Swim Lessons

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The Y strives to help all ages learn how to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills needed to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for healthy living.

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Parent & Child Swim Lessons 6 mos - 3 yrs

Accompanied by a parent* infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.

* We define parent broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children, including biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents, or any other type of parenting relationship.

Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: swim, float, swim – sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit – and jump, push, turn, grab.

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This program introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment

Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.
  • Blow Bubbles – on surface, assisted
  • Front Tow – chin in water, assisted
  • Water Exit – parent & child together
  • Water Entry – parent & child together
  • Back Float – assisted, head on shoulder
  • Roll – assisted
  • Front Float – chin in water, assisted
  • Back Tow – assisted, head on shoulder
  • Wall Grab – assisted.

This program introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment

Parents accompany children in stage A, which introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through exploration and encourages them to enjoy themselves while learning about the water.

This program focuses on exploring body positions, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.

In stage B, parents work with their children to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
  • Blow Bubbles – mouth & nose submerged, assisted
  • Front Tow – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Water Exit – assisted
  • Water Entry – assisted
  • Back Float – assisted, head on chest
  • Roll – assisted
  • Front Float – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Back Tow – assisted, head on chest
  • Monkey Crawl – assisted, on edge, 5 ft.

Preschool Swim Lessons Ages 3-5

Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: swim, float, swim – sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit – and jump, push, turn, grab.

In Water Acclimation, Water Movement, and Water Stamina, students are taught the recommended skills for all to have around water including safe water habits, underwater exploration, and how to swim to safety and exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Activities, games, and drills, geared to reinforce learning, are utilized heavily as students progress in this skill-based approach to swimming.

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This program increases comfort with underwater exploration and introduces basic self-rescue skills performed with assistance.

Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.
  • Blow Bubbles – mouth & nose submerged, assisted
  • Front Tow – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Water Exit – assisted
  • Water Entry – assisted
  • Back Float – assisted, head on chest
  • Roll – assisted
  • Front Float – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Back Tow – assisted, head on chest
  • Monkey Crawl – assisted, 10 ft.

This swim program encourages forward movement in water and basic self-rescue skills performed independently.

In stage 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
  • Submerge – look at object on bottom
  • Front Glide – 10 ft. (5 ft. preschool)
  • Water Exit – independently
  • Jump, Push, Turn, Grab
  • Back Float – 20 secs. (10 secs. preschool)
  • Roll
  • Front Float – 20 secs. (10 secs. preschool)
  • Back Glide – 10 ft. (5 ft. preschool)
  • Tread Water – 10 secs., near wall, & exit
  • Swim, Float, Swim – 5 yd.

This swim program develops intermediate self-rescue skills performed at longer distances than in previous stages

In stage 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
  • Submerge Retrieve – object in chest-deep water
  • Swim on Front – 15 yd. (10 yd. preschool)
  • Water Exit – independently
  • Jump, Swim, Turn, Swim, Grab – 10 yd.
  • Swim on Back – 15 yd. (10 yd. preschool)
  • Roll
  • Tread Water – 1 min. & exit (30 secs. preschool)
  • Swim, Float, Swim – 25 yd. (15 yd. preschool)

This swim program introduces basic stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl

Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke. Students in stage 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
  • Endurance – any stroke or combination of strokes, 25 yd.
  • Front Crawl – rotary breathing, 15 yd.
  • Back Crawl – 15 yd.
  • Dive – sitting
  • Resting Stroke – elementary backstroke, 15 yd.
  • Tread Water – scissor & whip kick, 1 min.
  • Breaststroke – kick, 15 yd.
  • Butterfly – kick, 15 yd.

Youth Swim Lessons Ages 6-12

Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: swim, float, swim – sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit – and jump, push, turn, grab.

In Water Acclimation, Water Movement, and Water Stamina, students are taught the recommended skills for all to have around water including safe water habits, underwater exploration, and how to swim to safety and exit in the event of falling into a body of water. Activities, games, and drills, geared to reinforce learning, are utilized heavily as students progress in this skill-based approach to swimming. Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity. In Stroke Introduction, Stroke Development and Stroke Mechanics, swimmers are introduced to the four competitive swimming strokes as well as rescue skills and healthy lifestyle habits.

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This program increases comfort with underwater exploration and introduces basic self-rescue skills performed with assistance.

Students develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water in stage 1. This stage lays the foundation that allows for a student’s future progress in swimming.
  • Blow Bubbles – mouth & nose submerged, assisted
  • Front Tow – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Water Exit – assisted
  • Water Entry – assisted
  • Back Float – assisted, head on chest
  • Roll – assisted
  • Front Float – blow bubbles, assisted
  • Back Tow – assisted, head on chest
  • Monkey Crawl – assisted, 10 ft.

This swim program encourages forward movement in water and basic self-rescue skills performed independently.

In stage 2, students focus on body position and control, directional change, and forward movement in the water while also continuing to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water.
  • Submerge – look at object on bottom
  • Front Glide – 10 ft. (5 ft. preschool)
  • Water Exit – independently
  • Jump, Push, Turn, Grab
  • Back Float – 20 secs. (10 secs. preschool)
  • Roll
  • Front Float – 20 secs. (10 secs. preschool)
  • Back Glide – 10 ft. (5 ft. preschool)
  • Tread Water – 10 secs., near wall, & exit
  • Swim, Float, Swim – 5 yd.

This swim program develops intermediate self-rescue skills performed at longer distances than in previous stages

In stage 3, students learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages in the event of falling into a body of water. This stage also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm and leg action.
  • Submerge Retrieve – object in chest-deep water
  • Swim on Front – 15 yd. (10 yd. preschool)
  • Water Exit – independently
  • Jump, Swim, Turn, Swim, Grab – 10 yd.
  • Swim on Back – 15 yd. (10 yd. preschool)
  • Roll
  • Tread Water – 1 min. & exit (30 secs. preschool)
  • Swim, Float, Swim – 25 yd. (15 yd. preschool)

This swim program introduces basic stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl

Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke. Students in stage 4 develop stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and learn the breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. Water safety is reinforced through treading water and elementary backstroke.
  • Endurance – any stroke or combination of strokes, 25 yd.
  • Front Crawl – rotary breathing, 15 yd.
  • Back Crawl – 15 yd.
  • Dive – sitting
  • Resting Stroke – elementary backstroke, 15 yd.
  • Tread Water – scissor & whip kick, 1 min.
  • Breaststroke – kick, 15 yd.
  • Butterfly – kick, 15 yd.

This swim program introduces breast-stroke and butterfly

Water safety is reinforced through treading water and sidestroke. Students in stage 5 work on stroke technique and learn all major competitive strokes. The emphasis on water safety continues through treading water and sidestroke.
  • Endurance – any stroke or combination of strokes, 50 yd.
  • Front Crawl – bent-arm recovery, 25 yd.
  • Back Crawl – pull, 25 yd.
  • Dive – kneeling
  • Resting Stroke – sidestroke, 25 yd.
  • Tread Water – scissor & whip kick, 2 mins.
  • Breaststroke – 25 yd.
  • Butterfly – simultaneous arm action & kick, 15 yd.

This program refines stroke technique on all major competitive strokes

Encourages participants to include swimming as part of a healthy lifestyle. In stage 6, students refine stroke technique on all major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle.
  • Endurance – any stroke or combination of strokes, 150 yd.
  • Front Crawl – flip turn, 50 yd.
  • Back Crawl – pull & flip turn,50 yd.
  • Dive – standing
  • Resting Stroke – elementary backstroke or sidestroke, 50 yd.
  • Tread Water – retrieve object off bottom, tread 1 min.
  • Breaststroke – open turn, 50 yd.
  • Butterfly – 25 yd.

Teen & Adult Swim Lessons

Water Fitness

The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis offers a wide range of water fitness group exercise classes for all ages and ability levels.

Water Specialty and Training

Water lovers of all ages can develop and take skills to the next level with aquatics specialty classes like competitive swimming, triathlon training, fit float, and more.
Programs & Activities