INDIVIDUAL SWIMMING LESSONS AND CLASSES.

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TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO SAFELY ENGAGE AND ENJOY THE WATER FOR A LIFETIME.

Cannonball Swimming Academy, LLC, is the first swimming “school” in Southeastern Kentucky that offers individualized instruction with the priority of teaching students a skill set that will last them a lifetime. The founder, Dara Carmack, has made it her career to educate students on water safety and how to prevent water-related fatalities. 

After years of education, training, and coaching, Dara understands how critical it is that we teach students how to respect, enjoy, and practice this valuable skill. We hope that you will join our academy to learn how to confidently swim and explore new possibilities because learning how to safely engage and enjoy the water is not only about prevention, but learning a fantastic form of exercise and an enjoyable pastime. 

It is our privilege to introduce you to the water.

We are located at
Corbin Wellness Center

Cannonball Swimming Academy is hosted at Corbin Wellness Center. All Cannonball students must pay a Hosting Fee in addition to individual lessons and/or classes.

Testimonials

  • "I want to give Dara Carmack the highest of recommendations as a swimming teacher. Learning to swim at age 58 is scary. But Dara, in just a few lessons, had me treading water, doing the freestyle and backstroke. On my birthday, I dived off a board for the first time in my entire life. My husband, who listened in on my lessons, said Dara had a perfect match of instruction, encouragement, and confident calmness. My final exam was to dive into Laurel Lake and swim across the cove at Holly Bay. I felt so accomplished and proud. Thank you, Coach Dara."

    Sandi Curd, Ph.D.

  • "What an excellent program! My son was swimming unassisted after only a few lessons!"

    Kendra Hubbard

  • "We had an amazing experience with Cannonball Swimming Academy! Bailyn is so patient and loving, while teaching absolutely necessary skills! She has given my daughter confidence in the water and the skills to swim- and she has given this momma peace of mind! We can’t wait to enroll our youngest child soon :)"

    Kayla Prewitt

  • "Excellent, excellent, excellent!! This swim academy is about safety first in every aspect from start to finish! Not only did my 3 year old daughter learn to swim but she learned to do it safely and while having fun! The instructors are top notch!! 10/10 recommend!!"

    Meredith Moses

  • "Dara, Baylin, and Jonah are all fantastic swim instructors. They are patient and kind and strive to see every swimmer excel. Our children would not be the swimmers they are today without the influence of these great coaches."

    Elizabeth Christopher

  • Coach Jonah with Leah Lawson's son.

    "I highly recommend Cannonball Swimming Academy! Coach Jonah was incredibly calm, patient, and kind. He offered the perfect balance of encouragement and correction to help my son's skills and confidence grow."

    Leah Lawson

  • "Dara has taught my kids (ages 2-5) swimming for two summers and I would highly recommend her to all of my friends and family looking for someone to teach their young children how to swim. She is amazing with little kids, so kind and patient, yet direct and to the point, in order to teach them safety around the water, floating and swimming all while making it fun. We also had the pleasure of working with Baylin and Jonah last summer and they are just as wonderful as Dara! Great with kids and very knowledgeable on teaching swimming. I am excited to have my children continue to work with them at the Cannonball Swimming Academy!"

    Kristin Parks

  • "Coach Dara is the BEST! She offers a kind, gentle, yet disciplined approach to teaching and coaching these kids. She’s hilarious, too :). I trust her with my kids wholeheartedly and will be signing my three year old up as soon as it opens!"

    Ashlee Valentine

  • "I can not say enough wonderful things about this swimming program. It teaches life saving skills in a way that children grasp & will be able to use if ever necessary. Coach Dara uses simplified instructions and games that my children have responded wonderfully to. This program is amazing & I would highly recommend to anyone of any age!!"

    Amanda Bowling

  • "My two oldest daughters have spent several years with Dara coaching their swim team. It is amazing to watch her dissect their strokes and help them improve and perform at high levels. I knew when my 3 year old was ready for swim lessons we had to have Dara! She had laser focus on her in the water and spent time building her trust. Once she had her trust, she was able to learn safe swim skills quickly. We have a pool in our backyard and I can’t tell you how important of a role she has played in our family ensuring my youngest daughter is safe in the water and can swim. I have peace of mind knowing my daughter knows what to do if she falls into the pool, not to mention she had loads of fun while learning. Dara’s passion is making sure all children can be safe around water and she does so with a consistent and calm approach that works well with even the most apprehensive little people. "

    Keysha Hammons

  • "Dara and her team of coaches are absolutely amazing. They have trained all of our kids throughout the years from 2.5 yrs of age through 11. Dara has the ability to relate to all swimmers at all ability levels and helps them conquer their fear of water. She focuses on the fundamentals of water safety before learning the strokes and all of our children loved reaching the “safety test and swim lap” milestone. We can’t wait to continue with lessons! We are thrilled for this academy to be offered in our area!"

    The Brooks Family

  • "Solomon, at age 4, started swim lessons with Dara. He went from being fearful of being in the water to a confident and happy swimmer! Dara and Bailyn were so patient in working with him to help overcome his fear and instill the skills needed to be a strong swimmer. Dara had great techniques and creative games that helped keep littles engaged while learning how to swim. We are grateful to them for helping Solomon learn a life long skill!"

    Decker Family

  • "Dara is the absolute BEST!! 🤩 As a mother and pediatrician it was of utmost importance to me for my son to be safe and comfortable around water. We have been doing private lessons with Ms. Dara since my son was 3, going on 4 years old. We have spent the past 2 summers in a small private lesson group and have had the best time! Dara has endless amounts of patience and such a calm demeanor. My son has gone from being scared of the water and getting his face wet, to jumping in, floating on his back, and swimming underwater! He has made amazing strides all thanks to Ms. Dara. She does amazing work and I would highly recommend her to anyone wanting to get their kids comfortable and safe in water! We look forward to her teaching our youngest next!"

    Candice Troxell, DO

  • "My 5 year old did Technique Lessons with Tim and my 4 year old did Boot Camp with Jonah and Bailyn. We also have had swim lessons with Dara in the past and all of the teachers are phenomenal. My kids learned so much from safety around the water, floating, beginner swimming and progressing to swimming technique. Cannonball Swimming Academy provided my kids with safety and confidence in the water while making it fun. I would highly recommend them to everyone I know looking for swim lessons."

    Kristin Parks

  • "We absolutely loved our lessons with Dara. We have a fear of water, so the anxiety going in was real. It’s kept our girl from getting baptized. We have a pool at home, too, and in just three lessons, she went from barely swimming to getting a stroke down. We may actually be able to have fun this summer. They’ll never know how much these professional lessons mean to us. Thank you."

    Megan Fields

  • "Dara the best swim coach around! She has now taught all 3 of my babies to swim and how to be safe around the water! I would recommend her to anyone. Some may say price is little high but its worth it when you know 💯 your child can swim and is as safe as they can be around the water!"

    Khristie Abner

  • "Our experience with Cannonball Swimming Academy has been wonderful! My boys love Dara and their progress is truly surprising! Would recommend to everyone with littles needing some help learning to swim!"

    Lauren Watts

  • “Coach Dara loves swimming and even more she loves seeing children love the water. She does this by making sure they know how to be safe in the water. As a parent I wanted my children to be able to swim confidently, and safely. Dara and Bailyn provided that to my kids and peace of mind to me. My oldest went from near panic attacks in the water to making the podium at the end of year swim conference. I can’t say enough good things about these talented ladies. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”

    Sarah Wahlstedt

  • "Absolute amazing! The coaches are patient, nurturing and put my timid children at ease. They are well trained in teaching swimming skills that will last a lifetime. I’m so thankful for Cannonball Swim Academy!"

    Calley Lemmon

  • "I want to give a shout out to Cannonball Swimming Academy! My granddaughter, Carys, had a wonderful experience attending Swimming Bootcamp. Her coach, Jonah, was awesome. He was so personable and precise in his instruction. It is so important for kids to know the basics and more around water. Carys is excited to continue, to the next level, with Coach Jonah in another session in July!"

    Bernadette Bingham

  • "I have had experience at two other swim schools before enrolling in Cannonball Swimming Academy. I will not name these schools but I will say that my 6 year old child loved water until we attended the first school. My fear was always that he would go in without me knowing it he loved it so much. We are a family who loves the water, pools, beaches, the lake... Anyways, my child was taught no skills at the first swim school. He was thrown in and expected to doggy paddle back and forth the length of the pool over and over. He puked the pool full and I finally took him out. I was heartbroken so I enrolled him in a swim school an hour and and half away from home. I took him 16 Sundays and we still were no swimming. However, he sure knew how to get out of the pool because that's what they taught him. I brought him to Dara at the recommendation of a professional acquaintance of both her and I. My son was passing his swim test within a week and learning more skills in week two than he had in 16 weeks + at the other schools. I cannot recommend Dara and her team enough."

    Kaela Patterson

  • "I am so happy that the kids are a part of Cannonball Swim Academy. I have seen, first hand, nothing but professionalism, thoroughness, and a true desire for the kids to learn to swim. I don't have enough good to say about Coach Nic! He has shown such patience, diligence and a general love for the sport that has, in turn, made it easy for my kids to, also, begin to love swimming."

    Lester Familiy

  • "I cannot say enough good things about this program. For starters the fact that is very safety focused is amazing and number one priority. I had two children learn to swim through Cannonball, at different paces and Coach Dara is simply the bomb. She worked with us and each child's needs. One of my children has a motor disability and it took a few extra sessions to gain the confidence and skills needed but Dara never wavered and was patient every step of the way.

    Hannah Harris

  • "Our son had an amazing experience with Ms. Dara at Cannonball Swimming Academy. She was wonderful in making accommodations for his disability. She is a very positive, patient, and motivational coach. I would highly recommend her for anyone who is learning to swim!"

    Erin Wells

  • I loved the way Coach Dara teaches the basic fundamentals of swimming in a non threatening and non intimidating manner to a relatively older, hesitant student like me. She is very patient, works on the proper technique of swimming while giving consistent encouragement in the process. I never thought that I would be comfortable swimming, but Thanks to Cannonball academy for proving me wrong! Now I love to be in water and enjoy water sports with out fearing for my life. As a pediatric health care worker I strongly encourage everyone, especially all the younger ones to learn proper swimming skills not only for self protection from drowning but also for great physical fitness, endurance and relaxation! I would wholeheartedly recommend Cannonball academy to anyone of any age to learn and or improve swimming skills! Thank you , Coach Dara for your compassion and commitment to spread the awareness of water safety!

    Indira Moodumane

Still Have Questions?

If you would like to know more information about the academy, its coaches, or the lessons and classes, please click on the link below that will take you to our “Faqs” page to find further information or email us directly by clicking on the link below.

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