Learn-To-Swim Course Levels

Only the American Red Cross offers six comprehensive course levels that teach participants how to swim skillfully and safely. The prerequisite for each level is successful demonstration of the skills taught in the preceding level. Beginners start at Level 1, which has no prerequisite.

Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills

Purpose: Help students feel comfortable in the water.

Using water safety rules

Using a life jacket

Submerging mouth, nose and eyes

Opening eyes underwater and picking up submerged object

Swimming on front and back using arm and leg actions

Recognizing a swimmer in distress and getting help

Exhaling underwater

Floating on front and back

Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills

Purpose: Give students success with fundamental skills.

Moving in the water while wearing a life jacket

Submerging entire head

Front and back glide

Treading water using arm and leg motions

Recognizing a swimmer in distress and getting help

Bobbing in water

Jellyfish float

Swimming using combined stroke on front and back

Level 3: Stroke Development

Purpose: Build on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.

Reaching assist

Submerging and retrieving an object

Front and back glide

Front and back crawl

Kneeling or standing dive (shallow dive progression)

Rotary breathing in horizontal position

Survival float, back float

Butterfly-kick and body motion

Level 4: Stroke Improvement

Purpose: Develop confidence in the strokes learned and improve other aquatic skills.

Safe diving rules

Dive from stride position or shallow dive

Survival float, back float

Elementary backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly

Throwing assist

Feet-first surface dive

Front and back crawl

Level 5: Stroke Refinement

Purpose: Provide further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Survival swimming

Standing dive (diving progression)

Open turns on front and back

Front and back crawl

Performing rescue breathing

Tuck surface dive and pike surface dive

Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn

Elementary backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, sidestroke

Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency

Refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with “menu” options. Each of these options focus on preparing students to participate on swim teams and in more advanced courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include:

Personal Water Safety

Fundamentals of Diving

Lifeguard Readiness

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