In Parent and Me Swim Lessons, a Parent and child work with the instructor through songs and games in a fun, family environment to learn:
- •back floats
- •submersion (not forced)
- •rollovers
- •intro to breathing and more
Swim Lessons for Every Body
Private and Group Lessons for Children and Adults
Everyone can learn to swim!
We want everyone to know how to swim. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children 1-5 years and the second leading cause for children 6-14. UVAC has a Learn-to-Swim Program right for you or your child.
- We teach group lessons like Parent and Me for the youngest swimmers, Preschool and Group Swim Lessons for children ages 3-18
- We teach Adult Lessons for all ages and Private Lessons for anyone who needs individualized instruction.
- Splash Camp offered during school vacations and summer months, is a great way to improve swimming for children 6-10 years with a daily half-hour swim lesson.
- Financial aid is available to help children and adults who may not be able to afford a learn-to-swim program.
- To register, create your account NOW as it may take 2-3 days to process. DO NOT WAIT for day of registration!
- **During Swim Lessons and Swim Team practice times parents and siblings receive 25% off Day Passes. Also available to the lesson student who wishes to swim before or after their lesson!
- Lessons are now offered in three locations: UVAC, New London (at Colby Sawyer College) and Killington (at Pico Fitness Center). Go here for details
In Starfish/Minnows Swim Lessons, children learn comfort in the water, mouth and nose bubbles, assisted glides and assisted back floats, kick development and wall bobs.
- •Advancement: 10 Relaxed Wall Bobs
- •Advancement: Independent face in glide to coach
- •Advancement: Sustained Back Float (5 seconds)
A Dolphin child must be ready to move through the water with their face in. In the Dolphin swim lesson curriculum we work on the following:
- •Front and back floats and glides, independent rollovers
- •Kicking technique
- •Jumping bobs and jump bob to swim
- •Junior stroke with pop-up breathing and other safety strategies
Level 1 swim lessons are for beginner swimmers. In this level we teach students how to develop a comfortable air exchange through nose bubbles while also learning body positions that will make swimming easier and more efficient.
- •Enter and exit water independently
- •Face in the water 3 seconds, nose bubbles
- •Assisted front/back float and glide
- •Assisted roll-over, assisted jump in from side
Prerequisite: 10 relaxed independent wall bobs
Level 2 swim lessons include floats, glides and the beginning of a proper kick. Level 2 swimmers focus on:
- •Independent front/back float and recover
- •Independent front/back glide and recover
- •Independent rollover to back float
- •Jumping bobs
Level 3 Swim Lessons teach independent front and back floats, independent rollover to back float, independent front and back glides. Level 3 swimmers focus on:
- •Front glide to flutter kick and recover
- •Back glide to flutter kick and recover
- •Seesaw body movement (transverse plane)
- •Intro to dolphin kick
Prerequisites: Front glide streamline kicking 15′ and back glide streamline kicking 15′
Level 4 swim lessons teach the essential parts of the crawl stroke: how to hold the head for side breathing, how the hand enters the water, how the arm recovers with a high elbow. We begin the process of putting these components together in preparation for swimming in the competition pool for extended distances. Level 4 swimmers focus on:
- •Hand lead side kicking with roll-in-breathing
- •Crawl arm stroke and intro to rotary breathing
- •Intro to 6 beat back kick w/axis rotation
- •Forward and backward somersaults
Prerequisites: Hand lead crawl stroke with rotary breathing 25′
Level 5/6 swim lessons are taught in the competition pool* and designed to improve swimmers in freestyle, back stroke and when ready adding breast stroke and butterfly. Swimmers will work on perfecting technique, endurance and if desired readiness for swim team.
We offer a specialized group lesson program just for adults and older teens. This is a great option if you would like to gain body awareness and balance in the water, learn basic stroke mechanics, be more comfortable with breathing during swimming and/or want to add swimming to your fitness routine.
- •Develop comfort in the water
- •Basic swimming techniques with face submersion and breath control
- •Learn Body Balance
- •Front and back floats and glides
Adult Advanced Beginner Class takes place in the Competition Pool. Students continue to work on improving endurance and technique with an emphasis on body balance. In this group you will learn:
- •Comfort and control on the back while learning body rotation
- •Learn proper kick, develop efficient freestyle technique
- •Skills to swim with confidence for fitness and fun, either on your own with UVAC’s Master’s program
- •Additional stroke work (breast stroke and back stroke)
Private Swim Lessons
We offer private and semi-private 1/2 hour swim lessons for children and adults of all abilities. They are a great solution for individuals who have a fear of the water or just need extra attention to advance their swimming skills.
