Breaststroke & Para Development Clinic (May 24)

Hello TEAM,

This past Saturday morning (7:30-9am) at the Shaw Center, the LASERS hosted our second Olympic Stream development clinic and our first Paralympic Stream development clinic of the season. Both clinics had a strong showing and were a positive and productive use of our morning - lots of value for our coaches and athletes. We were also lucky enough to be joined by coaches Janet and Mike, from Swimming Canada, to help us out and to see all the great things our TEAM is doing, specifically in regard to coach/athlete development and classification. 

On the Olympic side we had Coach Chris and Coach Jill running our JAG (Junior Age Group) athletes through some Breaststroke drills, focusing on hitting our 'LINE' and by doing so reducing drag and becoming more efficient swimmers. We worked on some kick, scull and timing drills as well as played around with the tempo of the stroke with a long glide as well as a shorter glide (which is the beginning of stroke rate work). We also had athletes counting strokes which is a great skill to learn early. Overall there was lots of solid swimming done by this group of 10 athletes.

 On the Paralympic side, Coaches Ryan, Shelby, Janet, Mike and volunteers Anique and Kennedy, split 15 athletes into three groups based on where they are in their swimming journey. No matter the level, the name of the game was extension—mastering body position to set up a powerful, efficient and reliable breaststroke.

 Swimmers worked on kicking with hip extension, keeping a long neck, and reaching into extension for maximum glide. For those who swim with a leg drag, the focus was on developing a strong and efficient scull—still in extension. Athletes who weren’t quite ready for breaststroke practices pushing, transitioning, and kicking, all while reinforcing the fundamentals of great extension.

It was an incredibly productive camp full of fun, learning, growth, and fresh ideas. Our Laser coaches and swimmers left with plenty of new tools in their toolbox—and we can’t wait to see how these swimmers continue to shine!

#OutTrainThem