The GCAT Swim School, located at Greenfield-Central High School, is offering private swimming lessons. Our goal is to make quality swimming lessons more accessible to the community.
LESSON PROGRESSION DESCRIPTION: These are the levels described on the certificates that swimmers receive at the end of their lessons. Progress will be marked based on the sticker that corresponds with the levels described.
Beginner lessons are for students that are just getting familiar with the water. Students will learn water adaptation by placing their faces in the water, holding/releasing their breath, front and back floating and learning basic kicking techniques. If your child is brand new to swimming and being in the water, the beginner level is where they will start. Once skills are mastered, instructors will move to the next level within a session of lessons.
Level 1: Bubbles This level is for beginning swimmers who are not yet comfortable with putting their faces in the water. The goal is for each participant to become happy in the pool, putting their whole face in the water and blowing bubbles.
Skills to be taught:
Gradual water adaptation,
Movement in the water
Breath holding and release
Submersion of the face
Opening eyes underwater
Blowing bubbles
Bobbing with bubbles and air exchange
ADVANCEMENT GOAL: 10 RELAXED BOBS
Level 2: Floats and Glides This level is appropriate for those swimmers who are comfortable going underwater and are capable of doing 10 relaxed bobs. Swimmers will learn front floats, front glides, back floats, and back glides with recovery.
Skills to be taught:
Front float and recover (with assistance from the instructor)
Front glide and recover (push off the wall to the instructor)
Back float and recover (with assistance from the instructor)
Back glide and recover (push off the wall to the instructor)
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: Front glide and recover- 5 seconds. Back glide and recover- 5 seconds.
Level 3: Kicking This level is appropriate for those who can perform a front and back glide independently and are ready to learn to use a small, fast flutter kicking motion while floating. They will also learn the dolphin kick.
Skills to be taught:
Porpoising/Dolphin Kick
Front glide with kicking
Back glide with kicking
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: Front Kick-15 feet. Back kick- 15 feet.
Intermediate levels are for students that have become comfortable with being independent in the water. Students will learn front crawl arm strokes, changing body position (rollover), breathing to side for freestyle, backstroke, treading water, and diving from the side of the pool. If your child is able to kick on their front/back WITHOUT assistance and is ready to learn how to use their arms, this is the area where they will begin. Once skills are mastered, they will move to the next level within a session of lessons.
Level 4: Crawl Stroke This level is geared toward swimmers who have learned to kick on their front and back and are ready to learn the basic arm movements for front crawl.
Skills to be taught:
Rollover- front to back, back to front
Finning and sculling
Side-glide kicking
Crawl arm stroke
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: SIDE-GLIDE KICKING- 20 FEET. CRAWL STROKE (NO BREATHING)- 20 FEET.
Level 5: Freestyle This level is geared for swimmers who are ready to add breathing to the side to the front crawl stroke. They will also learn to use their arms on their back.
Skills to be taught:
Front crawl stroke with breathing to the side
Back crawl stroke
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: FRONT CRAWL STROKE WITH BREATHING TO THE SIDE- 30 FEET, WITH A MINIMUM OF 4 BREATHS).
Level 6: Backstroke This level is for swimmers who have mastered side-breathing for freestyle and are ready to challenge themselves by increasing the distance they can swim. They will also continue to refine the backstroke technique in this group.
Skills to be taught:
Extended freestyle swimming
Treading water
Jump in and tread water
Sitting Dive
Kneeling Dive
Standing Dive
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: SWIM FREESTYLE- 75 FEET. SWIM BACKSTROKE- 30 FEET. TREAD WATER FOR 1 MINUTE.
Advanced levels are for students that have progressed through the first 6 levels of our lesson program. In the advanced levels, swimmers will be introduced to breaststroke and butterfly skills, as well as reviewing their techniques for backstroke and freestyle. These classes will prepare a child to participate in a competitive swim team (if interested). Please note that these classes will have them swimming lengths of the pool during classes. Once skills are mastered, they will move to the next level within a session of lessons.
MIXED ABILITY LEVELS- SKILLS TO BE LEARNED
LEVEL 7 This level will continue to work on building endurance for freestyle and backstroke, utilizing the correct stroke technique. They will also be taught breaststroke and butterfly.
Breaststroke Kick
Breaststroke Swim
Butterfly Arms
Butterfly Swim
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: FREESTYLE SWIM- 50 YARDS. BACKSTROKE SWIM- 25 YARDS. BREASTSTROKE KICK- 20 FEET.
LEVEL 8 This level will continue to work on endurance, with a continued emphasis on correct technique on all four competitive strokes. Swimmers at this level will also be introduced to the turns for each of the four competitive swimming strokes.
Freestyle with bilateral breathing
Turns
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: FREESTYLE SWIM-100 YARDS (USING BILATERAL BREATHING FOR AT 25 YARDS). BREASTSTROKE SWIM- 25 YARDS. BUTTERFLY SWIM-30 FEET.
LEVEL 9 This level introduces the "lifetime" strokes- sidestroke and elementary backstroke. In addition to learning these strokes, swimmers at this level will continue to work on their technique and endurance for the four competitive swimming strokes.
Sidestroke kick
Sidestroke swim
Elementary backstroke
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: FREESTYLE SWIM FOR 200 YARDS, USING BILATERAL BREATHING FOR 50 YARDS CONTINUOUSLY. BUTTERFLY SWIM-25 YARDS. BREASTSTROKE SWIM- 50 YARDS. ELEMENTARY BACKSTROKE SWIM-50 YARDS. SIDESTROKE SWIM-50 YARDS.
Level 10: Individual Medley
This level will further develop their endurance, with a continued focus on correct technique for all competitive strokes and the turns used.
Skills to be taught:
Extended swimming and technique refinement in all competitive strokes and turns.
ADVANCEMENT GOALS: FREESTYLE SWIM- 300 YARDS. BACKSTROKE SWIM-100 YARDS. INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY- 100 YARDS.
