 2016. Former head Swim Coach at Long Beach Yacht Club. Ranked #4 in CA and #14 on CoachUp in the US. Gigi teaches lessons primarily to ages from 4 to 60 but has students from 1 to over 80 - with over 100 students between 2019 and 2021.
Certifications include Red Cross Lifeguard, Water Safety Instructor (WSI), Swim Lessons University and class level certification from ASFA. Further, Gigi is instructor certified for Public Education with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and has significant Search and Rescue operations experience as a Coxswain and Crew Member. As a sailing expert she also has taught NASBLA qualified courses since 2004. CPR/AED/First Aid Certified. Expertise in the Incident Command System (ICS).

Competitive Swimmer for over 47 years starting at age 5. Record holder in several events over years at clubs including Crofton Aquatics, US Naval Academy Jr Swim Club, Space Coast Swim Club and Melbourne HS Swimming. Captain of her HS Swim team. All Space Coast Team and also District Champion in 100 Butterfly. Seasoned open water experience including swimming Sharkfest 2017 and 2018 event from Alcatraz to San Francisco in 40min without a wetsuit placing 6th in age category and in top 5% overall. US Masters Swimming member with Grunions. Club record holder for age group in 100 back and 200 IM.

Lesson plans depend on experience and comfort in the water. I teach all students basic water survival and facility safety to be able to take command to help save themselves or others. I start from day one on relaxation techniques with back float and survival float to evaluate comfort and also start building core strength with learning flutter kicks during abdominal lifts. I have a set of games and drills depending on age to make the lesson fun and productive. I also have developed a step by step method for teaching each stroke with step names like "scrape jelly beans, chicken wing, and cut the pizza." Breathing fundamentals for more advanced students includes stroke rhythm and how to effectively lengthen one's body in the water to improve efficiency and make breathing and greater speed easier. I usually give a break of 5 minutes half way in a one hour lesson to allow students to get mentally refreshed. stay hydrated and focus on new learning.

Action Photos

Client Reviews

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Gigi is an unbelievably good coach. Signed up as an adult who already knew how to swim but wanted to refine my technique. After just our first session I'm confident she'll have me swimming better already. Definitely work with her!

Coach Gigi is amazing! She takes the time to review proper form and tailors each lesson to make the most progress. Her feedback is thoughtful and most of all helpful. I was only in LA for a week so I could only do three lessons. I without a doubt will book more lessons when I’m back!

Gigi is an amazing coach! Her style of teaching is fun and our child can understand and follow. She’s very patient and professional.

Lovely lady. Looking forward to our next lesson.

She is a great coach. She is very patient and detailed when teaching different strokes. Thank you GiGi.

Wonderful teacher and coach. Great with kids!

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Gigi was great with our 10 year old and 5 year old!

My son is learning so much, her instructions and training are easy to understand and follow.

Very kind and explained in detail

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Loved my lesson with Coach Gigi! Looking forward to the next one

Coach Gigi is a great coach, and my daughter loves her.

Very patient and helpful. Instructions were clear and I feel ready to proceed. Coach Gigi was excellent and professional. Lessons were well planned and she provided clear and complete instructions. The feedback and guidance helped very much and my swimming improved a lot. I would definitely recommend Coach Gigi for adult lessons, especially if you are scared of water.

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I had an amazing session with Gigi. She is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging. I will definitely continue training with her :)

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Very patient and friendly. Gigi helped to improve my son’s technique and confident in the water. My son enjoyed and had much fun!

Coach Gigi is amazing!! Our girls love their training sessions with her and have become stronger swimmers in her time with her. It’s been great having her train the girls!

Coach Gigi we cannot thank you enough for your positive attitude towards your athlete and for having a 'can do' attitude.
The progress made by the athlete in three session was truly amazing however, it has to be said her confidence in the water immensely improved thanks to your mannerism within minutes. I was also particularly taken back with the detailed feedback you gave on how she can continue to progress outside of the water until your next session. You have a great attitude and it truly shows your dedication towards your students. Thanks again Coach Gigi.

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Gigi is an awesome coach. Her teaching methods are fun for kids & focuses around safety first .. My kids look forward for her classes and they are progressing really well.

Gigi is a fantastic teacher! My first lesson was very informative and fun.

very great coach for kids my kids loved her

Patient and knowledgeable!

Gigi was great. Took the time to cover safety and very detailed in proper techniques. Very knowledgeable instructor and easy to understand and learn from. 5 stars.

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Coach Gigi was a great coach. She explained swimming techniques in detail and used unique drills to improve my freestyle stroke. I would recommend Gigi to anyone, of any age, that is looking to get better at swimming.

We had a session with Coach Gigi right before COVID shut down. Great teaching my son ways to better his backstroke. Very patient and engaging!

Gigi was very knowledgeable and she is a delight.

Worked great for my 14-year-old daughter. Reviewed strokes and worked with her virtually on how to fix each stroke!

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I really enjoyed my session with Gigi. Gigi is a beautiful swimmer who teaches well and is technique specific.

Great Coach!

Coach GiGi has definitely conquered her craft. Great teacher, swimmer, coach and mentor .. our first lesson was amazing . My son And I learned a lot from her... I’m also going to add my step son to her lessons now.. we’re all looking forward to learning much more from coach GiGi.. she knows her stuff..

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Gigi is an excellent coach. She is patient, funny and passionate about teaching individuals how to swim.

Gigi has a gift for details. I learned to swim on my own watching videos, picking up tips from others and at one point hired a coach who simply threw me in the water and had me swim laps. No feedback on my stroke, kick, or body posture. I was pleasantly surprised when Gigi jumped into the water and demonstrated the technique while offering feedback as I implemented her instruction.

Coach Gigi was a great coach! Very professional and all about swimming. When I started I could flop around in the water and slowly get from point A to maybe B. With Coach's analogies and programming techniques, I am now able to swim efficiently, analyze my stroke, and pull from an inventory of training exercises. I will forever be scooping popcorn, chicken-winging, and cutting pizza when I am swimming freestyle. Thanks coach!

Very nice, courteous, and knowledgeable coach. Was a pleasure learning with Gigi

Coach Gigi is a great coach on my very first session i was very comfortable she has real good skill of teaching also she stay in water with you during the whole session she show you the demonstration then she make you to do that and you can do same way that's how she teach you, i am feeling that i have great coach after 2 years i have been looking for the swimming coach.

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Great instructor.

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We hired Coach Gigi for our 3 year old and 7 year old daughters. I really liked her approach to teaching, focusing on technique, explaining it at the girls’ level, making their learning experience easy and fun. The girls both improved tremendously. We are very happy with their progress and highly recommend Coach Gigi.

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Excellent in every aspect

Gigi was a great coach for my almost 5 year old granddaughter. She was a difficult student as she is very quiet and doesn't talk anyone she doesn't know. Therefore she was very difficult to teach. However Gigi was very calm in her approach and made her feel comfortable in the water.

Today my two daughters learned a lot from Gigi , she started with teaching them the right techniques , and she was very supportive.

Coach Gigi is very knowledgable, kind, and patient. She is teaching my 10-year old the proper stroke techniques in a very creative way that helps him understand what to do. He is incorporating what he has learned with her at water polo practice and is showing increased confidence. We appreciate Coach Gigi's flexibility, professional advice and recommend her to any swimmer of all levels.

Excellent experiences for 7 and 4 year old. Patient, clear vision that she communicates very well. 4 year old reluctant but Gigi succeeded beyond our expectations. Low key, patient...no hesitation in recommending her to others, and we are very glad she was available for us.
Patient, attentive, valuable guidance - knows her stuff.
Gigi is an excellent instructor. She taught me amazing swimming strokes. This was my first ever swimming lesson so being panic was natural, however, she trained me well on how to relax body and float calmly and paddle swiftly.
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