Sign up for swimming lessons! Classes are available for adults and kids of all levels. All YMCA swim instructors are trained in our nationally recognized swim lesson curriculum. To ensure safety at all times our pools have a certified lifeguard on duty.
Choosing a level
All age groups are taught the same skills, but divided according to developmental milestones. The curriculum is geared toward how children and adults learn.
Swim Starters
In this program, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim-readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention and the importance of supervision.
Stage A Water Discovery
Infants and toddlers are introduced to the aquatic environment and encouraged to enjoy themselves while learning about the water. This class is for kids who aren’t yet able to respond to verbal cues and jump on land.
In this class, you’ll help your child:
- Blow bubbles on the surface of the water
- Move and float with their chin in the water
- Move and float with their head on your shoulder
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Grab the pool wall
- Enter and exit the water
Stage B Water Exploration
You’ll work with your child to explore body positions, floating, blowing bubbles and fundamental safety and aquatic skills. This class is for kids who aren’t yet comfortable working with an instructor without a parent in the water.
In this class, you’ll help your child:
- Blow bubbles with mouth and nose submerged in the water
- Move and float while blowing bubbles in the water
- Move and float with their head on your chest
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Monkey crawl
- Enter and exit the water
Swim Basics
In this program, swimmers learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills—swim, float, swim and jump, push, turn, grab.
Stage 1 Water Acclimation
Develop comfort with underwater exploration and learn to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. This class is for those who aren’t yet comfortable going underwater voluntarily.
In this class, you will:
- Bob to submerge in the water
- Front and back glide to the wall for five feet with help
- Front and back float for 10 seconds with help
- Roll from back to front and front to back with help
- Jump, push, turn, grab with help
- Swim, float, swim 10 feet with help
- Exit the water
Stage 2 Water Movement
Focus on body position and control, directional change, forward movement in the water and continue to practice how to safely exit in the event of falling into a body of water. This class is for those who aren’t yet able to do a front and back float on their own.
In this class, you will:
- Submerge to look at an object on the bottom of the pool
- Front and back glide to the wall for 10 feet
- Front and back float for 20 seconds
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Jump, push, turn, grab
- Swim, float, swim five yards
- Tread water near the wall for 10 seconds
- Exit the water
Stage 3 Water Stamina
Learn how to swim to safety from a longer distance than in previous stages. The class also introduces rhythmic breathing and integrated arm/leg action. This class is for those who aren’t yet able to swim 10-15 yards on their front and back.
In this class, you child will:
- Retrieve an object in chest-deep water
- Swim on their front and back for 15 yards
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Jump, push, turn, grab 10 yards
- Swim, float, swim 25 yards
- Tread water for one minute
- Exit the water
Swim Strokes
Having mastered the fundamentals, swimmers learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique.
Stage 4 Stroke Introduction
Learn the front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke kick and butterfly kick. This class is for those who aren’t yet able to swim 15 yards of front and back crawl.
In this class, you will:
- Swim the front crawl with rotary breathing for 15 yards
- Breaststroke kick for 15 yards
- Butterfly kick for 15 yards
- Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
- Dive from a sitting position
- Tread water using a scissor and whip kick for one minute
- Swim any combination of strokes for 25 yards
Stage 5 Stroke Development
Work on stroke technique and learn the major competitive strokes. This class is for those who aren’t yet able to swim the front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke across the pool.
In this class, you will:
- Swim the front crawl with bent-arm recovery for 25 yards
- Breaststroke for 25 yards
- Butterfly with simultaneous arm action and kick for 15 yards
- Back crawl for 25 yards
- Sidestroke for 25 yards
- Dive from a kneeling position
- Tread water using a scissor and whip kick for two minutes
- Swim any combination of strokes for 50 yards
Stage 6 Stroke Mechanics
Refine stroke technique on the major competitive strokes, learn about competitive swimming and discover how to incorporate swimming into a healthy lifestyle. This class is for those who aren’t yet able to swim the front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke across the pool and back.
In this class, you will:
- Swim the front crawl for 50 yards and do a flip turn
- Breaststroke for 50 yards and do an open turn
- Butterfly for 25 yards
- Back crawl for 25 yards and do a flip turn
- Sidestroke or elementary backstroke for 50 yards
- Dive from a standing position
- Tread water for one minute and retrieve an object from the bottom of the pool
- Swim any combination of strokes for 150 yards
For more information, please contact our Aquatics Director, Kaitlin Langford at Kait.Langford@hrymca.org