SWIM LEVELS

Water Adjustment

We all need to start somewhere and learning to be comfortable and respect the water is the first step in learning to swim safely

Water Adjustment classes are for all first timers no matter what your age is. Swim lessons can begin as early as 6 months but do not let that stop you if you are 90 years!

We will pair you up with another beginner or first timer of the same age but if you prefer we offer private classes as well. Parents and/or a caregiver will accompany children 6 months - 2 years in the pool. Some older than 2 may still want to share this experience with a trusted adult and that is okay too! We will work together to slowly make that separation easy as your swimmer's confidence grows.

Learning to have fun and to respect the water is our goal at this level so that learning to swim comes more easily. Some of the skills at this level will be learning to get in and out of the pool, getting your face wet, blowing bubbles and holding your breath underwater. Floating with help, kicking and paddling are also in this level.

Beginner

Beginner swimmers will have completed the water adjustment class or have had an evaluation with our instructor.

2yrs - 5ys and 5yrs - adult (we keep the age range within 2 years of each student)

At the beginner level students will work on floating, bubble blowing, submerging, paddling, kicking, returning to surface to float and to the water's edge.

Swimmer must be able to do the following in order to successfully complete this level:

jump into the pool, swim to the surface and float
return to the water's edge with kicking/paddling
exit the pool

It doesn't look like a lot but it is a challenge and full of skills to help build a healthy respect for and keep you safe in the water.

We use games and fun challenges to help the swimmer gain confidence. They will develop the basic skills needed to advance smoothly into the intermediate level.

Intermediate

Just like the beginner group, we have 2 age groups for intermediate swimmers. These swimmers will have completed the beginner skills or have had an evaluation with our instructor.

2.5 - 5 and 5 - adult(we keep the age range within 2 years of each student)

Intermediate swimmers will work on prone and supine glides, streamline kicking, above water recovery of the arms, retrieving objects at all levels of the pool, rolling onto back to breathe as well as the pop up breath, jumping in and swimming to safety and treading water

The skills needed to move onto an Advanced class:

jumping into water over their head and swim to safety
treading water for 15 seconds or more
rolling from front to back to breathe
swimming on front for 15ft using rolling breath or pop up breath 3 times
swimming on back with elementary backstroke arms for 15 ft
retrieving and object from the pool's floor

Advanced

Advanced has 2 age groups as well for swimmers who have completed the Intermediate level or have had an evaluation with our instructor.

4yrs -6yrs and 6yrs - adult(we keep the age range within 2 years of each student)

The advanced swimmer will be working on the skills needed to learn front crawl with rotary breathing, back crawl and the flutter kicks for both. This level will also introduce dolphin kick and whip kick. Treading water skills will improve to 30 seconds or more and combining deep water retrieval with other skills such as jumping in or after a swim. At this level we begin using the current of the Endless Pool to "stretch" the distance of the swim. We will begin to count how many breaths it takes to reach the end of the pool and challenge ourselves to swim longer each week.

To complete the Advanced level the swimmer will be able to demonstrate the following:

swim front crawl in the current
swim back crawl in the current for 10 arm cycles
use whip kick and dolphin kick for pool length
tread water for 2 mins

Learning the strokes

(stroke development)

Learning at this level requires the swimmer to have successfully completed the Advanced level or have been evaluated by our instructor.

At this level we group students (2 students max in a class) using a few criteria:

age (within a year of each other)
skills being worked on (these may sometimes overlap) A class of 2 may not be working on the exact skills but they may be a good match personally and help to motivate each other

Basic strokes:

front crawl
back crawl
dolphin kick
whip kick
surface dives
treading water

Stroke development:

improving all of the above
breast stroke
butterfly
rotary kick
increase distance swims
treading water for 3 min

This is where our program ends. At this point many students will benefit from continuing lessons at a larger pool or joining a pre-team or swim team.

The important stuff....SAFETY

Each class includes safety lessons and skills:

learning rules of the pool(or beach or lake)
knowing when and where it is safe to swim
identifying and becoming comfortable with safety equipment
Personal safety skills(floating, treading, swimming with a buddy, knowing your limits etc...)

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What to bring to class

We have all the swimming equipment we need here at the pool for a successful lesson. The only equipment that your swimmer should pack for class is a suit, towel and a smile...if they forget the smile we'll help them find it!

The swim aids we use are non attaching ones like noodles, swim disks and kick boards.

Lots of kids love goggles and we do too but please leave them at home until the instructor has approved it.

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A little about our instructor

Dawn has been teaching swimming and aquatic safety since 1988. Researching new ideas in swim lessons, taking classes and re-certifying in CPR/First Aid help to keep her skills up to date.