NDSU Swim Academy

Level Objective: Parent/Baby lessons are a unique bonding experience, while helping develop a positive and long-lasting attitude toward water. Various games and fun activities will help your child feel safe while discovering the foundations of swimming.

Level Prerequisites: No skill prerequisites; children must be at least 6 months old and parent must accompany child to each class.

Level Objective: Parent/Child will work to familiarize children with the swimming lesson environment, teach swimming readiness skills and to help prepare your child for when they turn 3 years of age to join preschool level 1.

Level Prerequisites: No skill prerequisites; children must be at least 12 months old and parent must accompany child to each class.

Level Objective: In Level 1, children will be familiarized to the aquatic environment and helped to acquire rudimentary basic aquatic skills. Participants will begin to develop positive attitudes and safe practices in and around the water.

Level Prerequisites: Children should be approximately 3 years or older.

Level Objective: In Level 2, children will build on and improve skills learned in preschool level 1. Children will increase knowledge of water safety topics previously introduced.

Level Prerequisites: Children should be approximately 3 years or older and successfully complete preschool level 1.

Level Objective: In Learn-to-Swim Level 1—Introduction to Water Skills, the participant is introduced to basic skills as the foundation for future skills and the development of water competency (the basic minimum skills needed for water safety). YMCA equivalent for Level 1 is starfish.

Level Prerequisites: Must be five (5) years of age by the last scheduled lesson.

Level Objective: Build on skills learned in level 1. The participant begins to perform skills at a slightly more advanced level and begins gaining rudimentary propulsive skills on both the front and the back. This level marks the beginning of independent aquatic locomotion skills. The instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills and build on previously learned skills. YMCA equivalent for Level 2 is froggie.

Level Prerequisites: Learn-to-Swim Level 1 Certificate or demonstrate all completion requirements of Level 1

Level Objective: Participants learn to swim the front crawl and elementary backstroke at rudimentary levels, are introduced to the scissors and dolphin kicks, learn the survival float and increase the time duration for treading water. Participants also learn the rules for headfirst entries and begin to learn to enter the water headfirst from a seated position at poolside. YMCA equivalent for Level 3 is turtle.

Level Prerequisites: Learn-to-Swim Level 2 Certificate or demonstrate all completion requirements of Level 2. Participants should be able to swim rudimentary stroke of combined arm and leg actions on both front and back for width of the pool.

Level Objective: In Learn-to-Swim Level 4—Stroke Improvement, instructors follow a plan to introduce new swimming and water safety skills, build on previously learned skills, improve the swimming stroke proficiency and swimming for longer distances. Introduction of all swim strokes. YMCA equivalent for Level 4 is otter.

Level Prerequisites: Learn-to-Swim Level 3 Certificate or demonstrate all completion requirements of Level 3. Participants should be comfortable swimming a length of the pool on both front and back and know front crawl with rotary breathing.

Level Objective: In Level 5—Stroke Refinement, focus on helping participants refine their performance of all six swimming strokes: front crawl, back crawl, butterfly, breaststroke, elementary back and sidestroke. YMCA equivalent for Level 5 is seal.

Level Prerequisites: Learn-to-Swim Level 4 Certificate or demonstrate all completion requirements of Level 4. Participants should have a good understanding of all swim strokes.

Level Objective: In Level 6—Fitness Swimmer, as in all the other levels, instructors follow a plan to refine swimming, physical fitness in the water and water safety skills that were taught throughout the levels. The expectations are quite high regarding distance and quality. Additionally, in Fitness Swimmer, participants learn principles of training and how to evaluate their own level of fitness. Furthermore, in Personal Water Safety, participants learn more complex water safety skills that may help them survive in an emergency. YMCA equivalent for Level 6 is shark.

Level Prerequisites: Learn-to-Swim Level 5 Certificate or demonstrate all completion requirements in Level 5. Participants should have proficiency in all strokes.