The following are the prerequisites necessary in being placed and remaining in each training group.

Novice:

• Must be able to complete two lengths of the pool in freestyle and backstroke
• Must be able to attempt butterfly and breastroke (but do not necessarily need to be legal)
• Must be able to complete a 1 hour practice without needing regular breaks
• Must be able to complete a 1 hour practice without needing their parents on the pool deck

Novice Blue:

• Must have mastered skills of the Novice level
• Must be able to circle-swim
• Must be able to swim a 100 yard freestyle and IM
• Must be able to complete 50 yards of backstroke, breastroke, and butterfly
• Must be able to do flip turns in freestyle and backstroke
• Must be able to execute a racing start

Junior:

• Must have mastered skills of the Novice Blue level
• Must be able to swim a 200 yard freestyle and 200 yard IM
• Must be able to swim 100 yards of backstroke, breastroke, and butterfly
• Must be able to swim for 10 minutes straight completing flip turns at each wall and circle-swimming
• Must begin to learn pace clock usage
• Must have good listening skills and be able to make corrections when instructed by the coach
• Must have a demonstrated level of commitment and overall good attitude

Junior Blue:

• Must have mastered the skills of the Junior level
• Must have a proven track record of practice attendance and effort, meet attendance and performance
• Must have sound stroke mechanics in all 4 competitive strokes and be able to make stroke adjustments when instructed by the coach
• Must be able to complete the following training sets: 10 x 100 yard freestyle @ 1:40, 10 x 100 kick w/ board @ 2:20, 10 x 100 IM @ 1:50, 5 x 100 stroke @ 1:50 (2:00 breastroke)
• Must be able to complete training sets up to 2000 yards in length
• Must be able to complete general conditioning and core body dry-land exercises

Senior Prep:

• Must have mastered the skills of the Jr. Blue level
• Must be at least in 8th grade but preferrably in high school
• Must be able to train 10 x 100 yard freestyle on 1:25, 10 x 100 IM @ 1:40, and 10 x 100 kick @ 2:10
• Must have a solid foundation of technique and endurance
• Must have a good attitude

Senior:

• Must have the desire to progress to the National Team
• Must be recommended by the NLAC coaching staff
• Must be between the ages of 12-14.
• Must have a proven track record of practice attendance, work ethic, and achievement at meets.
• Must have a solid foundation of technique and endurance.
• Must be able to complete the following training sets: 10 x 100 yard free @ 1:25 (progressing to 1:20), 10 x 100 yard @ 1:40, 10 x 100 yard kick @ 2:00
• Must be committed to training year-round
• Must have a good attitude

Senior Blue:

• Must have mastered the skills of the National Prep level
• Must be recommended by NLAC coaching staff
• Must be committed to training year-round
• Must be willing to be held to the highest standards possible
• Must have a proven track record of practice attendance and effort, meet attendance and achievement
• Must be committed to achieving one's full potential in this sport
• Must be able to complete the following training sets: 10 x 100 yard freestyle @ 1:15 (1:25 meters), 5 x 200 yard IM @ 3:00 (3:15 for meters), 10 x 100 yard stroke @ 1:30, 10 x 100 yard kick @ 1:45
• Must be able to complete dry-land activities including (but not limited to) running, stair climbing, medicine ball work, calisthenics, plyometrics, flexibility etc. Weight training may be advised for some.
• Must have a good attitude and be willing to be active in team activities
• Must set a good example for younger swimmers