About

Hello everyone, my name is Theo Ministeri.  I started Swimcore in 2020.  

Swimcore came from combining my two big passions: swimming and education. The only thing better than diving into a refreshing pool is seeing a nervous or frustrated swimmer beam with new confidence in the water.

Swimming is in my soul. Growing up on the sunny island of Sicily, I spent hours splashing in the sea and lifeguarding in the blistering sun at my local pool. There was no bus to the pool in my small town… as a kid, I would beg my mum to drive me down dusty roads to go there every weekend! I was addicted to the energising feeling of moving in the water, of being weightless and powerful at the same time.

I have been lucky enough to turn my passion for swimming into a job as a fully qualified swimming teacher and coach. I am a huge believer in education. Today, as I watch my little nephew Eneas take his first steps into the pool, I am reminded how important swimming is, not only for your mental and physical wellbeing but also as a vital life skill! With Swimcore, I offer the highest quality 1:1 lessons… As an Italian, I know all about good quality and will not settle for less!

Over the years I have taught hundreds of clients how to swim and have learnt so much from them too. I admire their bravery when facing a difficult or new situation in the pool. Kids especially have a great ability to not get hung up on certain setbacks and bounce quickly from a negative to a positive attitude! The most rewarding part of my job is building confidence in kids, passing on the love for the water, and seeing them improve over time… some of my students have even gone from total beginners to competitive swimmers!

On the Swimcore website, I provide an extensive set of video resources to support everyone’s swimming education – not just my students! I have also created social media pages where everyone from seasoned fanatics to total beginners is encouraged to swap tips on all things swimming: whether that is about floating and breathing techniques, which goggles to buy, how to spice up your workout, or where to go swimming on holiday! My goal is to create an inclusive, tight-knight online community of swimmers that motivate and inspire each other because I think the best way to learn and stay motivated is to have a community behind you. People often think that swimming is a solo sport but, for me as a teacher, it is deeply social.

In 2015, when I dipped my toe into a new way of life and moved to London, I faced a steep and scary learning curve. I had to shake off the culture shock, learn English, find a job. It was hard at times, but the community and friends I made around the pool in the Olympic pool in Stratford, my current home, played a huge part in making me feel welcome and wanted in this country, which is now such a significant place to me.

As a gesture of thanks to the amazing community I found here in London, I donate 10% of every swimming lesson to The Magpie project, an amazing award-winning local charity for homeless mums and kids in Newham: https://themagpieproject.org/

Thanks for visiting my website and I look forward to meeting you for a lesson soon!