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Swim-ABC

Learning to swim is vital in our country with its abundance of water. We live near water, and we like to seek it out. Therefore, it is essential that children learn to swim at a young age. At the core of swimming education is the Swim-ABC, a passport to a lifetime of swimming and fun in the water.

National Swimming Diploma’s A, B and C
The Swim-ABC consist of three National Swimming Diplomas: A, B and C. The Swim-ABC is aimed at children from the age of four. Swimming Diplomas A and B are valuable intermediate steps, but only after completing the Swim-ABC is a person truly at home in the water. With Swimming Diploma C, you meet the National Standard for Water Safety.

National Swimming Diploma authenticity features
A National Swimming Diploma from the Dutch National Water Safety Council is a valuable document. Unfortunately, there are also copies and counterfeits in circulation. To ensure you have a genuine Swimming Diploma A, B or C from the Dutch National Water Safety Council, check whether the diploma has the required authenticity features.

Only swimming class providers who hold the National Swimming Diplomas Licence are authorised to issue National Swimming Diplomas. Click here for a current list of National Swimming Diplomas Licensees.

The first series of swimming lessons
Extensive attention is paid to getting used to the water at the start of the Swim-ABC programme. This is an important period which forms the basis for learning to swim. Children learn to float on their front and back, enter and exit the water, turn from front to back to front, go underwater and look and search underwater. These aspects of swimming help children get to know the water and feel comfortable in it.
Many exercises are offered in game form, which is the best way to learn for young children. Your child is doing more than just playing in the water; every game has a purpose. After the period of getting used to the water, it is time for the next phase: the swimming strokes.

Swimming strokes and other skills
The Swim-ABC programme teaches children four swimming strokes right from the start; simple backstroke, breaststroke, front crawl and back crawl. A lot of attention is paid to various deep-water exercises, such as different ways of entering the water, swimming underwater, climbing and clambering on a raft and on the side of the pool and going towards the bottom of the pool. These skills teach a child to deal with unexpected situations and to have fun in the water.

Dutch National Swimming Certificates
The National Standard for Water Safety, through National Swimming Diploma C, is attainable for almost everyone. Special attention is paid to children with a temporary or permanent disability. A large number of these children obtain a swimming diploma, but if this takes a long time or proves infeasible, the Dutch National Swimming Certificates A, B and C are also an option. Swimming Certificates, like the Swim-ABC, are steps towards water safety. Each swimming Certificate has a required component—focused on a certain level of water safety—and an open component, which the child may or may not be able to comply with.