This is the foundation class for all parents and their young swimmers. This
course guides parents through our compassionate, gradual, learning progression,
employing positive reinforcement and a fun social atmosphere as motivation.
Our unique class format based on Rob and Kathy McKay's Lifestyle Swim School
allows us to give your child both group and individualized swim instruction.
Your child will repeat this class as he or she works through the
following skill progressions. The class format will be the same, but
our coaches will adjust what you and your child do to add fresh skills and
refine the old ones:
- Skill Set #1 -- Water Adjustment and Basic Skills:
We will teach parents how to hold their child; the children will learn
basic water adjustment skills such as jumping, reaching, grabbing,
blowing bubbles, kicking, climbing out of the pool, shimmying along
the pool edge, breath holding and submersion, and some quick short
swims. Children should remain at this level until they can kick
through the water for 5 seconds while comfortably holding their breath
with their face in the water
- Skill Set #2 -- Safety Techniques I:
The main goal of this sequence is to increase your
child's confidence, endurance and awareness. We will continue to
practice the skills from the first set but work on longer
breath-holding, better body positioning, and better kick integration.
We will add jumps with facial submersions and swims to the wall with
the face in the water. Finally, we will introduce a 180 degree
turn in the middle of the pool to set the foundation for learning to
enter the pool, turn around, and return to the wall
- Skill Set #3 -- Safety Techniques II: This
sequence integrates the skills from the first two sets with an ability
to enter, turn around, and return to the wall. We will introduce
assisted and non-coerced back floating at this stage.
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For those toddlers who complete the skills from the Infant-Toddler I class,
we want to give them a place to continue to develop skills and endurance with
Mom or Dad in the water before moving on to the Preschool Learn-to-Swim sequence
on his or her fourth birthday. Our class format will change to incorporate
longer swims and more complex skill integration. Your child must
demonstrate proficiency with the "Safety Techniques II" skill set in
the Infant-Toddler I class before taking this class.
Your child will repeat this class as he or she works through the
following skill progressions. The class format will be the same, but
our coaches will adjust what you and your child do to add fresh skills and
refine the old ones:
- Skill Set #4 -- Advanced Safety Techniques:
We will add the recovery for a breath, diving for rings and toys on
the bottom, unassisted front floating, and non-coerced back floating
into your child's skill tool box
- Skill Set #5 -- Water Tykes: We will set
your child up for success in the Preschool Learn-to-Swim classes by
introducing front-to-back rolls, back-to-front rolls, unassisted front
and back floats, treading, and safe entry dives
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This course corresponds to the American Red Cross's "Preschool Aquatics
Levels 1-3." In this class, we will work on getting your child comfortable
in the water, capable of breathing, proficient at floating and gliding on the
front and back, and able to swim some simple strokes on the front and back.
Your child will repeat this class multiple times as he or she can perform these
skills with greater ease, with greater self-sufficiency, and for longer
distances.
The skills they will learn in progressive passes of Preschool Aquatics
follow the American Red Cross's levels. They fit our philosophy of
iteratively building up on levels of skills:
- Skill Set 1 -- Preschool Aquatics Level 1:
In this first set, we are working on water adjustment and developing
good attitudes and safe practices in the water. We will teaching
breathing, floating, treading, and some basic strokes but with a great
deal of instructor support
- Skill Set 2 -- Preschool Aquatics Level 2:
Level 2 builds off the foundation of Level 1 but it asks for greater
self-sufficiency. Instructors will provide assistance, but we
will ask your child to initiate and direct the movement
- Skill Set 3 -- Preschool Aquatics Level 3:
By the time your child completes the Level 3 class, he or she will be
able to perform fundamental aquatic skills like breathing, floating,
and treading independently and for longer distances as well as swim a
basic stroke on the back and a basic stroke on the front. You
will be the proud parent of a little swimmer!
Upon reaching their sixth birthdays, preschoolers will enter the Child
Learn to Swim program at the following levels:
For parents of four year olds, we suggest at least one pass in the
Infant-Toddler I class to work on the basic skills
with a parent in the water. We've found that we can build greater
comfort if a child builds the foundational skills for the first class with
the parent in the water.
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This more advanced Preschool class will allow your child to build onto the
skills learned in Preschool Aquatics while waiting for the passing of his or her
sixth birthday. We will build great distance, endurance, and refinement to
the skills that he or she learned in Preschool Aquatics. We will add
diving to get objects off the bottom of the pool, surface dives, and safe entry
dives into the pool.
Children who show American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics 3 skill
proficiency can enter into Child Learn to Swim Level 3
on their sixth birthday.
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We will use the same basic class sequence for Adult and Child learn to
swim classes, but adults will be in different classes
than children. Our basic structure follows the American Red
Cross's Learn to Swim sequence and skill sets. Since adults and
children learn skills differently, what will differ is the method of
delivering of the class content -- childen will have a more play-based
style and adults will have a more analytical and expiramental style.
The objective of the "Level 1: Water Adjustment and Basic Skills" class
is learn basic personal water safety information and skills, to help
participants feel comfortable in the water, and to enjoy the water safely.
In the Level 1 class, you will learn fundamental aquatic skills -- breathing,
floating, navigation, and treading. We will also teach you two basic
strokes: one on the front and one on the back. In all cases,
students will execute these skills with instructor support, if necessary.
This class will work on developing positive attitudes, good swimming habits, and
safe practices in and around the water.
We assume no prior knowledge of swimming in this class. If you know
that you are afraid of the water or if you had a bad experience in the
water, this is a great class to work through those fears while learning
key skills. If you have no experience in the water, we suggest
starting here because this class takes an "exploration" approach where we
will touch on a lot of skills. Even if you feel like you are at ease
in the water, that might change when you need to roll from your front to
your back. Remember that you or your child are learning skills for
the rest of your lives. Our philosophy is: "Going slower up
front leads to a faster pace later."
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The objective of "Level 2: Advanced Swimming and Safety Skills" is to
give participants success with fundamental skills. You will learn to
float, tread, navigate, and breathe independently with no instructor support.
You will execute the strokes from the Level 1 class independently and for longer
distances. In addition, you will learn more advanced skills that will
serve as a foundation for the freestyle and backstroke strokes. This level
marks the beginning of true location skills and your membership into the
fraternity of swimmers. As in the previous level, you will learn new
safety skills and improve comprehension of previous knowledge.
We require all swimmers to complete Level 1: Water
Adjustment and Basic Skills before enrolling in this clinic. If you think you have the
Level 1 skills down, you can schedule a private session with a CBD instructor to place out.
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The objective of the "Level 3: Stroke Development I" class is to build
on previously learned skills by providing additional guided practice. The
key swimming goal is to teach the freestyle or front crawl stroke; additional
time will be devoted to the other two "fitness strokes," elementary backstroke
and side stroke. Swimmers will gain greater confidence in deep water by
learning to survival float, tread for longer times, and do a head first entry
into deep water.
A final goal of this clinic is to develop repeatability, relaxation, and self-sufficiency so you can head to the pool and swim for 30 minutes to an hour for exercise.
You will have quite a few strokes and drill exercises in your toolbox to be able
to add variety to your pool sessions.
Upon completion of Level 3, swimmers wanting to specialize in the
freestyle strokes for the purposes of doing triathlons may consider taking
the Freestyle 1 class. Otherwise, you will refine
your freestyle in the Level 4: Stroke
Development II class while also learning the other competitive
strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
We require all swimmers to complete the Level 2:
Advanced Swimming and Safety Skills class before enrolling in this clinic;
you can schedule a private session with a CBD instructor to place out of Level
2.
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The objective of the "Level 4: Stroke Development II" class is to
develop additional skill and confidence in the freestyle or front crawl stroke,
improve elementary backstroke and side stroke, and begin the process of learning
backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. You will learn additional dives
into deep water, underwater swimming, and surface diving; you will also expand
your treading time to two minute chunks. Finally, you will start to learn
the first of your flip turns: the freestyle and backstroke open turns.
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, the freestyle components of this class
cover the following lessons from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 1: Learn "Weightlessness" by Cooperating with
Gravity
- Lesson 2: Take the Path of Least Resistance
- Lesson 3: Rotation and Breathing Skills
By the end of the class, you will able to swim:
- Freestyle: At least 25 yards
- Breaststroke: At least 15 yards
- Butterfly: At least 15 yards
- Elementary Backstroke: At least 25 yards
- Backstroke: At least 15 yards
- Sidestroke: At least 15 yards
If you have successfully completed the Freestyle 1
class and you want to learn the other competitive strokes, you can pick up
with the Level 4 class. The Freestyle components will be a review,
but these are so fundamental that the review will always do you good.
We require all swimmers to complete the Level 3: Stroke
Development I class before enrolling in this clinic; you can schedule
a private session with a CBD instructor to place out of Level 3.
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The objectives of the "Level 5: Stroke Refinement, Starts, and Turns I"
class are coodination and refinement of freestyle, the fitness strokes
(elementary backstroke and side stroke), and the competitive strokes
(backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly). We want to increase the
distance you can swim and begin awareness of how you are swimming the lengths
(time, stroke count, and heart rate). We will learn flips turns on the
front and back. We will also learn more deep water dives and surface
dives; your treading will move up to 5 minutes or more. At this point, you
will intimidate other lap swimmers at the gym with your swimming prowess!
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, the freestyle components of this class
cover the following lessons from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 4: Learn to Swim with your Body
- Lesson 5: Rhythmic Movement and Breathing
By the end of the class, you will able to swim:
- Freestyle: At least 50 yards
- Breaststroke: At least 25 yards
- Butterfly: At least 25 yards
- Elementary Backstroke: At least 50 yards
- Backstroke: At least 25 yards
- Sidestroke: At least 25 yards
We require all swimmers to complete the Level 4: Stroke
Development II class before enrolling in this clinic; you can
schedule a private session with a CBD instructor to place out of Level 4.
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The objectives of this level are to refine strokes so participants swim them
with more ease, efficiency, power, and smoothness over greater distances.
We will focus on developing your aerobic fitness to help you swim for fitness.
We want you to be able to be comfortable and confident doing open water swims,
triathlons, Masters Swimming, or just doing a mile swim in mixed strokes.
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, the freestyle components of this class
cover the following lessons from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 6: Effortless Propulsion from "The Swing"
- Lesson 7: Perpetual Motion Freestyle
- Lesson 8: Swim Faster Efficiently
In our regular pool sessions, we will teach you the skills necessary to train the way swimmers do – reading the pace clock, understanding swimming intervals, reading your heart rate. We will also teach you how to purposefully add pool tools like snorkels, fins, and pull buoys to your practices. Finally, we will teach you how to do a forward start from starting blocks and
the remaining racing turns.
Our pool sessions will focus on conditioning you to perform three major types of swimming test sets:
- A 15 minute continuous freestyle swim for distance as a general fitness test
- A 500 yard swim mixing the four strokes that you’ve learned throughout the sequence
- A series of 50 yard freestyle swims working on balancing efficiency and pace
We require all swimmers to complete the Level 5: Stroke
Refinement, Starts, and Turns I class before enrolling in this
clinic; you can schedule a private session with a CBD instructor to place out of
Level 5.
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Our "Stroke Technique Improvement" classes are suited for those swimmers who
know how to do the strokes and want to refine what they know or for those who
want to focus on just one stroke rather than on a while sets of strokes as in
the Learn to Swim classes.
A Swim Assessment is a 75 minute session at the Blue Dolphins Swim Studio where a we will assess your current technique, speed, and training. Our goal is to give you an understanding of your current state and some key items to work on to improve your performance.
A Swim Assessment includes:
- 50 minute pool session:
- Film and review underwater and above water video clips from multiple angles to identify areas of improvement
- Learn drills to isolate the skills and feel the correct mechanics
- Identify a small set of technical skills to practice in the coming months
- 25 minute out-of-water session:
- Set short, medium, and long-term goals and track progress
- Review racing history and future racing plans
- Discuss swim training plan and its effectiveness against performance sets and race splits
When you complete your Swim Assessment, the coach will deliver the following to you:
- A CD containing six video clips, including coach annotations on your clips, snapshots of key positions and sample clips of the skills done well. For a sample of this CD output, click here.
- A short written summary of your session, including your swimming strengths, where you stand on your goals, two to three stroke changes to work on in the next three months and drills or other swimming exercises that will help you achieve those changes in your stroke
- A set of practices to help you structure your pool time and quickly improve your efficiency and speed
The Swim Assessment is an excellent complement to the Swim Endurance and Speed Training program. The group swim practices will give you the benefits of group training while the Swim Assessment will give you the individual coach time to make sure you know your priorities.
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Freestyle 1 is our mainline freestyle clinic: We teach you how to swim freestyle with greater economy, ease and relaxation. We’ll teach you a series of that will help you move through the water with less resistance and effort and greater relaxation. We will focus on being balanced, tall, and streamlined. We will teach you how to integrate breathing into your stroke.
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, this class covers the following lessons
from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 1: Learn "Weightlessness" by Cooperating with
Gravity
- Lesson 2: Take the Path of Least Resistance
- Lesson 3: Rotation and Breathing Skills
We will take an underwater video clip at the beginning and at the end of the clinic to give you a visual representation of what you are doing, your improvement and next steps. By the end of the workshop, you should be able to swim freestyle with greater relaxation and economy of movement—this means you’ll be swimming faster and with less effort, like…a dolphin!
We assume that you have at least Level 3: Stroke
Development I level proficiency with your stroke and water comfort.
You should be able to:
- Swim 50 yards of continuous freestyle
- Swim relatively well-balanced (30 degrees uphill to level)
- Swim with your face in the water breathing consistently to at
least one side
- Get enough body rotation to recovery your arms out of the water
- Are able to use a flutter kick to supplement your body balance, get some
forward propulsion, and do so while keeping the level intensity (i.e.,
heart rate) low
If you know that you can't meet these requirements of if you have anxiety problems, you can’t put your face in the water or if you have a great deal of trouble getting through the distance, you should look into our
Learn-to-Swim classes (Levels
1-3). Our Learn to Swim classes teach you the foundational
freestyle skills plus other fundamental aquatic skills to make your more
relaxed and effective in the water. If you can't tell or have no
idea what we're talking about, consider
coming to us for a private lesson and have one of our instructors help
you make the assessment.
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Freestyle 2 focuses on teaching you to swim with your whole body, improve the
breathing and rhythm in your stroke, increase the effectivelness of your arm
stroke, and finally hone the coordination between your arms and your body.
Phew! A lot of stuff, but you are up for the task having completed
Freestyle 1!
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, this class covers the following lessons
from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 4: Learn to Swim with your Body
- Lesson 5: Rhythmic Movement and Breathing
We will video tape you during the first session, review the clip to understand your initial form and then video tape and analyze your stroke during the last class to assess your improvement. Since this class assumes that you’ve established a balanced and efficient stroke, we strongly suggest that you complete
Freestyle 1 before registering for Freestyle 2.
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The Freestyle 3 clinic will start by zeroing in on your arm recovery and
refining it so you get the maximum amount of forward propulsion and drive with
the least amount of resistance. We will then spend the remainder of class
working with you on refining the full stroke to swim with ease, flow, and rhythm
-- with "perpetual motion," as Terry Laughlin, TI Head Coach likes to say.
Finally, we will discuss how to add tempo and speed efficiently and effectively.
For those coming to us for
Total Immersion instruction, this class covers the following lessons
from the
TI Easy Freestyle technique program:
- Lesson 6: Effortless Propulsion from "The Swing"
- Lesson 7: Perpetual Motion Freestyle
- Lesson 8: Swim Faster Efficiently
We require all swimmers to complete Freestyle 1 and
Freestyle 2 before enrolling in this clinic; you can also schedule a private sessions with a CBD instructor to place out of these classes.
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The Butterfly 1 clinic introduces the foundational and stroke integration drills to build an efficient, sleek and fast version of the butterfly stroke. The intent of the workshop is to learn drills and exercises to move through the water with less resistance and effort and with greater relaxation. We will focus on the technical themes of body undulation, arm-core integration, timing, rhythm and breath management. By the end of the workshop, you should be able to swim butterfly with greater relaxation and economy of movement.
We will use underwater video periodically during the clinic to help you understand what where you stand in the skill development.
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Learn a faster version of the Breaststroke form emphasizing streamlined body positions and drag reduction. This clinic will introduce you to foundational and stroke integration drills to build an efficient, sleek and fast version of the breaststroke stroke. The intent of the workshop is to learn drills and exercises to move through the water with less resistance and effort and with greater relaxation. We will focus on the technical themes of balance, streamlined body position, arm-core-kick integration, timing, rhythm and rhythmic breathing. By the end of the workshop, you should be able to swim breaststroke with greater relaxation and economy of movement.
We will use underwater video periodically during the clinic to help you understand where you stand in the skill development.
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The Backstroke Foundations clinic introduces the foundational and stroke integration drills to build an efficient, sleek and fast version of the backstroke stroke. The intent of the workshop is to learn drills and exercises to move through the water with less resistance and effort and with greater relaxation. We will focus on the technical themes of balance, swimming tall, swimming on the side, timing, rhythm and breath management. By the end of the workshop, you should be able to swim backstroke with greater relaxation and economy of movement.
We will use underwater video periodically during the clinic to help you understand where you stand in the skill development.
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The Flip Turns clinic and lesson sequence teaches you how to maintain momentum in all strokes as you change directions in the pool. Freeestylers and backstrokers will learn how to approach the wall, how to tuck and flip using your core and how to streamline effectively off the wall. Breaststrokers and butterfliers will learn how to approach the wall, how to stay low in their tuck and roll and how to streamline off the wall. We also teach how to incorporate the underwater body-dolphin movement and the breaststroke pulldown to encourage high speed and distance off the walls.
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The Racing Starts clinic and lesson sequence teaches you how to explode off the blocks and gain an advantage on the competition. We will learn how to do a fast forward start for freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke, focusing on diving form and reaction time skills. Backstrokers will learn how to get good distance off the blocks from the water.
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Our Triathlon Skills and Open Water Swimming clinics teach you critical skills for conquering open water races. We will teach you such skills as sighting, swimming straight, water entry and exit and drafting. We will also work with you to understand how a wetsuit will affect the way that you move through the water. Finally, we will work with you to keep you relaxed in the open water so you stay calm, cool, collected—and fast!—on racing day.
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