Red Cross - Swim Lesson Information

The American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Program features six levels of learn to swim instruction to help swimmers of all ages and abilities develop their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give students a positive learning experience. American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim teaches aquatic and safety skills in a logical progression. The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.               
Skills are Categorized in the following way:
      
 
  • Water Entry and Exit
   
 
  • Breath Control and Underwater Swimming
   
 
  • Buoyancy
   
 
  • Changing Directions and Positons
   
 
  • Treading Water
   
 
  • Swimming on Front, Back and Side
   
 
  • General and Personal Water Safety
   
 
  • Helping Others
     
         
Not every level includes skills in all categories. Nor is it necessary to introduce the skills in the order of categories listed above. It is very important, however, to introduce safety skills in the first lesson of each level, so participants are aware of what they can do to be safe around the water.
     
Students in Level 1 are oriented to the aquatic environment and gain some basic skills in each category. At later levels, students build on their basic skills to learn propulsive movements on the front, back and side. They learn different strokes at various levels and then refine them at later levels. Personal safety and rescue skills are included to help students meet safety goals. By the end of Level 6, students have all the prerequisite skills and have developed the necessary fitness level for entrance into the American Red Cross Lifeguard Training and Water Safety Instructor Courses. The six Learn-to-Swim levels and the objectives for each level include:
Level 1 - Introduction to Water Skills.
  • Helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely

Level 1 Information
Level 2 - Fundamental Aquatic Skills.
  • Gives students success with fundamental skills.

Level 2 Information
Level 3 - Stroke Development.
  • Builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.

Level 3 Information
Level 4 - Stroke Improvement.
  • Develops confidence in the strokes learned thus far and to improve other aquatic skills.

Level 4 Information
Level 5 - Stroke Refinement.
  • Provides further coordination and refinement of all the strokes. Flip turns on the front and back are also introduced.

Level 5 Information
Level 6 - Swimming and Skill Proficiency.
  • Refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options. Each of these options focus on preparing students to participate in more advance courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training.
These options include:      
   
   
   
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