Did you know that the fastest that your swimmer is ever moving in a race is after the start and after every turn? At this high performance swim clinic, the swimmers will work on starts and underwater dolphin kicking on Saturday. Then on Sunday, they will focus on flip turns, open turns and finishes.

Your clinician will be Olympic gold medalist Gunnar Bentz! Sign up for one or SAVE by signing up for BOTH sessions! Scroll down to read more about the curriculum at this clinic.

Suggested Participants

SAVE: Sign up before prices increase or the sessions fill up!

Gunnar will lead two sessions for Lynchburg YMCA's National Group.

Curriculum

SESSION 1 (Saturday): STARTS & UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING

The start is your opportunity to cover as much ground as possible in a very short period of time, with great efficiency and momentum heading into your underwater kicking and breakout. There are countless intricacies to performing a start and you only get better with practice. Olympic gold medalist Gunnar Bentz will share his experience on how he found time to practice and improve his start both in and out of the water and share some of his most effective strategies to execute this explosive and athletic movement.

STARTS: How you set up on the block including proper hand and foot placement can allow your swimmer to explode forward with a lot of explosive power. Gunnar will work with each swimmer to find their best position on the block as well as how to launch their body forward into a tight streamline and enter through a small hole.
UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The not-so-secret weapon of elite level swimmers is their underwater dolphin kick. Gunnar is known as one of the best underwater dolphin kickers in the world and he specializes in teaching swimmers how to unlock their potential in this important skill.

SESSION 2 (Sunday): Flip TURNS, open TURNS, AND FINISHES

Most age group swimmers add in extra movements on their open and flip turns that slow them down and prevent them from carrying their momentum through the turn! Even at Olympic Trials we see many very fast swimmers who miss making finals and even the Olympic team because of their turns! The turn is an opportunity for a swimmer to actually GAIN MOMENTUM, when in fact most swimmers actually slow down. At both of these sessions, Olympic gold medalist Gunnar Bentz will be in the water teaching your swimmer how to improve their turns so that they can drop time!

FLIP TURNS: Your swimmer will learn how to carry their momentum through the turn to get in and out of every wall faster. Swimmers will practice accelerating into the wall with long strokes and then using their core and arms to get through the turn. They'll practice planting their feet on the wall for a powerful pushoff in the perfect streamline. Gunnar will give the swimmers drills and exercises to help them master this athletic skill now as well as in the future!
OPEN TURNS: Think about the open turn differently! You should not be making an open to turn around and swim the next lap. If you're doing this - you're actually stopping and then trying to regain speed again. An expertly executed open turn involves spinning backwards. This enables you to carry momentum into the pushoff. We're going to teach you how to cut a lot of time on this turn... helping you in all of your breaststroke and butterfly races!
FINISHES: Races can be won and lost by hundredths of a second. Many races come down to the very last stroke. Your swimmer will learn how to drive their legs, elongate their arms, and keep their head down so that your swimmer doesn't waste any time or strokes as they approach the wall.

ASK QUESTIONS

Swimmers and parents are invited to ask Gunnar questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into his training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.

WATCH THE CLINICIAN

Observe Gunnar swim at full speed and demonstrate a progression of perfectly executed drills to achieve powerful, efficient and fast swimming.

PUT YOUR SKILLS TO THE TEST

Swimmers will get to practice what they've learned by taking their stroke to your top speed with one of the best swimmers in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo while wearing Gunnar's medals, get autographs, and a gift from TYR Sport!

Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!

Search all of our clinics...or request a clinic in your area