LEARN TO SWIM AQUATICS
LEARN TO SWIM AQUATICS (5 TO 12 YEARS)
The American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses, offered at the Cumming Aquatic Center, consist of six comprehensive levels that teach participants how to swim skillfully and safely. The program gives participants a positive learning experience. Each level includes training in basic water safety, such as knowing when to call for help and helping a swimmer in distress. All aquatic and safety skills are taught in logical progression, beginning with basic aquatic skills (LTS Level 1) and finishing with swim team readiness (LTS 6). The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on, and around water. Participants who are 13 years of age or older should register in the Adult Aquatics program.
All Learn to Swim classes are 45 minutes. Sessions vary from 6 to 8 classes. Participants must be between 5 and 12 years of age.
How Do I Know Which Level To Register For?
Learn to Swim 1: I am a beginner looking forward to learning the fundamental skills of swimming (i.e., floating, treading, swimming independently).
Learn to Swim 2: I can swim independently for a short distance, but still need to improve Freestyle and Backstroke techniques.
Learn to Swim 3: I can swim Freestyle with side breathing and Backstroke with proper technique, but I need to learn Breaststroke and Butterfly.
Learn to Swim 4: I can swim Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breaststroke across the fool (40 feet) but need to improve Breaststroke and Butterfly technique and practice diving.
Learn to Swim 5: I am familiar with the 4 competitive strokes and can swim 25 yards independently. I need to work on stroke refinement, endurance, flip turns, and diving from the diving block in to the Competition Pool.
Learn to Swim 6: I have strong endurance in Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly,. I can dive off a dive block and swim in deep water. I need to fine-tune strokes, turns, and finishes to prepare for a swim team.
For a complete list of exit skills for each Learn to Swim level, please scroll down to view the skill charts for each level. Participants should enroll in the lowest level they cannot complete all of the require skills for.
| LTS 1 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Enter & exit the water using ladder, steps, side | |
| Blow bubbles, 3 sec | |
| Bobbing, 5 times | |
| Open eyes underwater, retrieve object in shallow water, 2 times | |
| Front & back glide, 2 body lengths, assisted | |
| Back float, 5 sec, assisted | |
| Recover from front glide to vertical position, assisted | |
| Recover from back float/glide to vertical position, assisted | |
| Roll from front to back & back to front, assisted | |
| Explore treading arm & leg actions in chest deep water, assisted | |
| Alternating arm & leg action on front & back, 2 body lengths, assisted | |
| Simultaneous arm & leg action on front & back, 2 body lengths, assisted | |
| Combined arm & leg action on front & back, 2 body lengths, assisted | |
| Enter water independently, travel 5 yards, bob 5 times, exit water independently | |
| Front glide 2 body lengths, roll to back float 5 sec, recover to vertical position, assisted | |
| Various water safety topics |
| LTS 2 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Enter & exit water using ladder, steps, side, in chest deep water | |
| Fully submerge & hold breath 10 sec | |
| Bobbing, 10 times in chest deep water | |
| Open eyes and retrieve object 3 times, chest deep water | |
| Rotary breathing, 5 times | |
| Front & back glides, 2 body lengths | |
| Front float, 10 sec | |
| Back float, 15 sec | |
| Recover from front float/glide & back float/glide to vertical position, chest deep water | |
| Roll from front to back & back to front | |
| Change direction of travel while swimming on front or back | |
| Tread water 15 sec, using arm & leg action | |
| Swim independently on front & back using arms & legs, 5 body lengths | |
| Finning arm action on back, 5 body lengths | |
| Step in to chest deep water, push off bottom, tread/float 15 sec, swim on front/back 5 body lengths, exit water | |
| Back float 15 sec, roll to front, recover to vertical position | |
| Push off wall, swim 5body lengths on front using arms & legs, roll to back, float 15 sec, roll to front, continue swimming 5 body lengths | |
| Various water safety topics |
| LTS 3 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Jump in to deep water, submerge, recover, swim to side | |
| Head first entry from sitting position | |
| Head first entry from kneeling position | |
| Bobbing while moving to safety, 15 times | |
| Rotary breathing, 15 times | |
| Survival float on front, deep water, 30 sec | |
| Back float in deep water, 1 min | |
| Change from vertical to horizontal position on front & back, deep water | |
| Rotate full turn in vertical position, deep water | |
| Tread water, 1 min | |
| Push off, streamline 3-5 body lengths, dolphin kick and flutter kick | |
| Front crawl, 15 yards | |
| Breaststroke kick, 15 yards | |
| Elementary Backstroke, 15 yards | |
| Scissor kick, 15 yards | |
| Jump in deep water, recover, float/tread 1 min, rotate 1 full turn, swim front crawl or elementary backstroke 15 yards, exit water | |
| Push off streamlined, front crawl 15 yards, change position/direction, elementary backstroke 15 yards, exit water | |
| Various water safety topics |
| LTS 4 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Head-first entry from compact position |
|
| Head-first entry from stride position | |
| Swim underwater 3-5 body lengths | |
| Feet first surface dive | |
| Survival swimming, 1 min, deep water | |
| Front crawl open turn | |
| Back crawl open turn | |
| Tread water, 2 min | |
| Front crawl, 25 yards | |
| Breaststroke, 15 yards | |
| Butterfly, 15 yards | |
| Elementary Backstroke, 25 yards | |
| Back crawl, 15 yards | |
| Push off on back, streamline 3-5 body lengths, with flutter kick AND dolphin kick | |
| Feet first entry in to deep water, front crawl 25 yards, change direction/position, elementary backstroke 25 yards | |
| Breaststroke 15 yards, change direction/position, back crawl 15 yards | |
| Submerge, swim 3-5 body lengths underwater, return to surface, exit water | |
| Various water safety topics |
| LTS 5 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Shallow angle dive from side, glide 2-3 body lengths, begin any front stroke | |
| Tuck & pike surface dives | |
| Front flip turn | |
| Back flip turn | |
| Tread water, 5 min | |
| Tread water with legs only, 2 min | |
| Front crawl, 50 yards | |
| Breaststroke, 25 yards | |
| Butterfly, 25 yards | |
| Elementary Backstroke, 50 yards | |
| Back crawl, 25 yards | |
| Scull, 30 seconds | |
| Sidestroke, 25 yards | |
| Shallow angle dive, front crawl 50 yards, elementary backstroke 50 yards, using turns throughout | |
| Breaststroke 25 yards, change direction of travel, back crawl 25 yards, using turns throughout | |
| Various water safety topics |
| LTS 6 | Exit Skills |
|---|---|
| Front crawl, 100 yards | |
| Elementary Backstroke, 100 yards | |
| Back crawl, 50 yards | |
| Breaststroke, 50 yards | |
| Sidestroke, 50 yards | |
| Butterfly, 50 yards | |
| Front & back crawl open turns, demo while swimming | |
| Front crawl & backstroke flip turns, demo while swimming | |
| Sidestroke open turn | |
| Butterfly turn | |
| Breaststroke turn | |
| Swimming with pull buoy, fins, and paddles | |
| Calculating heart rate | |
| Surface dive, retrieve object from the bottom in 7-10 feet of water | |
| Swim 500 yards continuously using any 3 strokes, swimming at least 50 yards of each stroke | |
| Jump in to deep water, survival float 5 min, roll on to back, back float 5 min | |
| HELP / Huddle position, 2 minutes | |
| Feet first surface dive, retrieve object in 7-10 feet of water, return to surface starting point | |
| Dive from starting block | |
| Circle swimming | |
| How to use a pace clock | |
| Various water safety topics |
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