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YMCA Progressive Swim Lessons

The Hamden North Haven YMCA Swimming Lesson program is a great way for your swimmers to get acclimated to the water at any point throughout the year.  Whether you are in Hamden, North Haven, Bethany, or any of the surrounding towns, the YMCA is easily accessible and strives to provide the best service and consistency with their swimming program.  Our goal is to make sure that your swimmers have fun but learn as much as they can at the same time!

School Age Lessons

  • Children Ages 6 – 12 years old
  • Maximum 1 instructor to 8 student ratio
  • Classes run for 40 minutes

Polliwog: This class is meant for beginning swimmers.  The child may or may not wear a bubble (depending on confidence level).  The class is focused on basic swimming skills, building in-water confidence levels, arm technique, and swimming without a flotation device.

Guppy:  In order to better streamline our YMCA’s swim lesson program with the YMCA of the USA, we have combined the Guppy 1 and Guppy 2 classes.  The Guppy level is best suited for advanced beginner swimmers and can swim a basic paddle stroke (front and back) with minimal assistance for 25 yards (1 length of the pool).  Swimmers in this level must also independently submerge as well as independently float for at least 10 seconds on their back.

Minnow: This class is designed for swimmers who are able to complete two lengths of the pool with their backstroke and their front crawl with rhythmic breathing.  Participants must be able to tread water for 1 minute and be able to complete a kneeling dive and an assisted standing dive.  The goal of this class is to expand on the Guppy lessons with their breaststroke and refine front crawl and backstroke in order to prepare them for the Fish/Flying Fish/Shark levels.

Fish/Flying Fish/Shark: Swimmers must be able to complete 5 lengths of the pool without stopping.  Swimmers must also be able to demonstrate 3 lengths of front crawl (freestyle), 3 lengths of backstroke, and 1 length of breaststroke.  This level is focused on improving overall stroke efficiency and technique along with teaching the beginning to end stages of butterfly.  An introduction to racing starts and turns will also be covered.  This is a great place to start if swim team is an option for your child.