Frequently Asked Questions
At What Age Should I Start My Child in Swim Lessons?
Swimming programs for infants as young as several months of age are widely available in Canada. These programs are designed to introduce young children to water, build water confidence, and teach water safety to parents and guardians.
Studies have shown that children’s earliest mastery of water confidence and basic aquatic locomotive skills is four years of age. By age 5, children can achieve the skills necessary to perform the front crawl.
As per the Canadian Pediatric Society recommendations, Atlantis School of Swim recommends starting your children in formal swimming lessons at four years of age. Parents are encouraged however, to expose their children to water at earlier ages and have children get used to getting their face and eyes wet in the bath tub.
How Long Does it Take to Complete a Level?
A session is 8 classes and each class is 30 minutes long. Although, this is the recommended time frame to complete a level, it is not always possible to do so. Often participants can make incredible progress, yet do not complete all level criteria. We ask that both parents and participants use the level system more as a guideline of progress rather than focusing on passing or failing. It is not uncommon for participants to remain in a level more than once as they work toward skill and stroke mastery. Also, remember that practice and repetition will help participants to master skills more quickly. Often times practice time outside of lesson time is an effective way to master skills more quickly. Also, bear in mind that if a child has been out of swimming for several months, skills can be lost and often have to be re-taught, especially with younger participants.
Should students be taught bilateral breathing?
The answer to this question is yes, you should use bilateral breathing and it should be taught as early as possible. The main reason is that it will balance out your stroke, as well as create symmetry in your back musculature. The problem with breathing to one side only is that it can make your stroke lopsided.
The benefits to breathing nearly as often to one side as the other are that using your "weak" side more frequently will help your stroke overall, and you’ll lose your "blind" side. The way to obtain these benefits is to practice bilateral breathing as much as possible. Breathing every 3 or 5 strokes as part of a drill or warm down is a great way to become more efficient and master bilateral breathing.
