Pick whichever is closest and has the best schedule for you.

Tollefson is great, just expensive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really, check out Tollefson. Their technique is the best. They’re at Prep and St Alban’s on the weekends for stroke & turn.

Several kids on my DDs summer swim team did Tollefson and had good things to say about it. That being said it is pretty pricey to do a weekly stroke and turn and an endurance class with them. If you think your kid might want to use this as a springboard to joining a club next year, it’s probably worth the money, but if your kid just enjoyed summer swim and wants to keep it at that level, I would go with FINS.

Whatever your plans, I would do Tollefson over FINS. The instructors are experienced and great with kids and it's important to learn strong technique at a young age. You want to build a strong foundation so your child can decide whether to pursue a team later.

Anonymous wrote:Really, check out Tollefson. Their technique is the best. They’re at Prep and St Alban’s on the weekends for stroke & turn.

Several kids on my DDs summer swim team did Tollefson and had good things to say about it. That being said it is pretty pricey to do a weekly stroke and turn and an endurance class with them. If you think your kid might want to use this as a springboard to joining a club next year, it’s probably worth the money, but if your kid just enjoyed summer swim and wants to keep it at that level, I would go with FINS.

Really, check out Tollefson. Their technique is the best. They’re at Prep and St Alban’s on the weekends for stroke & turn.

For JFD that may be because the distance for younger and less advanced swimmers is more manageable, especially if you are trying to work on technique (which as PP has said is much more important at this age). Our summer swim team uses the well for it's pre-team as well as for 8 and unders when they are working on breast/fly for this very reason. Unless you've been for an evaluation/try-out, I'm not sure you can know what group your child will be assigned to and it would probably be better for you to go and investigate both options.

Thank you for all the replies . I understand that driving to VA is crazy .I was thinking about JFD or FINS. In JFD I hear they do half of the well training . Is that ok ?

Fins is great for MCSL prep!

When spring comes, you can add more days if you want more than one. Their outdoor program runs daily classes.

Work on technique, technique, technique. So much more important for a longterm swimmer.

Agree - don't drive to VA!

JFD has clinics (and two locations so possibly more space). TOLL is pretty full so you may need to get on a waitlist for next session (Nov start?) for stroke and turn/endurance but they are definitely the best for stroke work. I think FINS is running both an indoor and outdoor pool so might be the best in terms of actually getting in. Your child is young and PP is right, not much endurance is needed for a 50 Free. Being in the water 1x a week is enough. If you are in eastern MoCo (which it doesn't sound like it), then Fairland has MSSC, FAST and PAC which all might have options and UMD has MACH which also might have an option (also at Fairland but they don't offer their stroke clinic there).

We love FISH but there is no way we would drive that far for it.

Anonymous wrote:

I’m looking for winter stroke and turn clinics with endurance . Not so much of competitive swimming . Just in order to be ready for summer swim team . My son is 9 year old . We are in MOCO but willing to travel to Nova if FISH programs are better and price wise ok . Any suggestions? Thanks

What type of endurance are you looking for? In MCSL, the freestyle is a 50 for the 9-10 year olds, but everything else is only a 25, so in terms of just summer swim, not a lot of endurance is needed. At that level I found that 1x a week was enough for my kid to keep up from an endurance standpoint.

We had a good experience with Fins. JFD was also okay. Both focus more on technique than endurance. If you're looking for both -- and willing to spend the money -- you could look into Tollefson. They do stroke classes and separate endurance classes.

So do not drive to NoVa for swim unless it is on the weekend. That is a lot and you will hate it.

Is your son legal in all four strokes?

Stroke and turns are generally not endurance work. They are designed to focus on technique which is very important and should be the focus of a program for kids under the age of 12. This is not always the case.

If you want your kid to stay in shape he needs to swim two days a week. Find a club near you that offers this. It will be usually the prep group for the competitive team - a mini group of some sort. They will do endurance and technique. You might not be able to find a slot though this late in the game.

Swim has had a HUGE uptick in the DC area because it was considered a safe sport so now there are more swimmers than ever before in the area. But call around and see if you can get on a waitlist. People move and have to leave the area all the time around here. Spaces open.

I’m looking for winter stroke and turn clinics with endurance . Not so much of competitive swimming . Just in order to be ready for summer swim team . My son is 9 year old . We are in MOCO but willing to travel to Nova if FISH programs are better and price wise ok . Any suggestions? Thanks