Two-Day Starts and Turns Swim Camp - There are two clinic sessions for swimmers ages 12 and up and two clinic sessions for swimmers 11 and under. Sign up for one day or SAVE by signing up for both.

Did you know the fastest parts of every race are the start and turns? At Saturday's clinic swimmers will work on starts, underwater dolphin kicking, and breakouts. Then on Sunday, participants will focus on flip turns and open turns.

Your clinicians will be three-time Olympian and 10-time Olympic medalist - one of the greatest sprinters of all-time: Gary Hall, Jr. Joining Gary as a clinician will be world record holder, Ali DeLoof! Scroll down for more details on the curriculum.

Suggested Participants

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

Gary and Ali will lead two sessions for swimmers ages 12 & over and two sessions for swimmers ages 11 & under with at least one year of competitive experience. Swimmers younger than 9 years old are not recommended for these clinics without your coach’s recommendation.

Curriculum

SESSION 1 & 2: STARTS AND 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. Gary Hall Jr. and Ali DeLoof will share their experiences on how they found time to practice and improve their starts both in and out of the water and teach your swimmer some of their 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 launch themselves forward with a lot of explosive power. Gary and Ali will work with each swimmer to find their best position on the block as well as how to keep their body line straight and strong as they send their body forward with a lot of speed and power. Finally, she'll ensure that each swimmer is entering cleanly through a small hole in a tight streamline.
Underwater Dolphin Kicking: The not-so-secret weapon of elite level swimmers is their underwater dolphin kick. Both Ali is known as one of the best underwater dolphin kickers in the world and she specializes in teaching swimmers how to unlock their potential in this important skill.
(11 & Under Only) BACKSTROKE STARTS: Getting into the right ready position with a straight back, hips high on the surface of the water, and feet positioned to get maximum power is extremely important to being able to execute a fast and clean backstroke start. Gary and Ali will work with swimmers at this session to achieve a beautiful back arch over the water so that they can have an advantage in every backstroke race!
(12 & Over Only) 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 exchange time and a fast start.

SESSIONS 3 & 4: FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS, AND FINISHES

Most age group swimmers add in extra movements on their open turns, flip turns, and finishes that slow them down and prevent them from carrying their momentum through the turn and into the finish! 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, Elite Clinicians Ali DeLoof and Gary Hall Jr. will be in the water teaching your swimmer how to improve their turns and finishes 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. Gary and Ali 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 Gary and Ali questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into her training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.

WATCH THE CLINICIAN

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

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

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