SPA SwimAmerica Levels
Students will be assigned a level in their evaluation placement lesson or their first private lesson. Once swimmers perform the necessary skills, they will advance to the next level. Swimmers who reach level 7 are invited to join the swim team. For questions about your swimmer's level, contact your swimmer's coach.
Level 1
Level 1 includes introduction to the basic skills necessary for swimming. We work on gradual water adaptation, movement in the water, breath holding and release, submersions of the face, opening eyes underwater, blowing bubbles, bobbing with bubbles, and air exchange. Swimmers will gain confidence and master submerging their face in the water. Swimmer advances when they can do 10 relaxed bobs with air exchange.
Level 2
Swimmers will be taught to front float and recover, front glide and recover, back float and recover, and back glide and recover. Additionally, swimmers will learn how to safely enter the water. Swimmers advance when they can front and back glide for 5 seconds and recover.
Level 3
Swimmers will be taught kicking skills with front and back glides. Swimmers advance when they can kick 15 feet on their front and 15 feet on their back in streamline position.
Level 4
Swimmers will be taught to roll over front to back and back to front, breathing position for freestyle (side-glide), and the freestyle stroke with catch up. Swimmers will advance by performing side-glide kick for 20 free and catch up freestyle for 20 feet.
Level 5
Swimmers will be taught backstroke and will master freestyle with bilateral side breathing. Swimmers will advance by swimming freestyle with a minimum of four side breaths.
Level 6
Swimmers will learn how to tread water, dive from the sitting, kneeling, and standing positions, and work on their endurance in freestyle. Swimmers will advance when they swim backstroke with correct body position, strong kicks, and quick arm rotation.
Swimmers who pass Level 6 are invited to join our swim team with placement in one of our Bronze or Silver groups based on age. For more information, visit our team website or email the Head Coach at [email protected].
Level 7
Swimmers will learn how to dolphin kick and the timing of the butterfly stroke. The butterfly stroke should have two visible kicks with one arm pull. Breathing should occur every other stroke. Swimmers will advance when they swim butterfly with correct body position, pulling and kicking motions, and breath timing for 20 feet.
Level 8
Swimmers will learn the breaststroke kick and correct timing (pull-breath-kick-glide) for breaststroke. Swimmers will advance when they swim breaststroke with correct kick, pull, breath timing and glide for 20 feet.
Level 9
Swimmers will learn how to perform a flip turn in the water, an open turn for breaststroke and butterfly, a backstroke flip turn and the survival strokes of Elementary Backstroke and Sidestroke. Swimmers will advance when they can demonstrate proper turns for all four strokes and 50 yards of Elementary Backstroke and 50 Yards of Sidestroke.
Level 10
Swimmers will fine tune their strokes, work on endurance and learn turns for Individual Medley swimming. Swimmers will graduate from the program when they can demonstrate a 300 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke and 100 IM.
