Adult and Teen Swim Classes
Below are the descriptions for the adult swim classes through Arlington County Aquatics Program which are for teens and adult ages 13 years and older. Teen courses also available separately for 13-19 years. Please make sure to register for the appropriate class based on the criteria below. Specific skill requirements are necessary to advance to the next level. The column on the right below indicates the skills that are introduced within each course. While most adults will consider themselves beginners please note that the beginner course is for adults with little or no experience in the water and/or fear of the water. For private lesson information click here.
Adult Beginner
Required Skills
Participants ages 13 and older who have had little or no experience in the water, or have a fear of the water. Students may or may not be able to submerge under water. This class is held mostly in shallow water with only limited introduction to deep water.
Introduced Skills
Students will be able to:
- Submerge under water
- Blow bubbles
- Float and glide on their front and back
- Explore under water and develop introductory freestyle, backstroke and elementary back stroke skills
- Swim at least 10 yards using freestyle and elementary backstroke
Adult Advanced Beginner
Required Skills
Swimmers ages 13 and older who have successfully completed Adult Beginner or who are able to submerge underwater, blow bubbles, and float and glide on their front and back independently.
Introduced Skills
Students will gain more confidence in the water and expand their ability to:
- Develop rhythmic breathing control, including side breathing
- Expand backstroke and elementary backstroke skills and develop introductory breaststroke skills
- Tread water for a minute
- Swim freestyle and elementary backstroke for 25 yards
- Swim backstroke for 15 yards
Adult Intermediate
Required Skills
Swimmers ages 13 and older who have successfully completed Adult Advanced Beginner or have demonstrated confidence in swimming 25 yards of freestyle and elementary back stroke, are familiar with backstroke and breaststroke and are comfortable in deep water and have experience with treading water.
Introduced Skills
Students will gain confidence in more advanced skills. The intermediate swimmer will also:
- Learn dolphin kick(butterfly introduction)
- Learn specialized drills for stroke refinement
- Learn open turns at the wall
- Refine breaststroke and backstroke
- Increase swim endurance with introduction to lap swim workouts
- Learn how to enter water head first and tread water for more than two minutes
Adult Lap Swim
Required Skills
Swimmers 13 and older who have successfully completed Adult Intermediate or those who are looking to refine advanced freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke and introduction to butterfly. This swimmer is also looking for an environment that executes workouts for endurance-based swimming , such as masters swim, triathlons, etc.)
Introduced Skills
Students in Adult Lap Swim will:
- Refinement of proficiency in all swim strokes and drills
- Follow a swim workout to enhance endurance
- Learn to develop workouts for themselves
- Use the Pace Clock/timing as a means to enhance workout
- Develop flip turns skills and learn to swim butterfly (if desired)
- Prepare for a masters swim program or learn about triathlon training (if desired)