One swimmer at a time
No sharing the coach, no waiting on the wall. The whole 30 minutes is theirs.
Private swim lessons
One swimmer at a time. Kids and adults, first float through freestyle.
Safety before strokes
Float, roll, breathe, find the wall. Speed comes after that.
Patient with nervous kids
We work at the edge of comfortable and stop there. Tears are allowed.
How it works
Three steps, about two minutes.
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1
Pick a time
Open the calendar below and choose a slot. Everything you see is open.
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2
Tell us about your swimmer
Name, age, and how much they've swum before.
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3
Pay at the lesson
Venmo, cash, or check at the pool. No deposit.
Lessons
Every lesson is private. The focus is what changes.
Not sure where your swimmer fits? Book once and Marlies will tell you.
First time in the water
Bubbles, floats, and getting in and out safely — with a parent nearby if that helps. Most swimmers this age start on the steps and work outward.
- Comfort & breath control
- Independent back float
- Wall grab & safe exit
Comfortable, not yet efficient
Freestyle and backstroke built from body position up, then side breathing on top. This is where most swimmers stop looking like they're fighting the water.
- Streamline & kick
- Freestyle + backstroke
- Side breathing
For a tryout, a test, or a faster 50
All four strokes, turns, and endurance sets. Marlies raced at this level herself, so the corrections are the ones that actually move a time.
- Breaststroke & butterfly
- Flip turns & starts
- Endurance building
Never learned, or never learned properly
Had a scare, or want to swim laps without gassing out. No audience, no judgment, and nobody watching from the next lane.
- Beginner to lap-ready
- Fear-of-water support
- Triathlon & fitness prep
Coach Marlies Ross · Founder & sole instructor
The instructor
You'll always be working with Coach Marlies.
Marlies raced at the top of the sport — seven-time All-American at Arizona State, thirteen-time African champion, and a semi-finalist at the World Championships.
She teaches every lesson at Blue Current herself. No rotating staff, so she knows where your swimmer left off last week and what they're ready for today.
- Phoenix Swim Club Coach
- USA Swimming Certified coach
- Certified CPR & First Aid
- Water Safety Instruction background
- All ages Toddlers through adults
Racing record
- 7×All-American
- 13×African Champion
- ASUSchool Record Holder
- World ChampsSemi-Finalist
- NCAAFinalist
- CommonwealthGames Finalist
Adults
Adult lessons don't go through the calendar.
Adult lessons run at Phoenix Swim Club in Paradise Valley, where Marlies coaches — the same pool as the 6-and-up lessons. They just don't go through the calendar. Email her and she'll set up a time with you directly.
- Never learned to swim
- Nervous, or had a bad experience in the water
- Lap swimming and fitness
- Triathlon and open-water prep
Rates
One price. No membership, no registration fee.
Pay per lesson. Book as often as you like.
- Always one-on-one There's no group rate because there are no groups.
- Nothing up front No deposit, no sign-up fee. Pay when the lesson is done.
- Siblings back-to-back Book two slots in a row and they go one after the other.
- No commitment Come weekly, or come once before a vacation.
Reviews
What families say.
Scroll to explore reviews
★★★★★
Watching Marlies coach has been one of the greatest joys of our family's existence. At the start of the summer, my triplets didn't even want to put their faces in the water. In just a short time, they have progressed to confidently swimming across the pool. Marlies has an incredible gift for breaking skills down into simple, understandable steps that young children can grasp. She keeps them engaged, makes learning fun, and knows exactly how to adjust her teaching style based on each child's personality, temperament, and confidence level.
I've also watched her coach everyone from young beginners to adults with the same enthusiasm, patience, and high expectations. She has a rare combination of technical expertise, strong communication, and genuine care for her swimmers. Every child who works with Marlies feels seen, encouraged, and challenged to reach their full potential. She is truly an exceptional coach, and our family is so grateful for the difference she has made in our children's lives.
★★★★★
Marlies has coached my two daughters at Phoenix Swim Club for nearly two years, and I can't say enough about the impact she has had on them. My oldest started with Marlies at eight years old and was incredibly shy. She tends to lack confidence until she has mastered a skill, which can make learning something new especially challenging. Marlies immediately saw her potential and knew exactly how to encourage her. Through patience, consistency, and genuine belief in her abilities, she helped my daughter come out of her shell, build confidence, and become one of the team's most improved swimmers.
My younger daughter started at just six years old and can be a little chatty and easily distracted. Marlies has an incredible ability to keep her engaged while making practices both productive and enjoyable.
What impresses me most is that Marlies doesn't have one coaching style—she adapts to each individual child. No matter their age, personality, or ability level, she knows how to connect with them in a way that helps them succeed. As someone with a swimming background myself, I would have loved to have a coach like Marlies growing up. She is knowledgeable, encouraging, and truly invested in helping every swimmer become the best version of themselves.
★★★★★
Coach Marlies has helped my three daughters to really excel quite fast with learning to swim and their confidence in the water. My oldest had learned all of the strokes before going to her, but her advancing her technique is really cool to see as she goes faster and faster in the water with Marlies' help. My twins who are younger are still learning the basics. That's one of my favorite parts of having a coach like Marlies available to teach at all levels and adjust her trainings catered to what your child's level and needs are.
★★★★★
Coach Marlies is simply amazing. She has a natural gift for connecting with her swimmers in a way that is thoughtful, creative, and endlessly supportive. Our two children have continued private lessons with her by choice — they absolutely adore her. She speaks their language, with clear instructions, focused practice, and constant encouragement that keeps them engaged and excited to learn.
One of her most remarkable strengths is her uncanny eye for technique. She picks up on flaws instantly and makes stroke corrections quickly, translating them into terms kids can easily understand and apply. The results speak for themselves: it was Coach Marlies who built our youngest daughter's confidence and technical ability the past two years, allowing her to reach her goals in order to progress in competitive swimming. She has also guided our son in beginning stroke development — and, just as importantly, to feel genuinely excited about being a part of Phoenix Swim Club!
Our private lessons with her are priceless, and we jump at every opportunity to have her coach our kids. Under her guidance, they have grown in confidence and dramatically accelerated their swim technique — progress we can see in the water week after week.
Beyond her coaching skill, Marlies is warm and personable, deeply respected by both her swimmers and their families. She brings a depth of knowledge and experience that our swim club is truly fortunate to have. We wholeheartedly recommend Coach Marlies to any family looking to build proper, excellent swim technique early — a foundation that will benefit their children for a lifetime. We are grateful for everything she has done for ours.
★★★★★
We are so grateful for Coach Marlies. She supports our son with lessons to help him with his skills and technique as he started competitively swimming around the age of 8. As a coach she is encouraging, patient, and flexible. She is very communicative and quick to help her families get answers to their questions. I have and will continue to recommend Coach Marlies to others. I look forward for her to continue to be a coach and mentor to our son as long as he swims!
★★★★★
Coach Marlies is a fabulous swim instructor and coach. We have been swimming with Coach Marlies both as a member of the Phoenix Swim Club and with personal lessons for over 2 years with our (now) 8 year old daughter.
There are several elements that make her a wonderful instructor. First is her knowledge and experience as both a high level swimmer and coach. She works with all age groups and tailors her lessons to her swimmer's needs accordingly. She has the rare ability to work seamlessly with both beginners and advanced, seasoned swimmers looking to perfect their strokes to meet their performance goals.
Secondly, her professionalism and approach to each lesson is excellent. It is not uncommon to have a swim instructor that plans their lesson “on the fly” or without much forethought. This is not the case with Coach Marlies. All of her lessons are well thought-out, smartly planned and make excellent use of the time allowed. Just as important, she is great at keeping the lessons progressing forward, incorporating new drills, techniques and lesson structure to build on what has been worked on previously.
Last, but maybe most important of all, Marlies is WONDERFUL with children. All of the expertise in the world won't matter if your child is not engaged. Coach Marlies is warm, friendly and fun without being a pushover. That is an incredibly difficult balance that oftentimes is the hardest skill to master. Coach Marlies takes great care to ensure that her swimmers can learn, improve and push themselves all while having fun.
Our daughter absolutely loves her time with Coach Marlies. She has seen great strides in both her swimming and joy in the sport. She looks forward to each lesson and has a smile on her face the whole time, every time. We can't recommend her highly enough!
★★★★★
Coach Marlies is awesome! She's patient, encouraging and does a great job of working on technique for each swim stroke. She has helped my kids improve their skills and times in the pool. She tailors each lesson to their needs and is incredibly supportive. My kids look forward to their lessons and love working with Coach Marlies. I highly recommend her!
Book
Find a time in the water.
Two calendars — pick the one that matches your swimmer. Live availability, confirmation by email.
FAQ
Before your first lesson.
What should we bring?
A swimsuit, a towel, and goggles if your swimmer likes them. Long hair tied back or in a cap. Sunscreen applied at least 20 minutes before. Swim diapers are required for anyone not reliably potty trained.
Do parents stay during the lesson?
Yes. A parent or guardian stays on the deck for the whole lesson for anyone under 18. With nervous beginners, sitting further back usually helps them focus on Marlies.
How often should we book?
Once a week is enough for steady progress. Twice a week is noticeably faster, especially for beginners or anyone with a deadline like a tryout or a vacation.
What's the cancellation policy?
Cancel or reschedule 24 hours ahead at no charge, straight from your confirmation email. Inside 24 hours the lesson is charged, since that slot can't be refilled.
What happens if the weather turns?
Light rain is fine — lessons run. Thunder, lightning, or unsafe cold means we cancel and reschedule at no cost. Marlies makes the call and texts you as early as she can.
My child is scared of the water. Is that a problem?
It's one of the most common reasons families call, and it's exactly what private lessons handle best — no group to keep up with and nobody waiting on them. Marlies builds trust first and adds skills the moment your swimmer is ready for them.
Emailhello@bluecurrentswim.com
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