SWIM STRONGER: COMPLETE THE STROKE
Swimming a Full Individual Medley for Milestone 3 of 4 in the Swim Stronger Program
Students who reach the Complete the Stroke milestone will:
- Put together all the skills learned throughout their Swim Path
- Further refine all four competitive strokes
- Build greater strength and stamina
- Standard for mastery: 200-yard individual medley with patterned strokes
Learning all the elements of swimming, from floating to strokes to turns, is a huge accomplishment. The next phase in the Foss Swim School Swim Stronger program, after learning the patterns of the four competitive strokes and executing turns and finishes, is to put together all that the student has learned.
In the same way that you can have all the parts of a machine, yet not have the machine itself until they are put together the right way, strong swimmers are those who put their skills together smoothly and efficiently.
At the conclusion of our Learn to Swim program, students demonstrate competence in freestyle and backstroke, the most common and efficient strokes for swimmers. Learning to Swim Stronger builds on that accomplishment with a milestone that demonstrates both competency and endurance across all elements of swimming.
Milestone 3: Complete the Stroke with a 200-Yard Individual Medley
Our Complete the Stroke milestone puts together all four competitive strokes – freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly – in a continuous 200-yard (600-foot) swim, switching from one stroke to the next every 50 yards. While the exact lane configuration may vary, students will put their turns and finishes ability to use.
It’s worth remembering why we teach the four competitive strokes in this program:
Each Stroke Has Its Own Strength
Freestyle is the fastest and most efficient stroke. Backstroke is easy to execute and allows continuous breathing. Breaststroke allows a balance of efficiency, the ability to see where you are swimming, and frequent breaths. Butterfly is challenging but builds endurance and strength.
It Gives Students Who Want to Swim on a Team a Head Start
They can join a team knowing which stroke they prefer and won’t need to catch up on an unfamiliar stroke in practice.
It Promotes Well-Rounded Development
Each stroke uses different muscle combinations, different motions, and different timing.
The Swim Stronger Levels
We teach the Complete the Strokes skills in the Big 5 level. Ask a teacher about moving on to Swim Stronger when you graduate from Learn to Swim, or if you are new to FOSS, consider a Preview Lesson to determine if Swim Stronger is right for your student.
The Swim Stronger Levels
We teach the Complete the Strokes skills in the Big 5 level. Ask a teacher about moving on to Swim Stronger when you graduate from Learn to Swim, or if you are new to FOSS, consider a Preview Lesson to determine if Swim Stronger is right for your student.
Moving On to the Final Milestone of the Swim Stronger Program
With the foundation of all four strokes, plus turns, a swimmer will be able to get the most enjoyment out of swimming over their lifetime.
After completing the third milestone, our Swim Stronger students are ready for the program’s final milestone: swimming for endurance. As much a mental goal as a physical one, this fourth and final milestone will allow them to graduate from the program and set them up for anything they may want to do in the water.
