Over the past 6 weeks, we have gone through and explained what can be learned at each of the levels that we teach at the Farnsworth Swim School, so that you have a deeper understanding on what our program consists of. We started with absolute beginners (tadpoles) and worked our way up to strong intermediate (Level 4). When a swimmer reaches Level 5, they have learned all 6 strokes and begin to focus on stroke refinement. By the time they reach level 5, they are considered advanced swimmers and if they started with us between 1-3 yrs old, then the typical age for level 5 would be between 10-12 yrs old. These students work mainly on their stroke technique, efficiency, and stamina within every stroke. Level 5 swimmers are often members of a swim team and are looking to improve and become faster in their strokes.
Level 5 students will be expected to swim over 50 yards of freestyle and backstroke by the end of the level. They are very comfortable with both strokes and are able to swim multiple laps very efficiently, with little effort. They are also expected to be able to do a flip turn at the end of a lap of both freestyle and backstroke. This is a powerful level that truly prepares you with the skills you need for the swim team!
These swimmers will continue to work on their breaststroke and butterfly technique as well, and will be able to swim at least 50 yards of breaststroke and 25 yards of butterfly by the end of the level. This can take quite a bit of time to master, as these strokes tend to be more physically challenging than freestyle and backstroke.
Lastly, these students continue to work on their advanced safety skills. They will be able to complete an underwater swim of at least 15 yards, do survival floats (front & back) for at least 2 minutes, and can swim continuously for at least 2 minutes. The more advanced these swimmers become, the more impressive their skills are!
