Practice Groups
The Johnson Ranch Barracudas are organized into Practice Groups (not Age Groups) to ensure all swimmers receive the most appropriate technique & training with other swimmers that similar in ability, speed, and/or development stages.
The coaches will assign swimmers to their swim group prior to the beginning of the first day of practice. Parents will be notified of their child's swim group by email. Swimmers may be moved to higher or lower swim levels as the season progresses based on continued assessment by the coaching staff.
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Swim Practice Group Levels
| Group | Pool Time | Experience / Ability Expectations |
| Group 1 | 30 Min | Level 1 is for children who are water safe, able to swim freestyle 25 yards unassisted, and are comfortable kicking on their back. This is a beginner-level group that guides young athletes looking to make the transition from swim lessons into team competitions. They will learn to side-breathe during freestyle, swim backstroke, and dive. Kicking and proper body position will be a big emphasis in this group. Entry-level expectations for Level 1 swimmers: Water safe. Able to swim 25 yards of Freestyle without holding on to the wall or walking on the bottom of the pool. Able to float on back unassisted for at least 10 seconds. Able to keep their head above water and hand on the wall. Able to pay attention to their coach and not distract others in the group. |
| Group 2 | 30 Min | Level 2 is for swimmers with some experience that can side-breathe during freestyle and swim backstroke. Swimmers will be working on learning breaststroke and butterfly while continuing to improve their freestyle and backstroke. They will learn flip turns, the fundamentals of each stroke as the season progresses, and how to use a pace clock. A large emphasis will be on kicking, learning breaststroke and butterfly, and working on maintaining proper body position while swimming each of the four strokes. Entry-level expectations for Level 2 swimmers: Able to swim 25-yard lap of freestyle with side breathing. Able to swim 25-yard lap of backstroke. Able to consistently push off walls in streamline on their stomach and back. Able to wait in ready position and begin to use the pace clock. Able to comprehend instruction from a coach in a group setting. |
| Group 3 | 50 Min | Level 3 swimmers focus on stroke technique, body position, and kicking. Swimmers may have not yet mastered the basic rhythm of all 4 strokes but are proficient in Freestyle and Backstroke and have a legal breaststroke kick. They will learn the fundamentals of each stroke as the season progresses (streamlined underwater dolphin kick, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle). They will learn the IM turns and continue to work on starts and finishes for all races. Kicking and stroke work will be a big emphasis in this group. Entry-level expectations for Level 3 swimmers: Able to swim multiple 50-yard laps of freestyle on an interval. Able to swim the breaststroke kick legally. Able to use the pace clock and keep the intervals. Able to comprehend instruction from a Coach in a group setting. Able to complete the kicking and swimming sets on the intervals used in this group. |
| Group 4 | 55 Min | Level 4 will still focus on stroke technique, maintaining proper body position, and kicking while building endurance to set themselves up for future success. Level 4 swimmers can swim the four strokes legally and can swim the 100 IM with legal turns. They will learn the turns needed to race 50s or 100s of each stroke. Kicking and stroke work will be a big focus in this group. Entry-level expectations for Level 4 swimmers: Read the pace clock and be able to keep the intervals. Swim all 4 strokes and the IM legally. Able to streamline and do the proper kicks off every wall. Must be able to meet the interval standards for the group. |
| Group 5 | 60 Min | Level 5 continues the building of workout intensity as swimmers progress from Level 4. Swimmers maintain focus on stroke technique, body position, and kicking to set them up for future success. The intervals are faster and the yardage is increased. Entry-level expectations for Level 5 swimmers: Reads pace clock and keeps intervals Can perform legal turns consistently Must be able to meet the intervals standards for the group and have the personal discipline to complete the workout. |
| Group 6 | 90 Min | Level 6 continues the building of workout intensity as swimmers progress. This group will primarily be made up of High School age kids and Junior High kids that have the strength & discipline to be successful in Level 6. Entry-level expectations for Level 6 swimmers: Must be able to meet the interval standards and have the personal discipline to complete the workouts. |
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