POOL SAFETY AND ETIQUETTE
Visitors to the Pool will be expected to:
Visitors to the Pool will be expected to REFRAIN from:
YMCA management has the right to ask any patron to leave for noncompliance with safety rules and etiquette
For printable versions of Policies, click the buttons below:
Swim Test and Earning a Wristband:
TEST. MARK. PROTECT.
To earn a Green Band, swimmers must:
Red Band
Those who do not pass the swim test or those who decline to take the swim test are considered non-swimmers. Non-swimmers:
2024 -2025 GROUP SWIM LESSONS
Group Swim Lessons are offered for all ages and abilities.
Member value: YMCA members pay half price for swim lessons! If you are not a member, consider joining us today!
2025 SESSION DATES:
Winter/Spring 2025 (registration opens December 2 for YMCA members/December 9 for Non-members)
Summer 2025: (Multiple sessions available – check your branch to see which sessions they are offering) (Registration opens May 5 for Y members/ May 12 for non-members)
Fall 2025: Registration opens August 11 for Y members / August 18 for non-members
YMCA GROUP LESSON OVERVIEW:
Swim Starters (Parent/Child) | Stages A & B | Water Discovery/Water Exploration
With a parent, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skill through fun and confidence building experiences, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.
Swim Basics | Stages 1-3 | Water Acclimation/Water Movement/Water Stamina
These stages are perfect for students who are new to swimming and just learning to float and swim with assistance. Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: 1-Swim, float, swim & 2-Jump, push, turn, grab.
Swim Strokes | Stages 4-6 | Stroke Introduction/Stroke Development/Stroke Mechanics
These stages are perfect for someone who is comfortable swimming 10-15 yards on their front and back, but needs help learning strokes and increasing endurance to swim longer distances
Please click on the LESSON SELECTOR GUIDE below to help you select the proper class
AGE GROUPS:
Parent-Child: 6 months – 3 years old (Stages A & B)
Preschool: 3 – 5 years old (Stages 1-4)
Youth: 6-12 years old (Stages 1-6)
Teen: 13-17 years old (Stages 1-6)
Adult: 18+ years old (Stages 1-6)
CANCELLATION POLICIES: Classes with less than 3 participants may be cancelled. Participants will receive notice of any cancellations before the class start date. Aquatics staff will make every effort to reschedule registrations if a class is cancelled. If a class is cancelled by the Y and registrations are not able to be rescheduled, participants will receive a full refund.
Private Swim Lessons
Dive into the fun with our private swim lessons tailor-made for youth and adults!
These private sessions aren’t just about perfecting your backstroke or mastering the butterfly; they’re about making a splash and having a blast while doing it. We welcome swimmers of all skill levels, from those with special needs who need a little extra support to more experienced swimmers, and adults too!
2025 SESSION DATES:
Winter/Spring 2025 (registration opens December 2 for YMCA members/December 9 for Non-members)
Summer 2025: (Multiple sessions available – check your branch to see which sessions they are offering) (Registration opens May 5 for Y members/ May 12 for non-members)
Fall 2025: Registration opens August 11 for Y members / August 18 for non-members
These lessons are for participants also registered in the same weeks of Summer Camp. This convenient option allows campers to participate in swim lessons during their camp day! We will walk the participants from the camp to the pool. Once the lesson is over, we will walk them back.
Summer 2025
Stayed tuned for details about our camp swim lesson offerings in 2025.
Locations | Alabaster, Hoover, Pelham, Shades Valley, Trussville and Youth Center
The world is 71% water.
Children are 100% curious.
About
Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with standing water. But, as a parent or caregiver, you can’t keep your children sidelined.
You need to equip them with the tools they need to be confident in and around water so they don’t lose out on the health benefits of exercise, the opportunities to bond with family and friends and the sense of accomplishment when they learn new skills. The Greater Birmingham YMCA Safety Around Water Program is designed to engage and educate youth and parents about the importance of water safety skills and provide more of America’s youth access to water safety lessons.
Cost
Free service to the community supported and made possible by our generous donors and other philanthropic funding sources. Learning to swim is a lifelong skill. As partners in learning to swim, safety around water sessions cost $5 for 6 lessons for adults. Please contact tsullivan@ymcabham.org if finances are a barrier to participation.
Details
Through Safety Around Water, children and adults learn fundamental water safety and swimming skills and how to respond if they find themselves in unexpected water situations. This could include how to reach the water’s surface if they submerge to safely reaching a pool’s edge or exiting any body of water in addition to the basic strokes, proper breathing, and technique.
Dates/Times
Click below to see upcoming days and times.
The YMCA Swim Lessons Pathways are specialized tracks that focus on leadership, recreation, and competition. Pathway programs build confidence, encourage students to stay active as part of a healthy lifestyle, and continue to cultivate passion in aquatic programming beyond swim lessons.
Does your child love swimming? Have you been thinking about getting them started in competitive swimming, but aren’t sure if they would like it? This 7-week program introduces children to the basic skills and structure of swim team with a focus on proper stroke technique, stroke development training to increase endurance – all while making new friends! Program instructors will help your child develop while maintaining a focus on the YMCA?s core character values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
This offering is available at multiple locations. Click HERE for information and registration.
2023 – 2024 Year Round Swim Team!
Swim Birmingham YMCA is a year-round program offering training for beginners through advanced swimmers. SBY’s certified coaches will work on improving your child’s swimming ability while maintaining a focus on the YMCA’s core character values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. SBY competes in both USA Swimming meets, as well as YMCA competition.
Swimmers are organized by age and are grouped within those divisions by ability. The beginner to the most experienced swimmer will be challenged while perfecting their technique and building endurance, all while having fun!
*Before registering for the swim team, all swimmers must be assessed by an SBY coach. Please contact your branch to schedule an evaluation.
Locations:
Questions? Contact your branch Aquatics Director:
2024 SBY Summer Swim Team
June – July 2024 | Registration opens March 1!
SBY Summer Swim Team is a fun, competitive summer league swim team for ages 5-18. Age groups are divided into 6 groups: 6 & Under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18. The team encourages regular swimming to build endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Participation on the team is based on basic swimming abilities.
SBY’s summer team is a member of the Jefferson Shelby Swim Council (JSSC), a summer swim league consisting of many areas member teams
*Before registering for the swim team, all swimmers must be assessed by an SBY coach. Please contact your branch to schedule an evaluation.
Summer Swim Team: includes four practice times each week for all levels, team t-shirt and cap, 4 or 5 JSSC dual meets (usually on Tuesday nights), optional summer league Invitationals and meets (additional fee applies to these meets if choosing to participate).
Questions? Contact your branch Aquatics Director:
Masters Swim welcomes anyone 18 and older who wants to improve their swimming abilities. Our goals are to have fun, improve swimming technique, learn new skills, get faster, and meet people who are like-minded. We welcome all ages and abilities to our program.
Workouts typically range 3000-3500 yards. Workouts are flexible, often adjusting intervals, sets, and distances to accommodate the varying abilities.
Lanes Reserved and Available at our Mountain Brook branch:
Mon – Fri: 6:30am – 8:30am
Saturday: 7:00am – 9:00am
Sunday: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Lanes Reserved and Available at our Shades Valley branch:
Starting December, 6 2022
Tues & Fri: 5:30am – 6:30am
with Coach Daniel Kamber.
This YMCA Swim Lesson Pathway program is designed to prepare students ages 11-14 to participate in a Lifeguard certification program. This course will help participants build endurance in swimming and gain additional knowledge about the aquatic environment. This program will focus on:
Select the branch nearest you below:
Recreation is for students who want to make swimming part of a healthy lifestyle and a way of getting the recommended amount of physical activity per day in a fun aquatic setting. (Ages 5-12, teen, & adult)
POLAR BEAR CLUB 2025
January 6 – March 9
Registration opens December 2!
The POLAR BEAR 10-Week Water Fitness Challenge is a fun, free winter fitness incentive for our lap swimmers. Every time you swim, log your yardage in the log book. Results will be posted weekly.