Get Ready To Swim: Clinic Is Coming Soon!

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Andy Scherer

Time is flying by and we are less than a month away from the start of our pre-season swim clinic! The clinic has always been a great learning opportunity for all swimmers, and a great deal of fun for everyone. So, without further ado, here is the clinic schedule for each of the groups:

8 and Under Swimmers

The 8 and under swimmers will meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for two weeks (full clinic schedule available here). During the first week the coaching staff will focus on streamlines, basic and intermediate freestyle technique (kick timing, arm timing, and breathing pattern) which will be customized for each swimmer’s ability, and backstroke technique (body position while swimming backstroke). During the second week, we will work on the odd strokes (breaststroke and butterfly) while also working on starts for all strokes.

9 and 10 Swimmers

The 9 and 10 swimmers will be in the water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening for the two week clinic. The first week will go over freestyle and backstroke technique, and starts & turns for both of those strokes. For freestyle and backstroke, the kick rhythm and body position will be primary focal points as well as establishing a high catch. The second week will work on breaststroke and butterfly technique as well as their individual turns. The swimmers will learn drills that form a great body undulation and timing. We will also be introducing proper individual medley (IM) transitions.

11 and 12 Swimmers

The 11 and 12 year old swimmers have a little more time in the water which will allow the swimmers to build more endurance which is needed for the age group. The swimmers have clinics on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. The first week will be introducing and detailing the majority of freestyle and backstroke drills that they will utilize throughout the year. We will be working significantly on their catch, kick rhythm, body position, breathing patterns, and turns for the strokes. During the second week, we will work primarily on breaststroke, butterfly, and IM with an emphasis on stroke timing, undulation, kick technique, arm technique, and overall body position during the separate phases of each stroke.

13 and Over Swimmers

The two primary difference between the 13 and over swimmers (in comparison to the 11 and 12 swimmers) will be the Wednesday evening that they are in the water for clinic. During the Wednesday practice, the swimmers will have an opportunity to learn advanced technique for the strokes, turns, and starts.

Overall, I am extremely excited for the upcoming clinic, and even more excited to see the swimmers (and parents) back on the pool deck. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact Coach Andy via e-mail or call 203-248-6361.

Spring/Summer Swim Team Starts Monday!

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Andy Scherer

With our pre-season swim clinic almost over, the Hamden North Haven YMCA Typhoons look to start their Spring/Summer season this upcoming Monday (April 26, 2010). However, before we move forward, let’s take a look at what we have done so far this past week and a half in our clinic:

Flip Turns

Increased the speed that they get around on the flip
Improved the efficiency of their last pull before the flip
Adjusted their hand positions prior to the push-off from the wall
Fine-tuned the smaller details of the turn to make it as efficient as possible

Freestyle

Worked on individual hand entry
Focused on improving the high catch and early vertical forearm
Improved body position and kick technique
Altered the follow through of the pull to increase torque

Backstroke

Worked the efficiency of the kick
Introduced utilizing the core during the stroke to increase velocity
Practiced proper body position and swimming downhill
Implemented a new flip turn technique to minimize time between the last stroke and the flip turn

Breaststroke

Focused on kick timing to increase stroke efficiency
Worked on when to let go of the water during the stroke
Introduced “pressing”
Practiced the proper way to pull and shoot the hands for maximum torque and minimum drag

Butterfly

Improved the efficiency and the timing of the kick
Worked two different ways to catch and pull the water, and each swimmer decided which way was better for them
Practiced the timing of the stroke
Introduced a new butterfly turn in order to minimize arm drag during the breakout

Even though we have already had a great clinic with the swimmers, we still have an IM day, and a day to review with everyone! All in all, this has been a very successful clinic, and the coaches can only look forward to what is going to be an outstanding (and fun) Spring/Summer with the Hamden North Haven Swim Team!

If you’re interested in finding out more information about the Spring and Summer season, please either visit our Registration Page or contact Coach Andy.

Happy Swimming!

Swim Team Clinic Starts Today

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Andy Scherer

The Hamden North Haven YMCA Swim Team looks to start their semi-annual preseason swim clinic today! Throughout the past years, the clinic has proven to be a great educational tool for the coaches and swimmers, and has become a staple in each of the Typhoon seasons!

Swimmers will learn a plethora of stroke technique drills, starts & turns, and other pertinent swimming skills that will be utilized by the coaching staff throughout the short course season. The coaching staff will also begin to introduce dry-land techniques and exercises that will help form stroke specific muscle memory.

The bottom line, though, the swimmers will have a great time while they are learning. This goes for the older groups as well; because the clinic is designed to focus on the swimmers that are participating, there will not be a significant amount of yardage, but there will be a lot of experimenting with new skills and drills to really focus on the individual swimmer technique.

Look for an update tonight on our blog, and if you want to check it out feel free to stop in! The Typhoons look forward to seeing you and/or your swimmer in the water soon!

Happy swimming!!

Pre-Season Swim Clinic – Registration Deadline

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Andy Scherer

The Hamden North Haven YMCA Typhoon Swim Team’s pre-season clinic starts on September 8, 2009. However, the registration deadline is September 3rd for the clinic so don’t miss out!

If you’d like more information regarding the registration for this clinic, please click on the following link: www.typhoonswimming.com/registration/

Or, you can also contact Coach Andy at 203-248-6361!

Registration Reminder

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Andy Scherer

Just a reminder that the registration for the 2009/2010 pre-season swim clinic has started. The dates of the clinic are September 7, 2009 – September 18, 2009. To be included in the clinic:

Stroke development and emphasis on proper technique
Introduction of stroke drills
Introduction of training and racing techniques to upper level swimmers
Starts, turns, and underwater work for all age group levels
Much much more!!

For more information, please click on our registration page or the following link: www.typhoonswimming.com/registration/

Hamden Swim Clinic

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Andy Scherer

The Hamden North Haven YMCA Swim Team will host their semi-annual pre-season Swim Team Clinic in the last week of April. This will be (as always) a great time for the swimmers to learn as it is much more hands-on and more of a teaching technique than swimming workouts. It’s a great way for Hamden North Haven Swimmers to get back into the water and refresh their previous year’s experience, but it’s also a great way for new swimmers to get in the pool and learn while getting to know the returning Typhoon Swimmers.

So, again, the Hamden North Haven YMCA Swim Team will be holding their Swim Team Clinic starting on April 27, 2009! Register soon as spots will be extremely tight for the summer swim team!

Last Practice

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Andy Scherer

The Hamden North Haven Swim Team (the YMCA Typhoons) held their final regular season (Short Course) practice last night. Everyone did a fantastic job during the taper, and will hopefully benefit from all of the hard work at this weekend’s swim meet!

With regard to this weekend’s YMCA championship swim meet, arrival times for all swimmers have been sent, entries have been posted on our website, and directions to Plainville are also available on the website. If you have any other questions please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me at any point!

Also, since we are nearing the end of the Short Course Season, thoughts of the Long Course season are coming up. With that said, the Swim Clinic registration has started and will begin April 27, 2009. The clinic is two weeks and leads directly into the Long Course Season. Registration Information can be found on our website under www.typhoonswimming.com/registration.html. There will also be a registration form posted on the home page and the Long Course page as soon as possible.