Red Cross Swim Levels
Please use the descriptions below as a starting point to place your kid in the appropriate swim level. Levels will be assessed and reevaluated the first day of lessons.
Level 1 - Introduction to Water Skills
The goal of Level 1 is to learn basic personal water safety information skills to help participants feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely. Level 1 skills include: safely entering/exiting the water, blowing bubbles, bobbing, opening eyes underwater to retrieve objects, front and back floats and gliding, alternating arm and leg action, and combined stroke movement. Most skills are performed with support.
Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills
the goal of Level 2 is to help swimmers who have achieved comfort in the water gain familiarity with fundamental skills and achieve success with support. Level 2 focuses on teaching swimmers to float and glide on their front and back, develop simultaneous and alternating leg actions, beginning fundamentals of side breathing, and lay a foundation for future strokes - all without support from the instructor.
Level 3 - Stroke Development
The goal of Level 3 is to build on previously learned skills and provide additional guided practice. Level 3 is for swimmers who are able to swim with combined stroke on front and back. This level focuses on making swimmers comfortable and safe in deep water, teaches front crawl and elementary backstroke, builds on the fundamentals of treading water, and introduces head first entries.
Level 4 - Stroke Improvement
The goal of Level 4 is to develop swimmer's confidence in the strokes learned thus far and to improve other aquatic skills. Level 4 focuses on increasing endurance by swimming familiar strokes and adding sidestroke, back crawl, breaststroke, and advancing head first entries and treading water.
Level 5 - Stroke Refinement
The goal of Level 5 is to coordinate and refine strokes. Level 5 is for swimmers who are competent in all strokes as well as basic diving techniques. Level 5 swimmers will focus on refining their stroke techniques, incorporate flip turns, increase their swimming distance, and improve on dive entries.
Level 6 - Swimming and Swimming Proficiency: Fitness Swimmer
The goal of Level 6/Fitness Swimmer is to refine strokes so swimmers will be more at ease, efficient, powerful, and have greater endurance. Fitness Swimmer skills include circle swimming, using a pace clock, using kickboards, and an endurance swim of 500 yards.
