Stroke clinics in Mission Viejo
Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and starts and turns, for swimmers ages 7 to 14 in two Mission Viejo pools. A level check tells us where each swimmer starts.
Six weeks each
Pick a stroke, a pool and an evening. Swimmers take one clinic at a time or stack them across sessions.
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Body position, a steady kick and breathing to both sides
Swimmers work on a long body line, a kick that starts at the hips, the arm pull and breathing to either side. Each evening is a warm-up, two drills and a set at the swimmer's own pace.
Flat on the back, a quiet kick and a smooth arm recovery
Swimmers learn to stay flat, keep the head still and turn the shoulders with each arm. Drills with a kickboard and with one arm at a time come before whole-stroke laps.
Kick, pull and glide timed together
The kick takes the longest and gets the most drills. The pull comes next, then when to breathe and glide, and the evening finishes with the two-hand touch at the wall.
A dolphin kick, then one arm, then both
Swimmers build the dolphin kick on the front, the side and the back before the arms join in. Rhythm comes before distance, and coaches stop a set when the stroke starts to break down.
Streamlines, starts from the wall and the deck, and turns
Swimmers practice a tight streamline, starts from the wall and from the deck, flip turns and open turns. Starts from the deck begin only after a coach has watched the swimmer's streamline.
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample sessions.
Five levels
Each level has its own cap, a short list of what swimmers work on and a way up. The coach decides when a swimmer moves on.
A streamline off the wall
Freestyle with breathing to the side
Backstroke arms and a steady back kick
Kicking on the front and the back with a board
When freestyle and backstroke carry the swimmer down the pool with steady breathing, the coach suggests Four strokes.
Breaststroke kick and pull, one at a time
Dolphin kick on the front, the side and the back
Freestyle and backstroke with arms and legs together
Open turns at the wall
When the swimmer can swim each of the four strokes with arms and legs together, the coach suggests Stroke technique.
Freestyle and backstroke with breathing to both sides
Breaststroke timing with a glide
Butterfly one arm at a time, then both
Open turns on every stroke
When the strokes look steady from the deck and the turns are clean, the coach suggests Starts and turns.
Starts from the wall and from the deck
A tight streamline and kicks off the wall
Flip turns on freestyle and backstroke
Touches at the wall on breaststroke and butterfly
When starts and turns hold together inside a full length, the coach suggests Practice sets.
Sets with rest on the wall
Circle swimming with a lane partner
Reading the pace clock
Starts and turns inside a set
There is no level after this one; the coach sets new goals with each swimmer every session.
Sample levels.
Every swimmer moves at their own pace.
Where we swim
A heated outdoor pool with lanes and starting blocks. Enter through the gate beside the parking lot. Parents watch from the bleachers on the east deck, and the closest parking spaces are marked for accessible parking.
Directions to the Foothill Community Pool officeAn indoor lane pool. Use the pool entrance on the north side of the campus, not the school office, and park in the visitor lot. Parents watch from the bleachers along the south wall.
Directions to the Arroyo Hills High School pool officeYour coaches
Every coach has a background check and training in CPR, first aid and lifeguarding.
Owner and head coach
Junjie started Marlin after years of coaching club-age swimmers. He runs the level checks, teaches the freestyle clinic and the starts and turns clinic, and coaches in Mandarin.
Coach, backstroke
Maceo teaches the backstroke clinic at Foothill and is often the coach a new swimmer meets first at a level check. He works one stroke at a time and stops to show it.
Coach, breaststroke
Mackenna swam for a club team as a teenager and teaches the breaststroke clinic at Arroyo Hills. She is known for drills that break the kick into small parts.
Coach, butterfly
Jeimy teaches the butterfly clinic at Arroyo Hills and helps with the starts and turns clinic on Saturday mornings. She starts every swimmer with the dolphin kick on the back.
In the water
A coach is on the deck or in the water with every group, and the pool's own lifeguard is on duty during our clinics.
1 adult to 4 children
Building a stroke, ages 7 to 14
1 adult to 5 children
Four strokes, ages 7 to 14
1 adult to 6 children
Stroke technique, ages 7 to 14
1 adult to 6 children
Starts and turns, ages 7 to 14
1 adult to 6 children
Practice sets, ages 7 to 14
Swimmers check in with a coach at the pool gate and warm up together before the first drill.
A parent or guardian stays on site during every clinic and watches from the bleachers.
Every group learns circle swimming, how to start a set and how to let a swimmer pass before any set begins.
Kickboards, fins and pull buoys are rinsed and checked between clinics.
Sample details.
Every swimmer starts with a level check at one of our two pools. A coach watches the swimmer swim, suggests a level and tells you which clinics fit. Then you register for a clinic on our enrollment page.
Freestyle and backstroke are open from Level 1. Breaststroke needs Level 2, and butterfly and starts and turns need Level 3. The coach at the level check suggests a clinic and, if you want a second one, which should come next.
No. Our clinics suit swimmers who are thinking about a club team and swimmers who want to swim a stroke well. We don't run a team and can't promise a place on one.
A swimsuit or a swim shirt, a cap, goggles, a towel and a water bottle. Kickboards, fins and pull buoys are ours.
Both pools have bleachers. A parent or guardian stays on site during every clinic, and we ask that phones stay away from the water's edge.
Choose a clinic on our enrollment page, then pick a time for your swimmer's level check.