Avila Bay Athletic Club Swim Lessons

 Swim Lesson Philosophy

We believe that there are 3 stages of learning to swim:  1) comfort in the water  2) water safety 3) coordinated swimming.  We also believe that learning to swim should be fun; success for us is when our students are excited to come to class and they look forward to the joy of being in a pool, regardless of what stage they are at. We also believe that the relationship between the instructor and the student is critical to the student's success. This is why we never have more than two swimmers per instructor at any time.  It ensures that each student gets plenty of personalized attention and that the instructor gets to know the unique abilities and challenges for each student.

Sign Up For Lessons

To sign up for swim lessons, simply do the following:

  1. Read our Swim Lesson Policies which provide information about cancellations and rescheduling.
  2. E-mail or call the Aquatics Director at 805-595-7600 x111 and provide your child's name, age, current swimming ability (see chart below for descriptions), and best days and times for lessons.
  3. If you are a non-member who has not been to the club before, click here to create an account on our system. It will have you fill out a guest waiver (be sure to list all of your childrens' names), and provide a credit card for payment. Your card will not be charged until you have a schedule confirmed with an instructor.  If you would like to pay with cash or check, please let the Aquatics Director know and we will make arrangements for you to do so.

Swim Lesson Rates

We have two beautiful pools available for lessons.  Our smaller family pool is kept at a toasty 87 degrees year-round so your little ones will learn to swim in a comfortable environment without getting too cold.  For more advanced swimmers, we also teach lessons in our 25-yard lap pool.  All of our lessons are 30 minutes long.

Private Lessons

Offered to members and non-members.  Your child will receive one-on-one attention from an instructor at any schedule that works for you.  With private lessons, you have the same instructor throughout your entire lesson experience, and you have the flexibility to change or modify class days as you like.  Private lessons are offered year round at any time the club is open.

  Member Rate*
 Non-Member Rate
 Single Lesson
 $46 $61
 5-Pack $195 $270
 10-Pack $340 $490

 Prices effective February 1, 2024

Semi-Private Lessons

Offered to members and non-members.  Two children maximum are paired with a single instructor, and both children must be present for the lesson.  Since both children must be preset for all semi-private lessons, we strongly suggest that participants are relatives or close friends with similar schedules.  Semi-private lessons are also offered year-round, and are available at whatever schedule best fits your needs.  In order to ensure a safe experience for participants, semi-private lessons are offered only to children over 4-years old.

 Member Rate*
 Non-Member Rate
 Single Lesson
 $37/child $52/child
 5-Pack $150/child $225/child
 10-Pack $250/child $400/child

Prices Effective February 1, 2024


*NOTE: Children must have their own membership in order to qualify for member rates.  Please see our swim lesson policies here.

2023 SUMMER GROUP LESSONS!

Our Summer Group Lesson program is ready for sign-ups!  Even our group lessons never have more than 2 children which ensures your child gets plenty of individual attention and care. Your child will get four lessons on Monday throughThursdays.  Our instructors take the time at the beginning of each session to find out your child's unique abilities and goals, and they help your child improve their skills.   Group Lessons are appropriate for children aged 4 years and older.   We will do our best to pair your child with another child of a similar age group and level.  Since we keep our lessons small and spots are limited, we may need to pair your child with another child at a slightly different level from time to time.  In this case, the instructor will split the lesson into two 15-minute private lessons with each child to ensure that each child gets dedicated focus at the correct skill level.

2023 Session Dates

Monday - Thursday starting June 12 and ending August 10, 2023.

No lessons week of July 3-6

Available Time Slots

MORNING
 EVENINGS
9:00 - 9:30
5:00 - 5:30
9:30 - 10:00
5:30 - 6:00
10:00 - 10:30
6:00 - 6:30

10:30 - 11:00

6:30 - 7:00
 11:00 - 11:30
 

Each week of the Summer Group Lessons is $98/student for members and $138/student for non-members per session.  The session includes four thirty-minute lessons on Monday-Thursday each week.  Please note that group lessons are sold as a 4-lesson package and unfortunately we are unable to offer make-ups for missed classes.  Students must have their own club membership in order to qualify for member rates.   

To sign up for summer group lessons, please e-mail our Aquatics Director with the following information:

  1. Your child's name, age, and level (see below)
  2. Your desired week(s)
  3. Preference of morning or evening time slot

Levels

Levels are meant as general guidelines only. Participants may be able to complete various parts of different levels depending on their particular skills or comfort level in the water.  Instructors always evaluate students on the first day to determine proper lesson focus.   

 Level Description Learning Goals
 1

Beginning lesson experience, timid in the water, hesitant to put face in or leave steps. May be uncomfortable being away from mom/dad.

Comfort in water

  1. Picking up toys from steps
  2. Laying on back while supported by instructor
  3. Straight-leg kicking on steps/wall/with instructor
  4. Blowing bubbles and bobbing or "Bunny hopping" on bottom
  5. "Monkey-crawl" on wall
  6. Jumping/sliding in from side of pool to instructor
2

Beginning lesson experience, comfortable with head in water and comfortable away from mom/dad, unable to float unassisted.

Basic safety skills

  1. Floating on stomach/back unassisted
  2. Holding breath underwater
  3. Rolling from stomach to back and from back to stomach.
  4. Jumping in and turning to grab wall
  5. Getting out of pool unassisted
  6. Sliding in and monkey walking to shallow end
  7. Kicking on kick board or noodle
3

Some previous lessons, can float unassisted on stomach and back, can kick or “doggie paddle” a short distance. May be comfortable in shallow water but uncomfortable in deeper water.

Advanced safety skills

  1. Kicking on stomach and rolling on back to breathe
  2. Kicking on back and rolling to stomach
  3. Jumping in and rolling on back or kicking to a floating object
  4. Arm strokes for freestyle and backstroke
  5. Diving unassisted to retrieve toys from bottom, surfacing and floating on back
4

Able to do “big arms” freestyle and backstroke for a short distance. Comfortable in water above head or not being able to touch the bottom.

Beginning coordinated swimming

  1. Side breaths for freestyle
  2. Backstroke in a straight line
  3. Elementary backstroke
  4. Swimming across small pool while instructor waits on steps
5

Can swim across small pool unassisted, comfortable jumping in, generally “water safe.”*

Instructors are typically out of the water for this level.

Swimmers completing this level are generally ready for our Wave Makers program or youth swim teams.

Coordinated swimming

  1. Multiple laps in small pool with instructor out of water
  2. Breast stroke kicks
  3. Dolphin kicks
6
 

Comfortable in large pool. Able to swim 25 yards on stomach and back without getting too tired. Able to jump in deep end and easily get to wall.

 

Advanced Coordinated Swimming

  1. Technique for all 4 strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly)
  2. Diving progression off side: seated dive, kneeling dive, standing dive
  3. Treading water
7

Proficient at all 4 strokes. Able to perform standing dive from side of pool, retrieve items from deep end of pool, swim 15 yards underwater, and comfortably tread water for 1 minute.

Swim Team / Race Techniques

  1. Flip turns
  2. Stroke drills for all 4 strokes
  3. Streamline push-offs
  4. Pull-downs for breast stroke

*We recognize that no person is ever truly "water safe" as accidents can happen at any time, but kids who are considered "generally water safe" means they are able to confidently support themselves in the water and can calmly float or swim to safety when necessary.