Please note: Practices are devised for groups of children rather than individual instruction.  We provide a swim team experience, not swim lessons… but mostly we are a community! A team goal is for all swimmers to participate in swim meets and the DSSL Championship meet at the end of the season.

Floaties (8 & Under Less Experienced):

1. Have fun!
2. Make sure the swimmers know and are comfortable with one another and with their coaches.
3. Be able to swim the full length of the pool without assistance. Because Floaties generally come in being (a) somewhat able to swim or (b) unable to swim, it is our top priority for them to become comfortable in the water and to swim on their own.
4. Learn freestyle, backstroke, and develop a working knowledge of butterfly and breaststroke.
5. Be comfortable jumping from the blocks.
6. Learn and practice athletic virtues: sportsmanship, being a good teammate, competitive spirit, discipline, resilience, and responsibility.
7. Swim fast!

Swimmies (8 & Under More Experienced):

1. Have fun!
2. Make sure the swimmers know and are comfortable with one another and with their coaches.
3. Have working knowledge of all four strokes and be able to swim at least two legally (freestyle and backstroke). Not all 8 and Unders can swim fly and breast, but it’s important for them to learn the basics. It just takes practice!
4. Be comfortable jumping from blocks and to learn the basics of diving.
5. Build endurance and strength.
6. Learn and practice athletic virtues: sportsmanship, being a good teammate, competitive spirit, discipline, resilience, and responsibility.
7. Swim fast!

Guppies (8 & Under Most Experienced):

1. Have fun!
2. Make sure the swimmers know and are comfortable with one another and with their coaches, and that they aren’t “bored” in practice.
3. Have knowledge of all four strokes and be able to swim at least three legally. Not all 8 and Unders can swim both fly and breast, and that’s OK! But every child should know the basics.
4. Be comfortable jumping and diving from the blocks.
5. Learn and practice athletic virtues: sportsmanship, being a good teammate, competitive spirit, discipline, resilience, and responsibility.
6. Swim fast!

9-10s:

1. Have fun!
2. Make sure the swimmers know and are comfortable with one another, with their coaches, and that they aren’t bored in practice.
3. Increase the knowledge of all strokes and be able to swim all four strokes legally. Some swimmers have a harder time than others with certain strokes, and sometimes it is better to make sure we have three strokes down really well, while still spending some time on stroke development. Either way, whether a swimmer is just starting or has been swimming for years, every swimmer has something new to learn!
4. Be able to dive off the blocks and to be able to perform legal flip-turns, INCLUDING backstroke turns.
5. Learn and practice athletic virtues: sportsmanship, being a good teammate, competitive spirit, discipline, resilience, and responsibility.
6. Swim fast!

11 and older:

1. Have fun!
2. Make sure the swimmers know and are comfortable with one another, with their coaches, and that they are being challenged in practice.
3. Improve competitive swimming technique, dives, flip turns, and overall athletic capabilities. Learning doesn’t stop when you get older!
4. Learn and practice athletic virtues: sportsmanship, being a good teammate, competitive spirit, discipline, resilience, and responsibility.
5. Swim fast!