Past Clinic: High Performance Backstroke and Breaststroke Racing

The Fort Mill YMCA at the Complex
971 Tom Hall St., Fort Mill, SC 29715

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

Upcoming Swim Clinics and Camps

Within 250 miles of Fort Mill, SC.

Starting Apr 20, 2024

EJ Disher Community Pool

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Starting Apr 20, 2024

Columbia College-Greer Natatorium

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Starting Jun 26, 2024

Holly Springs Swim & Tennis Club

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Starting Apr 20, 2024

Carter Athletic Center at North Cross School

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Starting May 25, 2024

Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center

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Starting May 25, 2024

Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center

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Past Clinic

Introduction

Two-Day High Performance Swim Camp - Sign up for one or SAVE by signing up for both sessions!

The camp will strengthen your swimmer’s skills and improve their technique, leading to a more efficient stroke and faster racing!  Saturday will cover backstroke. Sunday will focus on breaststroke.

Your Elite Clinician for this camp will be Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary! He will be joined on Saturday by Olympian Marko Blazhevski and on Sunday by Coach Ben Lee.  Scroll down for more details on the curriculum. 

Session Times (Both Days):
11 & Under: Check in 9:00 AM, Clinic 9:15 AM-11:45 AM
12 & Over: Check in 12:45 PM, Clinic 1:00 PM-4:00 PM

Suggested Participants

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

Tyler 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 approval.

Curriculum

DAY 1 (SATURDAY): ELITE BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE

Your swimmer understands the core components of backstroke, now begin to master the subtle skills that will help your swimmer compete at a higher level. Participants will practice using their core to create rotation and a balanced stroke, build a powerful pull with a strategic use of stroke rate, and use their kick as a dominant propulsive force.

  • BODY POSITION: Participants will work with Olympians Tyler Clary and Marko Blazhevski to feel and understand how to maintain a neutral spine and head position for less drag and better full body connection in backstroke.
  • ROTATION: The fastest backstrokers in the world use a powerful body rotation to create more power and increase their tempo. Your swimmer will learn how much to rotate, when to rotate, and how to use it for maximum speed and power.
  • KICK: Have you ever noticed how many swimmers’ knees break the surface when they kick in backstroke? This means that the swimmer is kicking with their knees which is less efficient than kicking from their hip. Maintaining maximum propulsion and proper kicking technique will greatly improve your swimmer’s backstroke.
  • PULL: It is very important for swimmers to bend their elbow very early in the pull so that they can get an early catch for an immediate and powerful press back into the water.

DAY 2 (SUNDAY): ELITE BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE

More than any other stroke, breaststroke is the most varied. Out of the eight finalists at the Olympic Games you might see eight different styles of strokes! Without fail, your swimmer's timing and ability to eliminate resistance are both hallmarks of an efficient and powerful breaststroker. Your swimmer has the foundation, now learn from the expert how to utilize your core and hip drive to create a fluid and more forward driving stroke.

  • BODY POSITION: The best swimmers in the world learn at a young age about the importance of being patient with their stroke and trusting their "glide position". Too many young swimmers rush their stroke, create "drag" (i.e. slow themselves down) and exhaust themselves. Tyler Clary and Ben Lee will work with participants to maintain a better body position for a more efficient breaststroke.
  • KICK: The three parts of the kick are hips, knees, and feet. Tyler and Ben will work with participants to kick with power from their hips while keeping their knees close and feet wide. The kick is about 80% of the power in breaststroke. Get more out of each kick for a faster breaststroke!
  • PULL: Participants in this session will learn drills to encourage them to keep their hands and elbows high on the water throughout the entire pull, thereby minimizing resistance and maintaining speed.
  • TIMING: A fast breaststroke is all about the rhythm! The proper timing will make your stroke fast, smooth and less taxing on your body. Learn how your clinicians times their breaststroke for ultimate efficiency.

ASK QUESTIONS

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

WATCH THE CLINICIAN

Observe Tyler 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 with Tyler, 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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