Levels
PRESCHOOL Introduction of children 2 ½ to 4 years of age to the water. The goal is to make the child comfortable in the water and enjoy the experience.
LEVEL 1 Introduction of children ages 5 and over to the water. The first experience in water should be an enjoyable one. Level one teaches movement in the water, ability to hold ones breathe, put the face in the water, blow bubbles, and do 10 relaxed bobs. Bobs are going underwater, exhaling about 75% of air in the lungs, bringing the head out of the water, taking another breath, and submerging to repeat the process in a smooth, relaxed manner. This skill is the first building block in the process if learning to be relaxed in the water and learning to swim.
Advancement Criteria: 10 relaxed bobs
LEVEL 2 The next step is to learn how to float comfortably on the stomach and back and be able to return to a standing position. This is the first step in learning balance in the water.
Advancement Criteria: Front glide and recover-5 seconds. Back glide and recover-5 seconds.
LEVEL 3 Sweet Spot*. What is the Sweet Spot? This is a continuation of learning to balance in the water. The swimmer floats on their back, with a gentle kick, keeping the head straight, rolls the body to one side until the perfect balance position in found. Each person has a different sweet spot. In some sweet spots the swimmer is in a position more on their backs while others lean more toward the side. It is a very individual thing. This is also one of the potential "sticking points" It takes some students longer to pass this level than other levels. This is a critical point in progressing to freestyle later on.
Advancement Criteria: Head lead sweet Spot 15 feet.
LEVEL 4 Level Four continues the step by step progression to learning to swim. This is a continuation of sweet spot where students learn to move their body in a balanced roll from one side to the other while taking one stroke. One step at a time, one stroke at a time.
Advancement Criteria: Single Switch 3 times.
LEVEL 5 The student now adds three arm strokes to the Stop-Stop-Switch drill to become "Triple Switch". The student is now swimming! A second swimming stroke "Backstroke" is introduced.
Advancement Criteria: Triple Switch 3 times.
LEVEL 6 Continued practice on Freestyle and Backstroke. Treading water and Diving are introduced when we have access to deep water.
Advancement Criteria: 25 yards of Freestyle. 30 feet of Backstroke.
LEVELS 7-10 These levels work in increasing the distance that the swimmer can swim Freestyle and Backstroke. Breastroke kicking is taught and drills to introduce the Butterfly stroke. A swimmer who has advanced to Level 7 is considered to have the skills to move to the competitive program. MSSC offers Competitive swim groups for swimmers 6 and above.