I can only speak specifically about the sessions at the pool where I am training since I haven't attended any others. The following are my observations as a special guest.

Currently Natalia and Alexey are teaching a pool course, there are 20 students enrolled. The students get a classroom and pool session. During the classroom session I think Natalia teaches about technique and freediving in general, although specifically I am not sure because I understand very little of what is said. Then the students go thru a stretching warm up with Alexey. After they are split into small groups and go into the pool for swimming and working on freediving techniques while supervised by instructors.

I have been helping the last couple days of the course for the students that understand English. My students are at different fitness levels and are beginners to freediving. Like many people who are learning something for the first time there are trying to master a lot and seem a little overwhelmed with all of the new information. They all seem to be having fun and are driven to keep trying. My favorite thing about teaching is watching the smile on someones face when they start to figure it out something that was hard and can let go and enjoy.

Okay back to the regular sessions. I believe most people who attend have at one time or another taken this pool course offered by Natalia and Alexey. People do not get into the water until Natalia is present since she is the instructor and rented the pool time. They could also get in if Alexey is present, but prefer to wait for Natalia "since when Alexey is here he is usually underwater training himself."

Natalia is either in the water or on the surface giving suggestions on ways to improve, safetying someone or arranging safety by someone else if she can not do it. Natalia created many different programs for people to train mostly on there own, they include surface and underwater swimming with and without breath. It would take quite a long time (maybe years) to go from the first program to the last. To date no one has had a BO while working Natalia's solo training programs.

We have use of a lane that is about 5M wide so we swim in a counterclockwise motion in order to avoid crashing into another diver. Although ultimately it will eventually happen, which is a good measure of how relaxed you are if you get kicked, or run into a scuba diver while trying to do an underwater length.

I am working on the last program. It takes me almost 2 hours to get thru all of the exercises in their entirety. The program includes many different elements of freediving like static, interval dynamics and surface swimming. Each series has a numbered rating beside it, this number represents how difficult it should feel, if it is harder then you should be working on a lower level. I have spoken of my discomfort and general anxiety towards them, for me it is mostly mental because I have not trained in such a way before.

My observation of Natalia students are they seem very relaxed in the water and well organized. Her program helps people to grow slowly over time, building a large base. Being the worlds top freediving female, it is wonderful to see the community that has developed because of her hard work and dedication to the sport.