Children's Instructional Skill Level Descriptions
Age 3
Class Size: 5
Prerequisites: Must be 3 years of age, toilet trained, and able to be independent of a caregiver for 30 minutes
In Splash students develop confidence and independence while learning basic water safety skills and having fun. Students advance to Level 1 at age 4. Students are encouraged to take this class multiple times.
The following skills are developed in Splash
- Place face in the water and blow bubbles
- Safety enter/exit pool using the ladder (unsupported)
- Jump into the water (with instructor)
- Straight leg flutter kick on front—with or without barbell or noodle
- Straight leg flutter kick on back
- Instructor supported front float
- Instructor supported back float
- Streamline arm positioning
- Bobbing under water 5 times with rhythmic breathing
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Children must be able to attend to an instructor for 30 minutes.
Students learn correct body position and breathing for efficient swimming while continuing to focus on comfort in the water and safety skills.
Successful completion of Level 1 requires:
- Put face in water and blow bubbles
- Bobbing under water 5 times with rhythmic breathing
- Safely enter/exit the pool independently
- Jump into water (with or without instructor)
- Independent horizontal straight leg flutter kick on front
- Independent horizontal straight leg flutter kick on back
- Instructor supported front float (hold for 10 seconds)
- Instructor supported back float (hold for 10 seconds)
- Streamline positioning
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 1 Skills
For Level 2, students must be able to propel themselves through the water with a straight leg kick (while holding a barbell), maintain a horizontal body position while breathing, and hold a 10-second supported front float (with head in the water), and a 10-second supported back float.
Successful completion of Level 2 requires:
- Unsupported front float with correct body position (10 sec)
- Unsupported back float with correct body position (10 sec)
- Front and back streamline push-offs from wall
- Retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool
- Kicking on back while sculling with arms
- Jumping in to deep water and fully submerging
- Kicking 14 yards rhythmic bilateral side breathing, face aligned in water, straight leg kicks, and correct body position
- Kicking in streamline position on stomach, rolling onto back to breathe, and then rolling back to the stomach
- Jump in to deep water, kick on back to the side of the pool with a horizontal posture, and exit safely
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 2 Skills
Level 3 introduces students to the foundations of freestyle, the fundamental stroke, and many will repeat this level in order to master the skills. Students are also introduced to backstroke, swimming underwater, and kneeling dives.
Successful completion of Level 3 requires:
- Swim 14 yards freestyle
- Swim 14 yards backstroke
- Complete underwater streamline shooters on front and back
- Jump feet-first into the pool, tread water for 30 seconds, and return to wall with horizontal back kick
- Complete a streamlined kneeling dive with push and hands-first entry
- Somersault
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 3 Skills
Level 4 builds on the freestyle and backstroke skills learned in Level 3.
Successful completion of Level 4 requires:
- Swim 25 yards freestyle with proper body position, kicking, and aligned bilateral side breathing
- Swim 14 yards backstroke with streamline shooter push-offs, proper head and body positions, shoulder and hip rotation, aligned entries, and kicks, and shallow-depth pull pushing water back
- Flip-turn drill (aligned somersault at wall, push off on back)
- Complete streamline standing dive with spring
- Tread water for 30 seconds
- Breaststroke kick (frog or whip)
- Dolphin kick (maintain feet together)
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 4 Skills
Level 5 builds on the freestyle and backstroke skills learned in Level 4. Students increase endurance and begin to learn breaststroke and butterfly kicks, standing dives and front somersaults in the water.
Successful completion of Level 5 requires:
- 40 yards freestyle with streamline shooter push-offs, proper head and body position, rotation, high elbow catch, 6-beat kick, aligned recovery, and bilateral side breathing
- 25 yards backstroke with streamline shooter push-offs, proper body position, shoulder and hip rotation, aligned entries and kicks, and shallow-depth pull pushing water back
- 25 yards breaststroke (whip kick, correct pull, timing, and extension in separation drill)
- 25 yards dolphin kick (on stomach and back, boom drill)
- 1 minute treading water
- Racing Start
- Freestyle flip turn
- Backstroke open turn
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 5 Skills
Level 6 skills include coordination of the breaststroke, and mastery of the flip turn. Many students will repeat Level 6 to achieve these technique milestones. Students continue to build endurance, work on racing starts, and open turns.
Successful completion of Level 6 requires:
- 50 yards freestyle with streamline shooter push-offs with dolphin kick, proper head and body position, rotation, high elbow catch, 6-beat kick, aligned recovery, and bilateral side breathing and flip-turns
- 50 yards backstroke with streamline shooter push-offs with dolphin kick, proper body position, shoulder and hip rotation, aligned entry and kicks, and shallow-depth pull pushing water back
- 25 yards breaststroke with proper head position and timing (no pause under chest)
- 25 yards butterfly with sweep recovery, proper head position, and breath timing, and legal kick and recovery
- Racing start from the block
- Backstroke flip turn with underwater shooter push off with dolphin kick and proper breakout
- Individual medley (IM) turns
Ages 4+
Class Size: 5
Prerequisite: Level 6 skills
Level 7 skills include successful coordination of the butterfly, along with continued mastery of freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke. Level 7 focuses on endurance and introduces backstroke flip turns, breaststroke pullouts, and backstroke racing starts.
Successful completion of Level 7 requires:
- 100 yards freestyle (proper catch position, pull pattern, rotation, and flip turns)
- 100 yards backstroke (proper start, pull pattern, and rotation)
- 100 yards breaststroke (proper turns, underwater pullouts, and body motion)
- 50 yards butterfly with sweep recovery, proper head position, and breath timing, and efficient propulsive kick and recovery
- 100 yards individual medley (25 fly, 25 back, 25 breast, 25 free, with proper touches and turns)
- Backstroke racing start
Adult Instructional Skill Level Descriptions
Class Size: Max 5
New to the water? Hesitant or fearful? Can’t float, or swim?
Beginner 1 students focus on safety and comfort in the water, and skills for correct body position and breathing for efficient swimming.
Successful completion requires:
- Put face in the water and blow bubbles
- Fully submerge head/bobs/ring off the bottom
- Moving from horizontal to vertical position (swimming to standing)
- Sculling (lateral motions of the hand/arm to produce lift and propulsion)
- Independent front float (hold for 10 sec)
- Independent back float (hold for 10 sec)
- Introduction to front and back flutter kicks and basic freestyle (moving from point A to point B with arms and legs)
- Shallow jumps/aided deep water jumps
Class Size: Max 5
Students learn correct body position, propulsive flutter kick on front and back, and are introduced to freestyle with side breathing and basic backstroke.
Successful completion requires:
- Straight leg flutter kicking on front and back (T-Press)
- Streamline/glides on front and back
- Introduction to breaststroke arms
- Introduction to freestyle with side breathing
- Introduction to backstroke
- Foundation of treading water
- Unaided deep water jumps
- 25 yards continuous swimming
Class Size: Max 5
Students continue to develop freestyle fundamentals with an emphasis on breathing, timing, and forming the correct pull pattern. Backstroke skills continue to build and students progress to sculling with breaststroke and dolphin kicks.
Successful completion requires:
- 50 yards thumb touch catch up freestyle
- 50 yards backstroke with rotation
- 25 yards 6 kick and roll on back
- 25 yards breaststroke kick
- 10 yards underwater streamline on front
- Introduction to underwater back streamlines
- Introduction to somersaults
- 1-minute treading
Class Size: Max 5
Students continue to develop freestyle with the addition of rotation, high elbow catch, and improved breathing. At this point, a combination of technique and fitness elements are introduced. Students will be competent enough to begin swimming longer distances in freestyle and backstroke, maintaining a steady kick--increasing cardio output while continuing to master technique. Lessons will shift to include drills and continuous swimming, averaging 500 to 1000 yards per session.
Successful completion requires:
- 100 yards of freestyle with correct body position, pull pattern, 6 beat kick, and rotation
- 50 yards backstroke with correct body position, pull pattern, 6 beat kick, and rotation
- 25 yards breaststroke
- Underwater streamlines on front and back
- Continue dive progression
- Introduction to flip and open turns
- 200 yards continuous flutter kicking
Class Size: Max 6
With increased confidence, students at this level are now able to swim longer distances in both freestyle and backstroke, while continuing to work on technique. The pace clock will be used as a tool for managing workouts and gauging overall times. Flip turns and breaststroke pullouts are introduced.
Successful completion requires:
- 100 yards freestyle with flip turns
- Backstroke flip turns
- 50 yards breaststroke with pullouts
- Racing starts
- Dolphin kick
Class Size: Max 6
Students at this level should feel confident attending a Master’s Team program workout, comfortable swimming multiple repeats of varying distances in three of the four strokes. Fitness becomes increasingly important. Students will be able to complete 500 yards of continuous swimming, freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke, and will be introduced to interval sets.
Successful completion requires:
- 500 yards freestyle with flip turns
- Starts and breakouts
- 10 x 50 yards kicking at 1:00 w/fins
- 100 yards breaststroke with pullouts
- Optional intro to butterfly work