Why is my Swimmer Still in Level 3?
I hear this question fairly often. It’s not just you! Many swimmers stay in Level 3 for a long time. Since swimmers typically move faster through Level 1 and Level 2, we understand the expectation that they graduate Level 3 just as quickly.
What most families don’t know is that this level is really not comparable to the others. Your swimmer is probably not “stuck” in our intermediate level – they’re just swimming against a stronger current.
Tiburon has five swim levels, not including mini-lessons. Level 1 Squids learn how to be safe in the water on their own. Level 2 Minnows learn how to swim full lengths on their front and back, wiggle like dolphins, tread water, and pick up toys from the bottom – everything they need to have the most fun at the pool. Squids and Minnows are beginner swimmers, and they swim for thirty minutes. We call these the lower levels.
Our high level swimmers are the Level 4 dolphins and the Level 5 sharks. These swimmers stay with us for a whole hour in groups of up to five swimmers, like a swim team. Dolphins are working towards proficiency in all four strokes, particularly the breaststroke and butterfly, and learning correct turns so they can be great lap swimmers. Sharks are building even more endurance and learning technical racing starts and turns so they can join the swim team with ease.
Smack dab in the middle we have the Level 3 salmon, who bravely swim upstream. They have the most to learn, and only thirty minutes to practice. We consider this level the “bridge” between lower and higher levels, and it’s not a short bridge – it’s more like the long, precariously placed rope-and-rotting-plank bridge from the first installment of Shrek. It takes time and care to get to the other side.
In the lower levels, swimmers only need to be “good enough.” They have to demonstrate understanding of a skill and be able to “attempt” it. In Level 3, we start demanding more. We start ironing out the kinks, straightening the fingers, pushing the ears down and pulling the shoulders up for properly aligned side-breath. We also introduce two new strokes – butterfly and breaststroke – and teach your swimmers how to dive (we see a lot of belly flops in these classes).
As if all these technical adjustments and novel movement patterns weren’t hard enough, salmon also need to get stronger. To become dolphins, they need to swim multiple full laps of the pool with good technique and without hyperventilating and turning beet red. We need to know that they have what it takes to swim for the whole hour, and like I said – they only have thirty minutes.
There are a few skills that salmon tend to get “stuck” on, because they are trickier to achieve. Some swimmers struggle to move their legs synchronously during a breaststroke kick. Others keep swinging their arms backwards during butterfly pull. Some are terrified to go head first to the bottom, so diving takes a while. Many need time to build the endurance to swim a lap or tread water for a minute. That doesn’t mean that they are floundering in Level 3 any more than they are lagging in elementary school just because they got through Kindergarten and Pre-K faster. There’s simply more to learn!
While we understand your excitement for your swimmer to get to Level 4 – who wouldn’t want to be a dolphin – we would be doing them a disservice by moving them up before they were physically and emotionally ready. Upper levels have higher demands, more swimmers, and less time for individualized instruction from coaches. We need to keep our big fish moving!
If you and your swimmer are highly motivated, our Accelerated Level 3 Clinic (which will be offered by the author starting in the fall) is designed to supercharge your swimmer’s progress from intermediate salmon to swim-team ready dolphin or shark with hour-long classes and a dedicated lane. If you can only make it here one day a week, fear not! Whether your swimmer gets to Level 4 within a few months or after a year, we will make sure that they are ready for a challenging, rewarding, and fun high level class.