One area of SwimPath's unique brand is the SwimCamp... not so unique in its title as there are many offerings of clinics and tuition days spread around the country in various guises. Most of which provide a great informative day or days out, leaving the swimmer with an enriched sense of learning and development in a condensed period of time! The fact of the matter is that they work - undivided attention from a group of interested swimmers having the opportunity to spend up to and beyond of 4 hours a day in the water honing new skills with consistent guidance from experienced and knowledgable practitioners. Not to mention the various asides such as nutrition, land training, psychology etc. In short, as long as the day is organised, has clear focus and objectives, is delivered succinctly and professionally, and what's more is FUN - because we all know that kids learn better when they are enjoying themselves - then its going to be successful.
So if the formula is seemingly straightforward, what makes some clinics stand out from the rest? Why does SwimPath offer an experience that most likely won't be found in every pool up and down the country?
The answer is in the detail - and by detail we mean keeping it simple!
Many clinics country wide will offer a days tuition, attempting to cram all and every detail regarding stroke improvement - as well as starts, turns, psychology, nutrition, strength training etc - with the plan of delivering an all encompassing 'swimmer' experience. And this it may provide extremely well. Sometimes though this can result in information overload...
At SwimPath we want swimmers to learn, improve, to take away something definitive that they can incorporate into their own training regime. And to do this effectively we focus our single day clinics on only one or two skill elements - and we explore these with photos, videos and discussion then try it in the pool with drills and fast practice. Understanding the reasons behind a skill is the most important factor to its successful performance, its cliche but on a SwimPath camp you'll get quality, not quantity!!!
For us pedagogy is key, but as well as the science behind its methodology, it is the art in its delivery that reigns supreme. And we believe the combination of todays top swimmers - either qualified themselves as licensed coaches or trained in house on our own scheme - alongside experienced and innovative practitioners (some of whom were yesterdays top swimmers!!!!) offers the perfect mix of content, coaching and practical application, with demonstrations from some of the best in the business!. With Jemma Lowe and Rebecca Guy already part of the South and North West Teams respectively and Individual Medley star and Olympian Tom Haffield soon to start flying the SwimPath flag in Wales, keep an eye out and a bookmark on our page to find out when the next SwimCamp is coming to your area!
Because as well as the swimming content, its certainly no bad way to spend an hour at SwimCamp lunch picking the brain of some of Britain's most successful swimmers!
So what does make Jemma Lowe tick and fuel her desire to spend another year at the top? For the answer to that you'll have to tune in to next weeks blog...
