Stoke Development and Improvement Clinic

I took a few clinics last year because I was a newbie. I got a lot of help. I continued this year with a masters team because of that. I'm still doing mostly freestyle, but beginning to develope an interest in other strokes. You can watch YouTube videos until the cows come home and still not learn a whole lot, but if you have a coach watch you and advise, you can make adjustments on the spot, then work that into your daily practices.

I have been to several stroke clinics over many years. I have never been to one yet where I didn't learn enough to make it worthwhile.

I don't think my stoke can be improved upon, dude! :)

In terms of attending clinics, knowledge is definitely power. The more you are able to learn the better off you will be. As Allen mentioned, you can learn something from most clinics you attend. However, you should keep in mind that each clinic will have different objectives. As the consumer here, you will need to do some research on the coaches leading the clinic, and what will be offered - video analysis, for example, is an essential element to a good clinic since it provides an excellent way to view your stroke and understand what areas of your stroke need improvement. Also get an idea of the focus for the clinic you have in mind to see if it matches with your goals and what you hope to achieve. Finally, I would ensure that the clinic is limited to smaller groups - or at least has an excellent coach-swimmer ratio. You will receive more individualized attention in smaller groups or clinics where there are more coaches involved that you would at a larger clinic. Hope this helps and good luck!

Yes, we got videos from our clinics, with commentary. Not only that, but we could see the videos of the others with explanations about their strokes too. There were no "expert" swimmers in our clinic, lots of poor form, lots of lessons to be learned. It was like multiplying the effect.

I've done a number of stroke clinics over the past couple of years with some pretty good folks: Sheila Taormina, Terry Laughlin, Dr. G, and Chloe Sutton. Even though they all approached things from somewhat different directions philosophically, the end goals were pretty much the same. I think you have to go into a clinic with an open mind to what is being presented and be willing to try new things that may seem difficult and challenging at first. While there were a few things that just "clicked" as soon as I was taught them in the clinics, most technique changes took a lot of subsequent repetition in my workouts to build muscle-memory and consistency. I also think clinics are beneficial by having an objective set of eyes take a look at your stroke occasionally to point out things (either good or bad) that you may not realize that you're doing. BTW, I 100% agree with Jack's comment above that there is no substitute for the immediate feedback that you get from on on-deck coach.