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Swim Lessons
Triangle Aquatic Center offers a full range of American Red Cross courses in Swimming and Water Safety. The new American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim classes provide instruction to help swimmers of all ages and abilities develop their swimming and water safety skills. It is designed to give students a positive learning experience. Learn-to-Swim teaches aquatic and safety skills in a logical progression. The objective is to teach people to swim and to be safe in, on and around the water.
For the latest schedules of learn-to-swim and parent-child aquatic classes please download the latest Summer Schedule for morning, afternoon, or Saturday lessons.
Swimmers ready to make the transition from lessons to competitive swimming can now join the new Triangle Torpedoes swim team. Check our Course Schedules and Pricing for cost and times. .
American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Course Descriptions
QUICK LINKS: Parent & Child Aquatics | Learn-to-swim | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4
Level 5 | Triangle Torpedoes | Water Safety | Longfellow's WHALE Tales
American Red Cross Parent and Child Aquatics
Developed for children 6 months to 5 years of age, American Red Cross Parent and Child Aquatics builds swimming readiness by emphasizing fun in the water. Parents and children participate in several guided practice sessions that help children learn elementary skills, including water entry, bubble blowing, front kicking, back floating, underwater exploration and more.
Triangle Aquatic Center offers two levels of parent-child classes. Both levels cover similar material but will have different progression rates.
Parent-Child A: Children 6 mos. - 2 years old. Emphasis is on comfort in the water and the parent learning techniques that encourage child's enjoyment of the water.
Parent-child B: Children 2 yrs. - 5 years old who could benefit from having a parent in the water with them. Emphasis is on comfort in the water and gaining confidence. Once the student can participate in classes without the parent, we recommend enrolling in a preschool group class.
American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim
Our Learn-to-Swim offers something for everybody. A unique five-level instructional approach is unlike anything offered by other aquatic training programs. Plus our instructors are trained and certified by the American Red Cross, so swimmers of all ages and abilities are in good hands.
The prerequisite for each level is the successful demonstration of the skills from the preceding level, except for Level 1, which has no prerequisite. Each level of Learn-to-Swim includes training in basic water safety and helping others in an emergency, in addition to the skills outlined below:
Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills
Purpose: Helps students feel comfortable in the water. Level 1 participants learn to:
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Enter and exit water safely |
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Submerge mouth, nose and eyes |
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Exhale underwater through mouth and nose |
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Open eyes underwater, pick up submerged object |
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Change direction while walking or paddling |
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Roll over from front to back and back to front with support |
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Explore floating on front and back with support |
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Explore swimming on front and back using arm and leg actions with support |
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Use a life jacket |
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Learn-to-Swim Level 1 participants receive a Raffy Learns to Swim full-color booklet that reinforces learning and provides parents with additional information about their child's progress.
Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Purpose: Gives students success with fundamental skills. Level 2 participants learn to:
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Enter water by stepping or jumping from the side |
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Exit water safely using ladder or side |
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Submerge entire head |
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Blow bubbles submerging head in a rhythmic pattern (bobbing) |
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Open eyes underwater, pick up a submerged object in shallow water |
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Float on front and back |
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Perform front and back glide |
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Change direction of travel paddling on front or back |
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Roll over from front to back, back to front |
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Tread water using arm and leg motions (chest-deep water) |
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Swim on front, back, and side using combined arm and leg actions |
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Move in the water while wearing a life jacket |
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Learn-to-Swim Level 2 participants receive a Raffy Learns to Swim full-color booklet that reinforces learning and provides parents with additional information about their child's progress.
Level 3: Stroke Development
Purpose: Builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice. Level 3 participants learn to:
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Jump into deep water from the side |
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Dive from kneeling or standing position |
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Submerge and retrieve an object in chest deep water |
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Bob with the head fully submerged |
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Rotary breathing in horizontal position |
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Perform front and back glide using two different kicks |
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Float on front and back in deep water |
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Change from horizontal to vertical position on front and back |
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Tread water using hand and leg movements |
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Perform front and back crawl |
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Butterfly-kick and body motion |
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Perform the HELP and Huddle position |
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Learn-to-Swim Level 3 participants receive a Waddles in the Deep full-color booklet that reinforces class instruction to help swimmers develop confidence in their strokes and improve other aquatic skills.
Level 4: Stroke Improvement
Purpose: Develops confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills. Level 4 participants learn to:
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Perform a dive from a standing or stride position |
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Swim underwater |
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Perform feet-first surface dive |
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Perform open turns on front and back |
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Tread water using sculling arm motions and with different kicks |
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Swim on side using scissors-like kick |
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Perform compact jump into water from a height while wearing a life jacket |
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Perform the following: |
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Front and back crawl |
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Breaststroke |
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Butterfly |
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Elementary backstroke |
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Learn-to-Swim Level 4 participants receive a Waddles in the Deep full-color booklet that reinforces class instruction to help swimmers develop confidence in their strokes and improve other aquatic skills.
Level 5: Stroke Refinement
Purpose: Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes. Level 5 participants learn to:
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Perform the following: |
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Standing dive |
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Shallow dive, glide two body lengths and begin any front stroke |
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Tuck surface dive |
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Pike surface dive |
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Front flip turn |
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Backstroke flip turn |
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Front and back crawl |
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Butterfly |
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Breaststroke |
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Elementary backstroke |
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Sidestroke |
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Tread water with two different kicks |
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Learn survival swimming |
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Triangle Torpedoes
Purpose: To begin the transition from swim lessons to competitive swimming after completing Level 4 or 5 swim lessons, or to stay in the water after lessons. The Torpedoes will learn to:
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Improve endurance |
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Develop technique |
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Understand swimmers' lingo |
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Follow swimming rules and regulations |
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Practice appropriate stretching and dryland exercises |
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American Red Cross Water Safety Presentations
Designed to help increase safety wherever and whenever water sports are enjoyed, American Red Cross Water Safety Presentations teach easy-to-remember safety tips for pools, spas, waterparks, lakes, rivers, oceans and more. Four presentation options-including Water Safety Today, General Water Safety, Home Pool Safety, and Parent Orientation to Swim Lessons-vary in content and length and are ideal for parents, the general public, youth in grades 4-12 or youth organizations, and people who participate in activities in and around the water, such as camp staff and campers.
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Water Safety Today is a 2-hour presentation that teaches individuals how to recognize, prevent and respond to emergencies in, on and around the water, including pools, spas, waterparks, lakes, rivers, oceans and more. Taught in a meeting room setting, this presentation is ideal for parents, the general public, youth in grades 4-12 or youth organizations, and people who participate in activities in and around the water, such as camp staff and campers. Participants receive the American Red Cross Water Safety Handbook. |
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General Water Safety is a 30-minute presentation that provides individuals with an awareness of the importance of water safety training and key information on being safe in, on and around the water. |
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Home Pool Safety is a 30-minute presentation that provides information for home pool and apartment pool owners on how to keep families, tenants and guests safe in an aquatic environment. |
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Parent Orientation to Swim Lessons is a 30-minute presentation that provides parents with an orientation to American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses. |
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American Red Cross Longfellow's WHALE Tales
American Red Cross Longfellow's WHALE Tales provides easy-to-follow information to help children learn safe behavior in, on and around the water. Taught in a classroom session, WHALE Tales makes water safety fun and easy to learn. Each lesson is reinforced with color posters, worksheets, activities and a video that features Longfellow, the animated whale. Longfellow's WHALE Tales includes eight basic lessons:
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Swim with a buddy in a supervised area |
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Be cool, follow the rule-the reasons behind water safety rules |
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Look before you leap-choose safe places to swim and dive |
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Think so you don't sink-what to do when things go wrong |
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Reach or throw, don't go-safe ways to rescue a swimmer in trouble |
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Don't just pack it, wear your jacket-the importance of wearing a life jacket |
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Cold can kill-knowing the hazards |
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Learn about boating before you go floating |
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