
Ali Beckman
Director and Head of Aquatics
Ali is a UK leading expert in swimming teaching, highly regarded within the industry. She heads a team of Regional Aquatics Managers, Tutors and HQ Accreditors who train and support the wonderful network of teachers at Puddle Ducks.
Ali was a competitive swimmer for Swinton ASC and Salford Triple S until an injury forced her to quit at the age of 15. This is when a love of teaching swimming was born as Ali still wanted to have some involvement in the sport. In 2001, Ali moved from Salford to Northwich and set up home with her husband Simon. In 2004 their first child was born and when he was just eight weeks old Ali had him in the pool. She found Puddle Ducks soon after and fell in love with it. Ali joined the company in 2005 and took over the responsibility for developing the lessons.
Ali is a qualified STA, Swim England and Birthlight teacher as well as being an STA swimming, aquacise and lifesaving tutor and examiner. She loves all areas of her work especially developing the baby programmes and also the aquanatal and pregnancy swimming programme.
Ali is the pregnancy swimming coach for Active for 2 which is run by Aptaclub.
She loves being in the water with all ages but admits her favourite lessons are with babies under six months of age. She says, "I love that I am the first teacher they have on the start of their swimming journey. To know that you introduced someone to the world of swimming and have helped them love the water is a magical feeling. It is even more special when that tiny baby turns into an independent happy swimmer a couple of years later. That's when you can say "I helped them do that". No-one understands that feeling unless they have been there."
Volunteering to support the wider industry is very important to Ali and this has led her to being involved in the Swimming Teachers' Association (STA) which is the largest swimming and lifesaving teacher training company in the world. Being President of the STA, and Chair of Safety Training Awards keeps Ali busy and allows her to support not only the STA but other swimming teachers, swim school owners and swimming clubs.
In her spare time Ali is never away from water, having moved to Cornwall in 2023 and enjoying open water swimming, paddle boarding and kayaking.
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