FOUNDER
Esther Visser, founder of Swim in Balance
Esther Visser, founder of Swim in Balance
Esther Visser is a professional violinist, specialized in historical performance practice, Alexander Technique teacher, PhD researcher and she leads Swim in Balance.
Background
Esther is very interested in how you can perform a certain activity (playing the violin, moving, swimming) with so much quality that a beautiful result automatically arises. The Alexander Technique can help enormously with this.
When Esther studied violin at the Amsterdam Conservatory, she noticed that there was a room where students always came out with a big smile. She became curious and knocked on the door to ask what class was being taught there. The lady who opened the door said that she gave Alexander Technique lessons and offered her a trial lesson. Esther was 19 years old and at that time had never heard of Alexander Technique. During the lesson she found all the exercises a bit strange, but at the end of the lesson the lady said: “Now play something on your violin?”. To Esther's surprise, her violin suddenly sounded three times better. This convinced her that in order to become a good violinist, she needed these lessons.
During her Bachelor's and Master's degree she continued to hold Alexander Technique classes almost weekly and became more enthusiastic about it with each class. She already had the wish to become an Alexander Technique teacher one day, but since this is a very expensive private education, she first worked (internationally) as a violinist for 10 years before she decided to start teacher training in 2012. Esther specializes in Baroque music and works as a guest teacher at various conservatories in the field of historical performance practice.
Swimming
During her 3-year full-time study to Alexander Technique teacher at ATCA in Amsterdam, www.atca.nlEsther learned that there was a professional swimmer in London, Steven Shaw, who was teaching swimming lessons based on the Alexander Technique. This really appealed to her, because Esther has always loved water and as a student had also worked as a sailing instructor, training other instructors. She went to London and within a few lessons was convinced of this way of swimming: it was so much lighter and smoother! After positive experiences during various workshops, she therefore decided to follow the teacher training course with Steven Shaw.
She says: “Especially about the butterfly I was surprised, because I always thought that you had to be terribly strong for the butterfly stroke. However, the butterfly stroke in the Shaw way is very light, even people with weak arm muscles can achieve this, and gives a wonderful feeling to your spine. You literally move like a dolphin does. Using the principles of the Alexander Technique and good timing, the arms come forward through the air flat over the water… creating much less resistance. I would therefore like to encourage everyone who is afraid of the butterfly stroke to take a Butterfly stroke course try, because you will be amazed!”
Then it turned out that at that time another Dutchman, also a musician (horn player) and Alexander Technique teacher, had just graduated as a Shaw Method teacher. Together they started Swim in Balance.
A year later Esther also graduated as an Alexander Technique teacher and started her own practice free up in Harlem. She specializes in musicians with pain complaints, but also gives Alexander Technique lessons to people in other professions.
PhD study
In 2019 Esther won a full-time scholarship at Canterbury Christ Church University (UK) to do a PhD. She investigates how violinists balanced their violin on their shoulder around 1870. Her hypothesis is that this may have been much healthier than how it is done today (going too far to go into this, see her website esthervisser.com). She is currently completing this study.
What corresponds to swimming is that the way you perform something has such an enormous impact on the (sporting or artistic) result. In her method of balancing the violin, she uses exactly the same principles as when performing an efficient swimming stroke. They seem to be two different subjects, but at their core they are exactly the same.
She says: “Many violinists and other people suffer from shoulders, neck and back. The Alexander Technique and our way of swimming offer safe and healthy support for such complaints and teach you a skill that you can continue to apply independently. That's why I love teaching through this method: We teach people something that they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.”
Training and certificates
- Certified Shaw Method teacher (SMART register, www.swimshawmethod.com)
- Certified Alexander Technique teacher (NeVLAT, www.nevlat.nl)
- Certified STA swimming instructor (STA-Award, www.sta.co.uk)
- Pool Emergency Procedures Certificate (QCF), STA (www.sta.co.uk)
- First Aid Certificate (First Aid), RYA (www.rya.org.uk)
Dutch
Dutch
English