Aquatics - YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
Aquatics
Making Every Lap
Count
Learn to swim, join a class, train for a team, or just enjoy the water with our aquatics programs—designed to help you move with more skill, more strength, and
more confidence.
What We Offer
Parent & Child Lessons
Parents jump in alongside their children as they kick, float, and explore the water—developing basic safety skills and having fun.
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Preschool Lessons
From opening their eyes underwater to practicing strokes, preschoolers build confidence with every lesson.
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School-Age Children Lessons
Elementary-age kids learn technique, coordination, and control in the pool—mastering basic water safety to competitive strokes.
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Teen Lessons
Whether it’s beginner classes or swim team preparation, teens of all levels build confidence in the water, and leave stronger swimmers.
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Adult Lessons
Adults jump in to learn new skills, revisit the basics, or train for swim teams and water sports in our supportive group classes.
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Private Lessons
In private lessons, you focus on what matters most to you, whether that’s improving your stroke or just feeling more at home in the water.
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Open Swim
This is your time to make the pool your own—whether that means focused laps, carefree splashing, or something in between.
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Water Aerobics & Activities
Adults of all ages and fitness levels step into the pool for a workout that feels more like fun with our water exercise classes—a great, low-impact way to stay active and build a healthy routine.
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Safety Around Water
Our Safety Around Water program is a specifically designed course to teach skills and knowledge about water safety and being safe around water. This includes drowning prevention, floating techniques, and mindful practices when around bodies of water to keep you and others safe.
How Our Lessons Work
What You’ll Learn
At Each Level
Our swim lessons follow the same core progression, no matter your age or stage. Here’s how swimmers advance through our skill-based levels.
Get used to going underwater and practice basic self-rescue skills with help from an instructor.
Skills Needed to Start:
No experience needed! This is great for kids ready to learn how to go underwater on their own.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Bobbing beneath the water
Gliding on front and back for 5 feet with no help
Floating on front and back for 10 seconds with help
Rolling from back to front and front to back with help
Jumping in, pushing, turning, and grabbing the wall with help
Swimming, floating, and swimming again for 10 feet with help
Exiting the pool safely
Kids learn how to move through the water with more confidence—working on body position, moving forward, and changing direction.
Skills Needed to Start:
Go underwater and open their eyes without goggles
Float on their front and back without much support
Jump in, go underwater, and return to the wall with help
This level is for kids who still need support to float on their own.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Going underwater to retrieve an object
Gliding on front and back for 5 feet
Floating on front and back for 10 seconds
Rolling from back to front and front to back
Jumping in, turning, and grabbing the wall
Swimming, floating, and swimming again for 5 yards
Treading water near the wall for 10 seconds
Exiting the pool safely
Start swimming to safety from a farther distance—learning how to breathe and coordinate their strokes.
Skills Needed to Start:
Float on their front and back without help
Push off the wall and swim 10 feet with their face in the water without help
Swim, float, swim for 15 feet without help
Jump into deep water and return to the wall on their own
This class is for kids who are ready to learn to swim 10-15 yards on their front and back.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Retrieving an object in chest-deep water
Swimming on front and back for 10 yards
Rolling from back to front and front to back
Jumping in, turning, and swimming to the wall for 10 yards
Swimming, floating, and swimming again for 15 yards
Treading water for 30 seconds
Exiting the pool safely
Start putting it all together—adding new safety skills and learning the basics of strokes like front crawl and backstroke.
Skills Needed to Start:
Submerge and retrieve an object in chest-deep water
Swim front crawl for 15 yards while taking a breath
Swim, float, swim for 15 yards
Jump in and tread water for 30 seconds
Swim to the wall and exit safely
This class is for kids who are ready to learn to swim 15 yards of front and back crawl.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Front crawl with rotary breathing for 15 yards
Breaststroke kick for 15 yards
Butterfly kick for 15 yards
Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
Diving from a sitting position
Treading water for one minute using scissor and whip kicks
Swimming 25 yards using any combination of strokes
Work on technique and learn all major competitive swimming strokes.
Skills Needed to Start:
Front crawl and back crawl 25 yards
Swim breaststroke kick and dolphin kick 15 yards
Tread water using multiple kicks for 1 minute
This class is for kids ready to learn to swim the front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Front crawl with bent-arm recovery for 25 yards
Breaststroke for 25 yards
Butterfly with coordinated arms and kicks for 15 yards
Back crawl for 25 yards
Sidestroke for 25 yards
Diving from a kneeling position
Treading water for 2 minutes using a scissor and whip kick
Swimming any combination of strokes for 50 yards
Sharpen technique across all major strokes, learn about competitive swimming, and discover how swimming can be part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
Skills Needed to Start:
Swim the front crawl with bent-arm recovery for 25 yards
Swim back crawl with stroke rotation for 25 yards
Swim butterfly with over arm recovery
Swim breaststroke for 25 yards achieving stroke rhythm
Dive from kneeling position
This class is for kids ready to learn to swim the front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke across the pool and back.
Skills We’ll Practice:
Front crawl for 50 yards with a flip turn
Breaststroke for 50 yards with an open turn
Butterfly for 25 yards
Back crawl for 25 yards with a flip turn
Sidestroke or elementary backstroke for 50 yards
Diving from a standing position
Swimming 150 yards using any combination of strokes
Swimming 50 yards using any combination of strokes
Build endurance and sharpen the skills needed to prepare for competitive swim teams.
Skills Needed to Start:
Swim the front crawl for 50 yards and do a flip turn
Breaststroke for 50 yards and do an open turn
Butterfly for 25 yards
Back crawl for 25 yards and do a flip turn
Sidestroke or elementary backstroke for 50 yards
Dive from a standing position
Swim any combination of strokes for 150 yards
Skills We’ll Practice:
Swimming any combination of strokes for more than 150 yards
Sharpening technique for all strokes
Water polo
Starts and flip turns
Dives
Not sure which level is the right fit? Use our Swim Lesson Selector (
Spanish
) or
contact the Aquatics Director at your local center and they’ll point you in the right direction.
Join the Community
People Team Holiday Support
From December 22, 2025 through January 2, 2026, the People Team will continue to provide support each business day on a reduced schedule. While response times may be slightly longer than usual, coverage will be in place to support urgent needs.  Please
click here
for the People Team holiday schedule.