How Big Blue Swim School's Learning Philosophy Sets It Apart from Competitors

When Chris DeJong stopped swimming professionally for the U.S. Men’s National Team and began teaching swimming lessons, he noticed two things. First, competing professionally had taken the fun out of swimming. Second, he noticed that swim instruction was largely outdated and ineffective. He rediscovered his joy and passion when he began teaching it and, seeing the need for a new kind of swim instruction, DeJong founded Big Blue Swim School in 2009.

“Teaching swimming breathed life back into me,” DeJong said. “I realized very quickly that teaching swim lessons was something that I wanted to continue to do, and so I formed Big Blue Swim School. We built our own curriculum to teach kids how to swim, get results quickly and have fun doing it.”

Today, Big Blue is one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises. The brand launched its franchising system four years ago, and in that time, it has already sold more than 50% of its inventory.

Big Blue has differentiated itself from other swim instruction programs over the last 14 years with its constantly evolving curriculum and its individualized approach to both teaching and learning.

Here are a few ways in which Big Blue has accomplished this.

Big Blue Creates Independent Swimmers 

Perhaps one of the brand’s most unique traits is a key philosophical approach to swimming. Big Blue teaches kids how to swim with the goal of swimming greater distances more efficiently. Swim instructions evaluate swimmers and advance them through the program based on the distances they can achieve in the water.

“The best way to become a safer swimmer, which is what parents want for their kids, is to be able to independently propel yourself through the water so that you can swim away from danger and toward safety,” DeJong said. “There's a lot of teaching out there that doesn't necessarily create an independent swimmer. Kids spend most of their time on the wall. So we get kids out into the open water and focus on more distance-oriented skills, teaching them how to effectively swim from point A to point B.”

A Focus on Technical Movements

Big Blue gets kids swimming long distances in open water by focusing its curriculum on mechanical movements. This begins with toddlers in baby classes, where teachers start with a drill called “target swimming,” in which kids are trained to see an object in the pool and, with assistance, start swimming toward that object. Unlike many programs that begin by focusing on getting kids acclimated to the water — something DeJong says comes naturally when you focus on movement and distance — Big Blue emphasizes getting kids to float horizontally in open water, then use their legs as the engine to propel them toward an object.

These teaching techniques allow kids to swim longer distances faster, as it accelerates the development of key muscle groups and encourages a more refined technique, allowing the child to swim greater distances and increasing water safety.

“Ultimately, what people are coming to swim lessons for is to gain a higher level of safety,” DeJong said. “We can never guarantee that a child is completely water-safe, but everyone can become water-safer. And as kids’ strength, endurance and overall efficiency in the water improve through our curriculum, they become safer swimmers because they can swim longer distances with greater strength and stamina. And this ultimately leads to increased confidence.”

What’s Next for Big Blue?

With the support of investment partner Level 5 Capital Partners, Big Blue plans to open nearly 400 locations, which would address one-third of the 48 million children 12 and under in the U.S. The brand has already signed agreements for 227 locations in 25 states, positioning Big Blue to be the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry.

While the brand is on its way to achieving its goals, DeJong is already achieving the goals he set out to accomplish when he launched Big Blue: to develop not just safer young swimmers, but also confident, independent young boys and girls.

“For a lot of kids, learning to swim is one of the first big fears they have to overcome on their own,” DeJong said. “When you learn to swim, you realize that you can tackle your fears. That’s big. And that’s a sense of confidence that kids can take with them outside of the pool and into the classroom or out to the playground. So the goal isn’t just developing young swimmers, it’s building confident young kids. And I feel lucky that achieving this goal is what I get to call my job and my career.”

Multi-unit franchise opportunities are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big opportunity, and veterans can receive a 10 percent discount on the $80,000 franchise fee. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Big Blue is $2,475,200 to $3,966,700 (refer to item 7 in FDD) To learn more or inquire about Big Blue, visit https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/.