Experienced tutor in Swimming in El Cajon, Lisa offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

I “knew” how to swim before I hired Lisa, or at least I thought I did. I learnt how to swim as a teen and could swim from one end of the pool to the other, but I had always known that I wasn’t swimming “properly” in the sense that I wasn’t using the proper forms and technique, so I have decided to invest in myself on this lifelong skill this summer. During my search for a swimming coach, I was particularly looking for someone who is experienced in teaching adults, and whose references and resume could show that they are skilled and professional swimmers themselves, and someone who could help me improve my efficiency and performance in water.

After I saw Lisa’s profile, her past teaching experience of the Water Safety Instructor course and high school swim team immediately made her stand out from other providers, so I contacted Lisa to arrange for a first lesson and everything from communication to scheduling went very smoothly. After my first 45-minute lesson at my community pool with Lisa, I could immediately tell she is exactly, if not more than what I have been looking for in a swimming coach. During our first lesson, she was able to articulate clearly my “bad” swimming habits and forms, and provided great tips and practice plans on how I could improve. I have had weekly lessons with Lisa for almost a month now and I am really happy with how much I have learnt and progressed so far. The personal attention, patience, great communication and expertise of Lisa has made this a great experience. She also recorded my swim during lessons and we would review them together as part of the lesson, which has been really helpful!

I highly recommend Lisa for anyone who is looking for a swim instructor who has years of experience in professional swim coaching, and someone who doesn’t only teach you how to “swim” but how to become a skilled and confident swimmer.

Lisa is very friendly and sincere. She has the patience of a saint! She worked with 3 kids (2 were VERY active, short attention span type kids) and all 3 kids learned so many new skills. I was amazed at the improvement in such a short time. The children loved Lisa and their lessons and are now so much more confident in their ability to reach the edge of the pool if they accidentally fall in. She never forces anything on a child if they are not ready to attempt it, but she somehow always gets them to eventually do it with her kindness and gentle guidance. We loved having her teach our children. We never had any issues; everything was positive about the experience. I highly recommend Lisa for young children or any aged person who truly wants to learn how you swim.

Coach Lisa really helped me to perfect my strokes. In the years that we worked together she was always positive and encouraging, pushing me and yet understanding my personal limits. Then she expanded my limits. Under her teaching I felt confident enough to try new strokes before I felt ready based on her recommendations, and she was usually right. As a person she is incredibly nice, welcoming, and understanding.

Coach Lisa helped lead to the creation of a high school varsity swim team at River Valley Charter School while I was the athletic director. I was nervous about starting a sport I knew so little about, but Lisa's confidence and experience helped overcome these doubts. Students of far-apart ability levels enjoyed her purposeful instruction and I was always impressed with the team-focused attitude demonstrated by all with what is essentially an individual sport.

I would trust Lisa to lead or instruct any activity that is water-based. She is very honest and enjoyable to talk to. I wish her luck with her new endeavors and look forward to seeing her in the upcoming swim season.

She is always encouraging, regardless of hour skill level. If you are willing to learn, she is willing to teach. Lisa taught my varsity swim team all 4 years I was on it, and I never felt insecure or nervous, and was constantly learning new ways to improve my strokes.

I was a student in Lisa Nelson’s WSI Certification class and a swimmer on her swim team 2017-2020. The WSI class both improved my teaching skills and my own swimming skills. At the end, I was able to finally, after two years of attempts and practice on my swim team, do a proper breaststroke kick. Additionally, I went from a beginning swimmer with no idea how to side breath to doing 500y and 200y events at swim meets during majority of my time on the team. Lisa Nelson is great at tailoring her teaching to each individual and taking into account physical attributes to personalize the way you swim. When coaching, she is excellent at mixing practice drills and teaching that pushes students and swimmers to reach their fullest potential. My experiences with Lisa have always been positive, friendly, encouraging, and productive. She is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn and/or improve their skills.

Had a great experience with Coach Lisa on my high school swim team! She did an amazing job in including all levels of swim experience, and helped where we needed it the most. She created a great team experience, pushing us all to improve and have fun.

She was a fantastic coach and was always there for us. If we had a problem she would help us through it and she even taught high school students how to swim from not knowing anything it was really amazing!