Past Clinic: Explosive Performance: Starts and Turns

Highpoint Sports and Wellness
4300 Landau St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111

A description of what was covered at this past clinic is below the upcoming clinics.

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Within 250 miles of Albuquerque, NM.

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Past Clinic

Introduction

Two-Day Explosive Power Swim Camp – Sign up for one or SAVE by signing up for both days!

Did you know that the fastest that your swimmer is ever moving in a race is after the start and after every turn? On Saturday the curriculum will focus on explosive starts, relay exchanges and finishes. Then on Sunday, participants will work on accelerating through every turn and through the underwater dolphin kicking.

Leading each session will be Elite Clinician and Olympic gold medalist Clark Smith! Clark is known for his detailed technical knowledge and is exceptional at teaching swimmers of all ages and abilities. Also leading each session will be Olympian Glenn Snyders! Scroll down to read more about the curriculum.

Suggested Participants

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

Clark and Glenn will be in the water leading four sessions, two for each age group. This camp is designed swimmers with at least one year of competition experience and is not recommended for swimmers younger than 8 years old.

Curriculum

SESSIONS 1 & 2 (Saturday): STARTS, UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING, & BREAKOUTS

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. Elite Clinician and Olympic gold medalist Clark Smith will share his experiences on how he found time to practice and improve his start both in and out of the water and teach your swimmer 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 drive forward with a lot of explosive power. Clark will work with each swimmer to find their best position on the block as well as how to launch their body forward efficiently into a tight streamline and enter through a small hole.
  • Relay Exchanges: Clark Smith known as a great relay swimmer! He knows that both the swimmer finishing and the swimmer starting have a job to do when executing a proper relay exchange. Learning the proper technique for a well timed finish and an explosive relay dive is important in ensuring a legal but small exchange time and a fast exchange.
  • 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.

SESSIONS 3 & 4 (Sunday): Fast Flip Turns, Open Turns, & FINISHES

Most age group swimmers add in extra movements on their turns and finishes that slow them down and prevent them from carrying their momentum through the turn and into the next length! Even at Olympic Trials we see many very fast swimmers who miss making finals and even the Olympic team because of the quality of their turns and finishes! The turn and finish are both opportunities for a swimmer to actually GAIN MOMENTUM, when in fact most swimmers actually slow down. At both of these sessions, Clark Smith will be in the water instructing and providing feedback to the participants on 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. Clark 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!
  • Underwater Dolphin Kicking: The not-so-secret weapon of elite level swimmers is their underwater dolphin kick. Clark 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.

ASK QUESTIONS

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

WATCH THE CLINICIAN

Observe Clark 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 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 Clark's medals, get autographs, and a gift from TYR Sport!

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

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