COACH SYD’S 10 LEVEL WATER BALANCE METHOD
This list is also available at our pools.
A RED LEVEL • NOT SAFE IN THE WATER YET
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES:
1. An awareness of safe entry into pool and staying on steps/pirate ship when told.
2. Tear free while singing “Wheels on the Bus”.
3. Willing and able to kick with flippers using noodle boat, 2 laps.
4. Closed mouth during puffer fish face. Not drinking or coughing out water.
5. Pulling animal stickers off the side.
6. “Twinkle, Twinkle” on back with ears in the water.
7. Willing and able to emotionally swim with more than just one coach.
8. Laying on their backs on the magic carpet mat.
9. Can grip and hold onto the side of the pool for 6 seconds, monkey crawl to steps.
10. During “Humpty Dumpty” they learn forward and into pool on cue.
11. Kicking with gloves and fins, width of pool, while putting face in water.
12. Getting rings on the top step, face submersion, kicking to get rings.
13. Spiderman rope with face in or out of the water.
14. Jumps from steps on cue with face in, kicking to coach, 3 feet, no flippers.
15. Swim around the volcano on steps with fins.
16. Sit on steps or pirate ship during breaks and not jump/swim off.
B YELLOW LEVEL • CAUTIOUS, BUT COMFORTABLE IN THE WATER
Can sign up for Ocean Safety/Wave Play Class
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES:
1. Familiar and comfortable being in the water and face getting wet.
2. Spiderman rope, hand over hand, lifting head, taking breath and putting head back
in the water.
3. Can swim to side, reach the wall, and crab walk back to the step.
4. Can swim “Around the Volcano” on the steps without fins.
5. Unassisted kicks with crocodile arms to and from the steps.
6. Assisted float on back with coach lightly supporting neck.
7. Beginning pizza/frog arms to and from steps.
8. Can confidently grab rings off second step with face in water.
9. Assisted roll from stomach to back.
10. Can lift head out of water for at least a "pretend" breath, with fins going to steps, 3ft.
11. Back float with breathing gloves, fins and kicks, width of pool.
12. Breathing gloves kick with fins lifting head up for breaths.
C GREEN LEVEL • POOL SAFE WITH SUPERVISION WHEN COMPLETED
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES:
1. Swim around volcano, no fins, at the side of the pool.
2. Crocodile arms to move across the width of the pool, 1-2 breaths.
3. Can pull themselves out of the pool onto the side of the deck—elbow, elbow, tummy, knee.
4. Unassisted roll from front to back, float and breath.
5. Kick on back with breathing gloves, 2 lengths of pool with fins.
6. Back blast off and twirl to stomach.
7. Pizza/frog arms, with 2 breaths, to and from steps.
8. Jump off side of the pool, turn around and swim back to the wall.
9. Front dolphin kicking to propel through the water for width of pool with fins.
Chest, Stomach, Legs.
10. Streamline kicking on front.
11. Frog kick with gloves to and from steps.
12. Backstroke arms and legs width of pool, flippers if needed.
13. Willing and able to swim width of pool without goggles, breaststroke and freestyle.
14. Can swim the width of the pool with water flooded in goggles 3 times.
15. Get toys with assistance from bottom in shallow end using legs to push off of bottom
to the surface.
D ORANGE LEVEL • CAN SIGN UP FOR SURF LESSONS
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES:
1. Breathes with pizza arms and frog legs the length of the pool.
2. Can climb out of the pool in the deep end without assistance.
3. Freestyle arms, kicks and side breaths/rollover- 1 lap, no fins.
4. Sculling arms on back width of pool.
5. Backstroke start with streamline, width of pool.
6. Frog kick with gloves the width of the pool.
7. Floating on back for 15 seconds.
8. 8 bobs in shallow end- go down and push off bottom to come up.
9. Tread water, 8 seconds.
10. Unassisted jumping into deep water, tread 5 seconds and propelling to the side.
11. Seated dive.
12. Knee dive from side of the pool.
13. Ball dives (teacher holds ball and hands of swimmer during entry).
14. 3 kick dolphin, 1 butterfly arm drill for 1 lap.
15. Backstroke swim, 1 lap.
16. Proper streamline with push off the wall- one hand holds the lip of pool, other hand
points direction going. Feet on wall, push off and streamline freestyle.
17. Freestyle swim making sure hands never end up both at their side. Windmill style.
18. Jump into pool with no goggles and get back to the side.
19. Can do a summersault with teacher assistance. Can hold nose if needed.
E BLUE LEVEL • CAN TRY OUT FOR SWIM TEAM AT LINCOLN MIDDLE SCHOOL
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES
1. Able to roll/twirl from front to back unassisted, 1 lap.
2. Treading water, 30 seconds.
3. 1 lap 6, 6 Freestyle without fins.
4. Freestyle breathing both sides, bilateral technique- every 3 strokes.
5. Backstroke arms roll/rotation- 1 lap without both arms ending at the legs, need
windmill action with arms.
6. Two pull, one kick breaststroke drill.
7. Competitive legal butterfly stroke- feet must stay together.
8. Getting rings from deep end with flippers.
9. Elementary backstroke (Chicken, Airplane, Rocket) 1 lap.
10. 2 lap windshield wipers/sculling on front.
11. 1 lap streamline kicking on back with fins.
12. 1 lap kicking dolphin on back with fins.
13. Unassisted summersault, no fins, no nose holding.
14. 10 Bobs in deep end, go 1/2 way towards bottom.
15. 1 lap underwater dolphin kick with fins, only 1-3 breath breaths.
16. 2 hand finish on breaststroke and butterfly.
F PURPLE LEVEL • CAN TRY OUT FOR A SWIM TEAM ANYWHERE WHEN COMPLETED
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES
1. 2 hand touch with streamline turns- fly/fly, fly/back, breast/breast, breast/free
for the width of pool.
2. Bilateral breathing, every 3 strokes, freestyle.
3. Treading water for 60 seconds.
4. Backstroke technique, rolling shoulders and arms straight, never both by their side
at the same time.
5. Breaststroke one pull, one kick drill, hands not past chin.
6. Breaststroke arms with dolphin kicks.
7. Back float 1 minute.
8. Streamline dive.
9. 1 lap no breathing kicking with fins underwater.
10. Tumble/flip turn with arms in streamline position.
11. 1 lap dolphin kick underwater on back with streamline arms with flippers.
Breathes as needed.
12. Getting rings from bottom in deep end with flippers.
13. Backstroke into wall tumble turn and push off.
14. Swim backstroke with feet not hanging below hip level.
15. Swim freestyle without feet hanging below hips.
G BROWN LEVEL • SURVIVOR READY
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES
1. Freestyle technique side breathing two laps.
2. Backstroke technique 2 laps.
3. 2 laps breaststroke breathing technique, 2 hand touches and finish, hands not pulling
past chin/chest.
4. 2 butterfly legal laps, 2 hand touch and turn.
5. Tumble turn starting at the wall arms in streamline position then push off on back while
kicking and rotating onto side and then to stomach in streamline position.
6. Getting rings off the bottom in deep end with 1 fin.
7. 1 lap underwater frog stroke with 2 breaths.
8. Getting red heavy balls from deep end with fins.
9. Treading water 1 minute without fins.
10. Treading water 15 seconds, hands up, no fins.
11. Treading water arms only, 30 seconds.
12. Pretend to have a cramp in their calf. They must rub it, breathe and make it to the end
of the pool (self rescue).
13. Self rescue, fully clothed with shoes and no goggles- 1 lap, twice.
14. Understands how to spot a rip current in the ocean and explain how to get back to safety
by swimming parallel to the beach, then in.
H BLACK LEVEL • SPECIAL OPS TOUGH
CHILD UNDERSTAND AND DEMONSTRATES
1. Freestyle technique for 3 laps without stopping, tumble turns with streamlines off each wall.
2. Backstroke technique 3 laps with tumble turns.
3. Breaststroke technique, underwater pull down when they kick off each wall, 3 laps.
4. Butterfly 2 laps.
5. Treading water, 2 minutes.
6. Get rings from bottom of deep end without flippers.
7. 1 lap underwater frog stroke with 1 breath.
8. Getting red heavy ball from bottom of deep end without fins.
9. Individual Medley- 2 laps each stroke with legal turns.
10. Kicking with head up and hands clasped behind back, 2 times.
11. Kicking on back with hands together out of the water pointing skyward - 2 laps.
12. Tread water with hands out of water - 2 laps.
I WHITE • WHITE WATER READY
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES
1. Freestyle technique 4 laps with flips
2. Backstroke technique 4 laps with flips
3. Butterfly, 1 lap swim with backstroke turn
4. Breaststroke technique 4 laps.
5. Butterfly technique 3 laps.
6. Individual Medley 4 laps in Order- fly, back, breast, free. Legal touches and finish.
7. Treading water 2:30 seconds.
8. 1 lap underwater frog stroke, no breath.
9. 1 lap underwater dolphin kicks with fins, no breaths.
10. 2 laps kicking on back with red ball on chest, no fins.
11. 4 laps with one underwater pull and kick on breaststroke on push off and dives.
12. 3 laps head out of the water freestyle pushing a ball between the arms (water polo style).
13. 2 laps feet first sculling.
14. Treading water with clothes on, 1 minute.
J GOLD LEVEL • SURVIVOR READY
CHILD UNDERSTANDS AND DEMONSTRATES
1. Freestyle technique side breathing two laps.
2. Backstroke technique 2 laps.
3. 2 laps breaststroke breathing technique, 2 hand touches and finish, hands not pulling
past chin/chest.
4. 2 butterfly legal laps, 2 hand touch and turn.
5. Tumble turn starting at the wall arms in streamline position then push off on back while
kicking and rotating onto side and then to stomach in streamline position.
6. Getting rings off the bottom in deep end with 1 fin.
7. 1 lap underwater frog stroke with 2 breaths.
8. Getting red heavy balls from deep end with fins.
9. Treading water 1 minute without fins.
10. Treading water 15 seconds, hands up, no fins.
11. Treading water arms only, 30 seconds.
12. Pretend to have a cramp in their calf. They must rub it, breathe and make it to the end of
the pool (self rescue).
13. Self rescue, fully clothed with shoes and no goggles- 1 lap, twice.
14. Understands how to spot a rip current in the ocean and explain how to get back to safety
by swimming parallel to the beach, then in.