Swimming Lessons

Starfish (Level 1) - Intro to Water Skills

This class helps students to feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely. This class teaches safe water entry/exit, placing whole face in water, blowing bubbles through mouth/nose, floating on front/back with help, arm action on front/back with help.

Students must complete the following skills before advancing to Level 2:

• Enter water unassisted
• Move 5 yards
• Bob 3 times to chin level and safely exit the water
• Front glide 2 body lengths, roll to back, float 3 seconds and recover with support.

Pre-requisites: none

This class is designed to give students success with fundamental skills. This class teaches water entry by stepping or jumping from the side, exiting the water safely unassisted, submerging entire head and rhythmically breathing, floating/gliding on front/back unsupported, change direction while swimming, roll over from front to back/back to front, combine arm and leg action and swim on front/back unassisted 15 feet.

Students must complete the following skills before advancing to Level 3:

• Step from side into chest-deep water
• Move into a front float for 5 sec, rollover to a back float, return to standing position, then return to a back float for 5 sec and return to standing position
• Combined swim on front for 5 body lengths, roll to back, float 15 sec., roll to front and continue swim for 5 body lengths (assisted breathing acceptable)

Pre-requisites: successful completion of Level 1 exit skills.

This class builds on the skills learned in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice. This class teaches water entry by jumping into deep water, bobbing in deep water, submerging and retrieving an object from the bottom of the pool, rotary breathing, front/back glides with 2 different kicks, front/back floats unassisted for 30 sec., change direction in deep water, treading water, front/back crawl for 15 yds., butterfly kick and body motion.

Students must complete the following skill before advancing to Level 4:

• Jump into chest-deep water
• Swim front crawl for 15 yards with face in the water and rhythmic breathing pattern
• Maintain position by treading or floating for 30 sec and swim elementary backstroke for 15 yards

Pre-requisites: successful completion of Level 2 exit skills.

Seal (Level 4) - Stroke Improvement

This class helps to develop confidence in the strokes learned in previous classes and other aquatic skills. This class teaches swimming underwater, basic surface dives, open turns on front/back, butterfly arm stroke/timing, breaststroke arm/leg action and timing, elementary backstroke.

Students must complete the following skills before advancing to Level 5:

• Perform a feet-first entry into chest deep water
• Swim front crawl for 25 yards
• Turn in deep water and swim elementary backstroke for 25 yards
• Swim breaststroke for 15 yards
• Turn in deep water and swim back crawl for 15 yards

Pre-requisites: successful completion of Level 3 exit skills.*

Dolphin (Level 5) - Stroke Refinement

This class helps with the coordination and refinement of all strokes (front/back crawl, breaststroke, butterfly and elementary backstroke). This class teaches front/backflip turns and tuck and pike surface dives.

Upon completion of the following skills, swimmers may advance to the Pre-Competitive swim team:

• Enter feet-first into deep water
• Swim front crawl for 50 yards, turn in deep water and swim elementary backstroke for 50 yards
• Swim breaststroke for 25 yards, turn and swim back crawl for 25 yards

Pre-requisites: successful completion of Level 4 exit skills.