Swimming Lessons in New York City with SwimJim

SwimJim:
SwimJim is a leading swim school in New York City for kids & adults. The teachers of SwimJim are the most recognized swimming instructors in New York. We have developed an ordered, methodical approach to teaching swimming skills and to cultivate water competency. We believe the success with which our students navigate in the water proves the program’s effectiveness.

GOLD MEDALIST
Prerequisite: 8 years old and older/Enrollment by instructor invitation only/One-hour class
Skills Attained:
Making all strokes stronger, faster, and more efficient
Learn wall work, turns, and starts
Children are now proficient in freestyle and backstroke and skilled in breaststroke and butterfly. They are learning how to refine their body positioning to improve hydrodynamic states. Children learn how to effectively incorporate their arms, utilizing the momentum of the stroke to its maximum. With the emphasis of our program being centered on the core body, skills and drills are still practiced to strengthen the abdominal wall. Proper starts, wall work, turns and finishes are practiced. Endurance is gained. This is a one-hour class with a 15 to 2 student/teacher ratio.

SwimJim SEMI-PRIVATES
Designed for two swimming friends or two siblings, SwimJim offers semi-private lessons that bridge private and group interaction. This is our program for children whose parents feel that they need more individual attention before they can succeed in a group setting.

SwimJim PRIVATES
For children who need individual attention to achieve success, SwimJim is pleased to offer private lessons with our talented staff. Privates are designed to develop strong competency in the water and transition the student to the group class environment.

BEGINNING ADULTS
This is the introduction to the water and the joy of swimming. Students in this program are gaining comfort in the water while learning body control. The instructors are teaching the student horizontal balance via the water's surface in the prone (front) and supine (back) position. This strengthens the core body and teaches proper spinal alignment for front and back floatation and proper stroke efficiency. Students begin to learn negative buoyancy, submersions, as well as propulsion. They gain ground on proper breath control and water safety. This is a one-hour class.

INTERMEDIATE ADULTS
The swimmers practice vertical balance with positive buoyancy, improving breath control and expanding their subconscious awareness of water movement. Students begin to develop a greater ability to utilize core body strength in association with their arms and stroke. The swimmer will work on putting all the pieces together for freestyle, backstroke and elementary backstroke, which entails perfecting arms, breathing and stroke timing. Skills to assist in developing butterfly and breaststroke are implemented in this program, including body dolphin and somersaults. The student is also improving skills in negative buoyancy, which leads to better underwater swimming in starts and turns. This is a one-hour class.

Swim Programs:
We offer group lessons beginning with infants 6 months of age with progressive levels to pre-competitive stages. For kids with special needs or for those students who want some extra attention with a friend or sibling, SwimJim offer Privates and Semi-Privates cultivated to individual needs.

Below are descriptions of our classes. Click on the age ranges below for the classes that would likely be best for your child. Remember however that each child is different and we care more about existing skills and experience than age.

SWIMFANTS
Prerequisite: 6 to 15 months old and caregiver works with the infant in the water
Skills Attained:
Familiarity with the water
Beginning breath control
Begin submersions and back-floating
This class is the introduction to the aquatic environment. Through exploration and age-appropriate games the child learns about water pressure and beginning breath control. This fun, structured class facilitates the learning process through movement, sound and tactile stimulation. The student/teacher ratio is 6 to 1.

SWIMBABIES
Prerequisite: 16 months to 3 years old and caregiver works with the infant in the water
Skills Attained:
Develop controlled breathing
Build upon floating and horizontal balance
Awareness of water safety skills
Through happy songs and fun games, the SwimBabies learn socialization skills, water safety, gross motor skills, peer motivation and self-esteem. The student begins exploring breath control, balance and buoyancy. The student/teacher ratio is 6 to 1.

SWIMTOTS
Prerequisite: 3 years old and younger, and will work without caregiver in the water. Children must have completed SwimBabies or a similar program
Skills Attained:
Impart swim safety
Practice breath control
Build upon floating and horizontal balance
Begin locomotion and propulsion
Teaching the child swimming safety is the primary goal of this class. They learn positive buoyancy and breath control to achieve comfort in the aquatic environment. The child learns to navigate through the water using elementary locomotion and propulsion. We are teaching the children the necessary skills to progress to SwimJimmers. The student/teacher ratio is 4 to 1.

SWIMKIDS
Prerequisite: 3 years old and older; This is an introduction course for beginners who did NOT participate in the SwimTots class
Skills Attained:
Practice horizontal floatation on front and back
Control of breath in association with body movements
Learn correct hydrodynamic swimming posture
Refine gross motor skills
Begin submersions
Children in this program are gaining comfort in the water while learning body and breath control. The instructors are teaching the children horizontal balance via the water's surface in the prone (front) and supine (back) position. This strengthens the child's core body and teaches proper spinal alignment. These preparatory skills are an introduction for proper stroke efficiency. Students begin to learn negative buoyancy via submersions and knee dives. The student/teacher ratio is 4 to 1.

SWIMJIMMERS
Prerequisite: Students have already acquired skills with SwimJim through SwimTots or SwimKids. If they are joining from another swimming program they must have proper front and back floats
Skills Attained:
Streamline for efficiency in front and back floatation
Gain core body strength
Begin arm strokes and proper kicking technique
The swimmer is able to float and balance in the horizontal/supine position in order to learn proper locomotion and propulsion. They learn to manipulate and utilize specific muscle groups through the abdominal wall to gain strength and better rotation around the spine, preparing them for proper arm extension through their stroke. Students also begin to learn the kick for freestyle/backstroke and elementary backstroke/breaststroke. The student/teacher ratio is 4 to 1.

SWIMSTARS
Prerequisite: Students must have completed the SwimJimmers class; or have the necessary skills equal to SwimJimmers
Skills Attained:
Hone independence in the water
Improve awareness in the water and of the way the water works
Begin underwater swimming
Develop freestyle, backstroke, elementary backstroke
Introduce butterfly
The swimmers practice vertical balance with positive buoyancy, improving breath control and expanding their subconscious awareness of water movement, an EXCELLENT way to gain stroke efficiency! Children begin to develop a greater ability to utilize core body strength in association with their arms and stroke. SwimStars work on putting all the pieces together for freestyle, backstroke and elementary backstroke. This process entails perfecting arms, breathing, and stroke timing in association with head and body rotation. Skills to develop butterfly and breaststroke are implemented in this program, including body dolphin and a focus on somersaults. Children are also improving skills in negative buoyancy, which leads to better underwater swimming in starts and turns. The student/teacher ratio is 4 to 1.

SWIMMERS
Prerequisite: Students who have completed the SwimStars class or have the necessary skills equal to SwimStars
Skills Attained:
Advances in emotional and physical development
Learn spatial awareness
Perfect freestyle and backstroke while working further on butterfly
Introduce breaststroke
This program is an extension of SwimStars in that students continue to gain strength but are not quite ready to advance to SwimWinners. Swimmers continue to develop an understanding of how to utilize the water for proper stroke technique. Swimmers students perfect freestyle and backstroke. Expanding the child's subconscious awareness of the aquatic environment is THE emphasis of this course. Children will improve comfort, efficiency and develop spatial awareness in the water. They are now learning how to manipulate their "center of buoyancy" (i.e. lungs) in accordance with their core body strength for propulsion in breaststroke, underwater dolphin kick, and butterfly. Arm strokes and gross motor skills become more efficient. Dives and streamlines are refined. 6 to 1 student/teacher ratio.

SWIMWINNERS
Prerequisite: 6 years old and older and are able to participate in the full One-hour class. Students must have completed the Swimmers class or have the necessary skills equal to a Swimmer
Skills Attained:
Strengthening the technique of all four competitive strokes
Cultivate proper dives and turns
Students six years and older learn breaststroke and refine all competitive strokes. Swimmers apply and coordinate balance, buoyancy, and body position to improve efficiency and hydrodynamics. Through continued emphasis on strengthening the core body, children gain the benefits of improved posture on land and in the water. Connecting arm propulsion to core body strength is highlighted. Proper dives and turns are practiced. This is a one-hour class with a 15 to 2 student/teacher ratio.

ADVANCED ADULTS
This class is designed for the competent swimmer who needs to learn breaststroke, butterfly, and refine all competitive strokes. Swimmers apply and coordinate balance, buoyancy and body position to improve efficiency and hydrodynamics. Through continued emphasis on strengthening the core body, swimmers are gaining the benefits of improved posture on land and in the water. Connecting arm propulsion to core body strength is emphasized. Proper dives and turns are practiced. This is a one-hour class