Past Clinic: Explosive Performance: Starts and Turns
White Bear Area YMCA
2100 Orchard Ln.,
White Bear Lake,
MN 55110
A description of what was covered at this past clinic is below the upcoming clinics.
Upcoming Swim Clinics and Camps
Within 250 miles of White Bear Lake, MN.
Past Clinic
Introduction
Three-Day Explosive Power Swim Camp – Sign up for one or SAVE by signing up for all three days!
Did you know the fastest parts of every race are the start and turns? At this high performance swim camp, participants will work on explosive starts and powerful underwaters on Friday. On Saturday, your swimmer will learn technique for fast relay starts, as well as breakouts and finishes. Then on Sunday, the focus will be on efficient flip turns and open turns.
This clinic will be led by Olympian Christopher Reid and NCAA Champion Tyler Messerschmidt with All-American Conner McHugh joining on Saturday and Sunday! Christopher, Tyler, and Conner will share the same drills and tips they used to become three of the fastest swimmers in the world. Scroll down to read more about the curriculum!
Session Times (All Days):
11 & Under: Check in 9:15 AM, Clinic 9:30 AM-11:30 AM
12 & Over: Check in 12:45 PM, Clinic 1:00 PM-3:30 PM
Suggested Participants
Christopher, Tyler, and Conner will be in the water leading six sessions - three for each age group. This camp is designed for swimmers with at least one year of competitive experience and is not recommended for swimmers younger than 8 years old.
Curriculum
DAY 1 (FRIDAY): STARTS AND UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING
The start is your swimmer’s opportunity to cover as much ground as possible in a very short period of time with great efficiency and momentum heading into the streamline and breakout. There are countless intricacies to performing a start, and it will only improve with practice. Olympian Christopher Reid and NCAA Champion Tyler Messerschmidt have spent countless hours practicing starts and underwater dolphin kicking and will show your swimmer how to be explosive and efficient with each movement.
- STARTS: Your swimmer’s proper hand and foot placement on the block can allow them to drive forward with a lot of explosive power. Christopher and Tyler will work with your swimmer to find the best position on the block as well as how to launch their body forward efficiently into a tight streamline and enter the water through a small hole.
- UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The fastest swimmers know how to weaponize their dolphin kicking. It is absolutely, undeniably, the fastest way to move through the water! Whether you dolphin kick on your stomach, side, or back, understanding the importance of streamlined, underwater speed is vital for every swimmer!
DAY 2 (SATURDAY): RELAY EXCHANGES, BREAKOUTS, & FINISHES
Swimmers will build on the concepts learned on day 1 to further refine the details of any race. Relays are some of the most fun events to swim and learning proper technique for relay exchanges will help your whole team! Making small improvements on maintaining momentum on the breakout stroke and a well-timed finish can be the difference in winning close races.
- RELAY EXCHANGES: 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 reaction time and a fast exchange.
- BREAKOUTS: Many swimmers add movements in their breakout that create drag and destroy all of the momentum created during their underwater dolphin kicks. Your swimmer will work on staying streamlined and keeping their head down on the first stoke to accelerate into the first few strokes.
- FINISHES: Races can be won or lost by hundredths of a second, and many races come down to the last few strokes. Your swimmer will learn how to use their kick to accelerate into the wall, time their stroke for a perfect arm extension, and keep their head down so they don’t waste any time or strokes as they approach the wall.
DAY 3 (SUNDAY): FLIP TURNS AND OPEN TURNS
Focusing on having faster turns is an easy way to drop time and win close races. Elite swimmers maintain their momentum through a quick turn and have a powerful push off every wall. Christopher Reid, Tyler Messerschmidt, and Conner McHugh will lead participants through a series of drills to have compact, fast turns in any race. It’s easy for swimmers to have lazy turns when they are tired, but by learning the correct technique and practicing daily, your swimmer can gain speed on each turn.
- FLIP TURNS: Your swimmer will learn to carry their momentum through the turn to get in and out of every wall faster. Swimmers will practice accelerating into the wall, using their core and arms to get through the turn, and planting the feet on the wall for a powerful push off in the perfect streamline. Swimmers will learn drills and exercises to help them master this athletic skill!
- OPEN TURNS: Think about the open turn differently! Your swimmer should not be making an open turn to touch the wall and swim the next lap; if they’re doing this, they are actually stopping and then trying to regain speed. An expertly executed open turn involves spinning backwards, enabling your swimmer to carry momentum into the push off.
ASK QUESTIONS
Swimmers and parents are invited to ask Christopher, Tyler, and Conner questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into their training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.
WATCH THE CLINICIAN
Observe Christopher, Tyler, and Conner 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 three of the best swimmers in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.
Take a photo with Christopher, Tyler, and Conner, get autographs, and ALL PARTICIPANTS receive a FREE Fitter and Faster Collector’s Bag Tag for each day they are at the camp. Collect all 37 and trade with your friends!
Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!
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