Swimming (ASA Stages 1 - 10)

[Fluffymonster]

Both dcs (4 and 6) have recently stated swim lessons.

Stages 1-7 seem to be the learn to swim part, with Stages 8-10 more specialising in strokes. So would you say they're competent swimmers by Stage 7 and the rest is optional i.e. for those who wish to take it up as a sport rather than just as a life skill?

Assuming they go once a week, (with the odd family swim on top) how long would you expect it to take, for an average child to progress to Stage 7, or could could it go on for years to come?

Thanks!

[sirfredfredgeorge]

They don't pass stage 4 until they can swim at least length in all 4 main strokes with good technique. Her friend at a different swim school got stage 4 with a 10 m cert !!

I assume DD's school is similar to your first in that stage 4 is the last of the widths based lessons and now she's working towards 5 it's lots of lengths in all the strokes. She's never done any sort of distance badge though, which makes sense to me - what is actually the point of a distance badge/cert when like you say they're doing a 200m warm up by stage 6?

Is not doing any sort of distance awards common?

[ScaredPAD]

One of my girls does an 8 length warm up but that started stage 7

Different school and other child is *starting lengths stage 6. Impeccable technique but so far only demonstrated in widths....

[Didiplanthis]

My dd is in level 6 and they do an 8 length warm up at the start of the lesson. They don't pass stage 4 until they can swim at least length in all 4 main strokes with good technique. Her friend at a different swim school got stage 4 with a 10 m cert !!

[ScaredPAD]

Just coming back to this thread as wondering about myg kids swim levels and it just goes to show how different swim schools are!!

Some have them swimming lengths stage 4 and some wait until stage 6...

[Chilver]

Depends on your pool/ teacher. My DD was kept at Stage 3 for nearly 3 years (!!!!) because she was a pre-schooler and then still 'small' in Reception! Finally they had to move her in near the end of Reception when I pointed out that she was being used as the demonstration model more often than not.... now in Stage 4 and doing lengths of the big pool, I think she'll be in this stage until Christmas. Admittedly she does only reach the elbow height of her older fellow classmates when they're standing but she is a good technical little swimmer - dynamite comes in small packages!

[Vicx444]

My youngest has just passed stage 5, she’s age 5.4, it’s taken 8 long sodding months because of her size, basically.
Stage 1-4 she flew through. She swam a mile (64 lengths) at age 4 though and just seems quite natural in the water.
Here’s hoping stage 6 doesn’t take so long!

[Tabya876]

My DD turned 6 three months ago and has just (2 days ago) passed Stage 5. She has been swimming since she was 4.5 and swims twice a week for 30 minutes.

My DS is 3 but almost 4 years old and started swimming lessons almost one year ago. He also swims twice a week (since beginning of this term) and has just passed Stage 2.

They swim at my daughter's school which has exceptionally high standards so are not rushed along - 1 grading a year currently. Both have been invited to train (non competitively) for the Town one day a week starting in September.

I think they are doing well but we know children that swim a lot better than my daughter at the same age. I hope this helps.

[jamesonx]

My daughter is eight in August and has recently passed stage 6. The way we achieved this was initially 20 minutes session every week i.e. regularly (from an early age)moving on to an hour maximum. The approach I took up until she was roughly four and a half was to get the staff at the swimming pool to witness her swimming lengths. In this way you could purchase distance awards up until 400m but when she swam 32 lengths (at circa that age; which took her an hour the staff weren't watching (or prepared to watch) [I can only do four lengths myself]. Of course this was freestyle in the sense she was at an angle rather than flat on the surface but she did not touch the bottom of the pool at any point including at the end of the 25m lengths. At this time she had an assessment and entered at ASA stage four into lessons {after a pool assessment}. her last long swim was 43 lengths,in less than an hour but she rarely swims a lot of lengths preferring to have fun. I think stage 7 is probably far enough to go before she starts middle school!

[lunar1]

Just saw that this thread had been bumped up. If anyone is still looking at time scales, ds1 was almost 5 when this thread started and in stage 4. He is now in stage 8 (competitive swimming) 18 months later at 6. There are 2 other. Six year olds in the group of 30 children. But the group covers stage 8, 9&10. The age range goes up to 13.

[Fathertedismyuncle]

My ds is 4 and in reception. He has recently started ASA lessons. Having put my two elder dc through the same system starting at 3 I will not start the younger ones that early. We swim regularly as a family and can "teach" them water confidence and swimming basics without the stress of a formalised lesson (and the money).

[LIZS]

Depends, is she water confident ? The early stages used to be Ducklings etc which were more about water confidence and safety than swimming strokes or distance.

[Secret33]

Starting Swimming lessons. Would you have your three year old start learning to swim in stages lessons? ASA! Advice please

[QuintessentialOldDear]

Ds1 (11) and ds2 (8) started lessons just before Christmas 2011, so have been swimming for one term shy of two years.

Ds1 is now Level 6 and ds2 is level 5. They were assessed before starting, and ds1 started at level 3 (he could float and swim breast strokes already), and ds2 at level 1. Ds1s progress have been faster, but ds2s strokes are more refined.

[shebird]

It depends how confident they are in the water to begin with and what age they starting from. The average age for level 7 at DDs swimming classes is about 8 or 9. I found that how quick they move up also varies between teachers and pools. DD has friends who to moved up levels really quick while swimming widths in a shallow pool as opposed to lengths of a 25m pool.

[Fraxinus]

Ps, I think they make much faster progress if you take them for regular practise, not just the odd family swim, when they just play.

[Fraxinus]

I think going in the deep pool can be really helpful for learners. Once you are past the initial stages, it does kids no favours to be able to touch the bottom, but in our pool they only move into the big pool at level 5.

I think my kids have made quite steady progress.. Level 5 in 2 years. I think if they had had individual lessons, or consistently good teaching, they would have progressed faster, but I feel they are both doing well, and having the lessons in the local pool is a massive advantage as I don't have a car.

[manchestermummy]

DD1 (5.10) has just passed level 3. It's been a very long journey (she was water phobic for a start and the classes were very badly run for a while. Things are millions times better now) and it's taking a long time to progress (or so it seems from this thread!). Having said that, she seems to be picking up new stuff quite quickly and crucially, is confident now. She's one of two 5-year-olds in a class of 7/8 year-olds. Even though she's just got level 3, they've been doing level 4 stuff in lessons to, and their teacher pushes them: for level 3 they need to swim say 5m of a certain stroke or whatever: teacher got them to jump in at the deep end of the deep pool and see how far they got!

The teachers at this pool in general seem very keen on solid technique, so yes, it takes a while to do a badge, but by the time they do, they actually have the skill, rather than just doing enough for the badge, iykwim.

[JemimaMuddledUp]

Mine have done most of their stages as intensive one week courses during the holidays. Which means that they got quite a bit of practise in in between holidays as they swim weekly with school.

DS1 skipped Stage 3 as although that was technically the next level the teacher decided he was ready for Stage 4. It took him two weeks to pass Stage 4 though.

However the stages involve more than just distance, they have to tick off all of the different skills. Both DS1 and DS2 could swim 25m before they passed Stage 2, DD is now on Stage 4 and can only swim 10m confidently. She is better at the skills and actually listening to instructions though.

[lunar1]

Yes, we'll I am anyway. The asa ones I think.

[Fraxinus]

Are you lot all talking about the kellogs national plan for swimming stages?

[lunar1]

Ds1 is in stage 4 and is doing one more term I this group then moving up, he will have done 3 terms at this level. He was borderline for moving up this time but just needs to get his arms and legs in time with butterfly.

She mainly kept him back as he is still only 4. She uses slightly different criteria between stages 3-5 for the older ones and the younger ones. she said he has already met quite a few of the criteria for 5.

I will keep sending My boys throughout primary school as I want them to be strong swimmers and do their lifesavers awards. I am scared of the water, I can swim and I don't show them any fear. I want them to stand a chance if they ever fall in water. I also think its a brilliant way to stay fit without too much impact on growing joints.

[lljkk]

I'm surprised she can find anyone to compete with at 7, local clubs don't have any events for under 8s.
Thinking that mine have managed, starting lessons at 5.5yo, to progress about 1 stage/9 months on average. but huge variation, so fast thru stages 1-3, very slow thru stages 4-6, fast progression again from stage 7+.

[ReallyTired]

My neice has passed stage 8 at the age of seven, but she is an exceptionally gifted swimmer and swims competitively.

I think that the level that a child has to be at depends on the swimming pool.

[TheOneWithTheHair]

Is it possible to skip a stage? Ds2 has done stage 1 but now can swim about 20 metres front and back. Do they have to go through each one? I've no idea what else is involved other than distance.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

It's not unusal to surger forward and then plateau. DD started swimming classes just before she was 4. She completed level 10 at 6 years. Some terms she completed up to 4 levels some terms none. Sadly she had no desire to swim competitively (though she could) so the pool is only un now.