Past Clinic: High Performance Racing Swim Camp

Hagerty Family Events Center (David Hallman III Aquatics Center)
501 West 12th Street, Erie, PA 16501

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

Upcoming Swim Clinics and Camps

Within 250 miles of Erie, PA.

Starting Apr 06, 2024

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Lititz Recreation Center

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Liberty Township/Powell YMCA

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David M. Hallman III Aquatics Center

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L'Anse Creuse High School - North

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Victor Aquatics Center

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Victor Aquatics Center

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Past Clinic

Introduction

Two-Day, Four Session Swim Camp! Sign up for one, two, three, or SAVE by signing up for all 4 sessions!

There are three sessions on Saturday, each 2-hours long. The first session will focus on the common techniques for swimming efficient and fast butterfly and breaststroke. The second session will cover high performance backstroke and freestyle. Participants of the third session of the day will practice explosive turns and finishes.

On Sunday, there is a three hours session in which participants will improve their starts, relay exchanges and underwater dolphin kicking!

Leading each session will be Elite Clinician and National Champion Tom Luchsinger along with Olympian Kat Simonovic!  Scroll down for more details on the curriculum! 

Suggested Participants

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

Tom will lead 4 sessions designed for swimmers with at least two year of competitive swimming experience. This camp is not recommended for swimmers under 9 years old.

Curriculum

SESSION 1: BUTTERFLY AND BREASTSTROKE

The short axis strokes are butterfly and breaststroke! These are very similar and challenging strokes to master due to the importance of rhythm! Participants at this session will learn not only how to have a stronger pull and kick, but also WHEN each movement should happen so that they can swim more connected and with more efficiency.

  • BUTTERFLY: Perfect the complexities of balancing power and fluid rhythm in one of the most dynamic athletic movements. Elite butterfliers maintain forward momentum by setting an immediate high catch with a perfectly timed kick. They are committed to a breathing pattern, perfecting their distance per stroke, and maintaining a horizontal body position - Tom will help your swimmer become committed to these same skills to make them their habits every time they swim fly!
  • BREASTSTROKE: Your swimmer will begin with a strong understanding of the timing of the kick and pull and begin to utilize the same strategies world class breaststrokers use to minimize their footprint in the water. Participants will learn the skills of swimming in a horizontal plane, keeping the hips high throughout the entire cycle and utilizing a small but powerful kick while generating power forward with their recovery.

SESSION 2: FREESTYLE & BACKSTROKE

Freestyle and backstroke can be challenging for swimmers of all ages and abilities to take to the next level because of the complexity of the technique in both of these strokes! Your swimmer will learn drills and skills to be able to understand the WHY behind each movement as well as feel and apply techniques to race faster in both free and back from National Champion Tom Luchsinger!

  • FREESTYLE: Participants will reinforce holding a straight and solid body line so that they can cut through the water with less drag. Practice keeping a still and low head position (especially during the breath!) while driving a strong flutter kick. Tom will also teach participants how to get an early and powerful press backwards on the water in the arm pull to get more out of every stroke. From the 50 to the mile, your swimmer will learn skills that will allow them to drop time in every freestyle race.
  • BACKSTROKE: Engaging your core not only allows you to swim stronger, but it also allows you to hold the proper body position. Tom Luchsinger will help swimmers learn the importance of rotation and how to use it to their advantage for more power in each stroke. The arm pull in backstroke should press the water all the way through using the whole arm to achieve maximum propulsion. Backstrokers are often the fastest kickers on their teams, find out why and learn to have a stronger kick!!

SESSION 3: FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS, AND FINISHES

Races are often won and lost because of the quality of turns and finishes of the competitors. Many people don't realize this, but the push-off and streamline from the wall after a turn SHOULD BE the fastest a swimmer will go while in the water other than the streamline after a dive. Even elite level, swimmers often add in extra movements on their turns and finishes that slow them down and even cause them to lose races that they could have won. At these sessions, Tom Luchsinger will work with each participant to maintain their momentum at these key points in a race.

  • 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. Tom 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.

SESSION 4: STARTS, RELAY EXCHANGES, & 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 finish, and you only get better with practice. Your racing skills can be the difference between winning and losing by hundredths of seconds! We’ll have you exploding off the blocks, extending your underwater streamline, and finishing with more speed after learning from Tom Luchsinger!

  • 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. Tom will work with each swimmer to find their best position on the block as well as how to drive their body forward into a tight streamline and enter through a small hole.
  • 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 exchange.
  • UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The not-so-secret weapon of elite level swimmers is their underwater dolphin kick. Tom Luchsinger was 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 Tom questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into his training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.

PRACTICE INTENTIONAL DRILLS

Learn a progression of drills designed to help swimmers understand and feel 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 and coaches in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo with Tom, get autographs, and a gift from TYR Sport!

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

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