The Swim America™ program emphasizes two aspects: goal driven and technique oriented, utilizing a station teaching method. Children are taught in small groups and move to higher skill groups as they achieve the advancement goals of their present group. Starting with the most basic skill, blowing bubbles in the pool, swimmers advance through 10 skill stations from "roll over and float" to advanced stroke mechanics.

Goal Driven
There are well-defined skills that are recognized at every step. In each of the 10 stations (see below) swimmers are rewarded for their efforts and accomplishments at every phase of the learn to swim progression which builds their self-confidence. Each swimmer is presented with a special certificate, which clearly defines their progress as they build swimming technique and ability.

A Graduation Certificate is awarded to each child at the end of his or her first session. Upon graduating from future levels, children receive special gold stickers to place on their certificate. In addition, they are given an Advancement Card that lists the requirements for their next level. Parents appreciate knowing what children will be mastering at each level in the program.

You can follow your child's progress by checking the back of their certificate, which outlines the advancement skills of each station. The program director or site supervisor does ongoing evaluations of each swimmer during the session and will advance a swimmer when they are ready for the next station.

Technique Oriented
Our program is concerned with teaching proper stroke mechanics from the beginning. Correcting errors is more difficult later in the developmental progression. The program director, site supervisors, and coaches emphasize correct swimming skills from the very first lesson and have been professionally trained to offer your child the latest in swimming technique.

Water Safety
Water safety is an important part of the program. Early on, children are taught to “roll over and float.” This is a necessary skill in case of a water emergency. “Roll over and float” will be reviewed at every lesson. And while SwimAmerica™ students receive only the highest quality instruction, it’s important to remember that no child is ever water safe unless supervised by an adult at the water’s edge.

Station Skills & Goals
SwimAmerica™ is station-based program with 10 different stations offering instruction for children of all levels. As the skills of each station are mastered, your child is rewarded and moved to the next station within the progression. This effective step by step method allows even the youngest swimmers to learn to swim SAFELY, while offering stronger swimmers the opportunity to develop all of the competitive strokes.

The following is a brief summary of each station's skills and goals:

Station 1

Goal:

• 10 bobs in a rhythmic fashion

Skills:

• Water adaptation and movement
• Blowing bubbles underwater
• Looking underwater
• Bobbing and blowing in a continuous rhythmic fashion

Station 2

Goals:

• Floating comfortably on your front and back for 5 seconds each
• Pushing off with a good streamline on your front and gliding on your back

Skills:

• Increased comfort and relaxation in the water - establish good body position
• Floating with help and then independently on front and back
• Pushing off in a horizontal position front and back
• Streamlining

Station 3

Goals:

• Good, fast flutter kicking on your front and back (5 yards minimum)
• Breathing while kicking on your front without dog-paddle

Skills:

• Flutter kicking on front and back with help, then independently
• Kicking with floatation devices -- kickboards, noodles, bricks, etc.
• Dolphin dives/butterfly kicking

Station 4

Goals:

• Flutter kicking on your side and breathing to the side (side glide kick) minimum 20 feet
• Swimming the freestyle with “big arms” and head still minimum 20 feet

Skills:

• Balancing on your side while flutter kicking
• Head rotation for breathing to the side - with a full air exchange
• Good body/head alignment
• Development of “big arms” while swimming freestyle
• Development of “feel” for the water via sculling and drills

Station 5

Goals:

• Freestyle with good breathing and good backstroke for a minimum of 30 feet

Skills:

• Continuation of good body/head alignment in freestyle and backstroke
• Timing of breathing within the freestyle stroke without interruption of rhythm
• Backstroke arm movement with good rotation
• Freestyle arm movement with good rotation

Station 6

Goals:

• Extended freestyle and backstroke swimming (full laps of 25 yard pool) with good technique
• Ability to jump in and tread water for a minimum of 1 minute

Skills:

• Increased endurance for both freestyle and backstroke
• Continued refinement of freestyle and backstroke technique
• Diving
• Treading water/sculling.

Station 7

Goals:

• Swim 50 yards freestyle with good technique
• Swim 25 yards good backstroke
• Kick breast stroke in a streamline with good technique for at least 20 feet

Skills:

• Development of breast stroke kick
• Development of full stroke breast stroke
• Introduction of butterfly arms and full stroke butterfly
• Continuation of stroke refinement for freestyle and backstroke
• Improved endurance in all strokes

Station 8

Goals:

• Swim 100 yards freestyle with good technique using bilateral breathing and flip turns
• Swim 25 yards good breast stroke
• Swim 25 yards good butterfly

Skills:

• Refinement of technique for all four competitive strokes
• Bilateral breathing (alternate side breathing in freestyle)
• Increased endurance in all strokes
• Development of open turns and flip turns

Station 9

Goals:

Skills:

• Continued refinement of all four competitive strokes
• Development of sidestroke
• Development of elementary backstroke
• Increased endurance in all strokes

Station 10

Goals:

• Swim 300 yards freestyle, 100 yards backstroke, and 100 yards individual medley

Skills:

• Extended swimming and technique refinement in all strokes and turns