Swim camp curriculums
Each Fitter and Faster swim clinic and camp is customized to meet the needs of the intended competitive swimmers, coaches and teams.
We take into consideration the age, skill level and other factors to create the best curriculum for each swim camp. The key for participants to improve and retain information is to cover a narrow set of topics at each session.
Camps: Two to five or more days of comprehensive learning experiences, often consisting of sessions on consecutive days. Participants are encouraged to sign up for all sessions of a camp. However, oftentimes we provide the opportunity for participants to sign up for individual sessions within the camp.
Series: is a combination of camps at one particular location or within a region. Participants can sign up for all of the camps as a “bundle” or individual camps.
Most of the swim camps we design are for competitive swimmers between the ages of 10 and 17 with two or more years of organized competitive experience. Our swim clinics and camps are attended by swimmers who swim in the first few heats of local competitions all the way up to Junior National champions, age group record holders and swimmers who have gone on to swim at the NCAA Division 1 level and Olympic Trials. One past attendee even competed at the 2016 Olympics.
We also produce swim camps especially for adults and swimmers new to competitive swimming – including the heralded “Green Flag Series” that we created in partnership with Indiana Swimming.
Below is a list of some of our most popular curriculums:
1. Speed and Power Camp
This camp is recommended for swimmers ages 12 & up.
- Day 1 clinic: Power; Dynamic warmup; Improving power in stroke technique
- Day 2 clinic: Speed
- Dryland for swimming
- Maintain technique through fatigue
- Speed training
- Recovery (nutrition, sleep, recovery techniques)
2. Race Strategy Camps: Race Strategy Camps are quickly becoming one of our most popular. How many times have you asked your coach “how should I swim this race?” This camp seeks to help the participant answer that question by learning and applying different race strategies. Each session of each camp focuses on one specific race. These camps are less about a specific stroke and are more about the distance, mindset and execution of various strategies so that you will perform at a higher level. The most popular Race Strategy Camps across this USA are:
- The 100’s
- The 200’s
- The IM’s
- 500 Freestyle
- 50 Freestyle
3. Explosive Starts and Turns Camps
- Day 1 clinic: Dives, underwater dolphin kicking, Breakouts
- Day 2 clinic: Flip turns, open turns, finishes
4. “Comprehensive” camps: Each Comprehensive camp focuses on just one stroke or technique for the duration of the camp (usually 2 to 3 days):
- Popular Comprehensive Camps:
- Explosive Starts, underwaters, breakouts
- Powerful turns (flip, open, IM transitions), underwaters, breakouts & finishes
- High Performance Butterfly
- High Performance Backstroke
- High Performance Breaststroke
- High Performance Freestyle
- Day 1 clinic: Technique and drills (as appropriate for the participants of that session)
- Day 2 clinic: Applied butterfly speed; Open turns; Finishes
- Day 3 clinic: Distance per stroke; tempo; pacing; sprint versus distance variations
5. Four to Six Session Racing Camp (usually held over two to four days). Popular options include:
- Starts & underwaters
- Freestyle technique
- Backstroke technique
- Breaststroke technique
- Butterfly technique
- Flip turns, open turns and finishes
6. Boot Camp & College Performance Training Camps
- Set your stroke up with drills for the first part of each session. Then, engage in a high intensity, dynamic training set specific to that particular camp’s focus.
- Swimmers are divided by sessions and lanes according to speed.
7. Elite Video filming and Analysis
- Have your swimmers’ stroke professionally filmed SIMULTANEOUSLY at strategic angles below and above water! THEN, have your video analyzed with voice over and graphics on the actual video by an Elite Clinician or Olympic coach.
8. Long Axis Camps (Freestyle and Backstroke)
- Day 1 clinic: Freestyle skills, drills and tempo
- Day 2 clinic: Backstroke skills drills and tempo
- 11 & under (Basic/advanced concepts)
- 12 & Over (Advanced/elite concepts)
9. Short Axis Camps (Butterfly and Breaststroke)
- Day 1 clinic: Butterfly skills, drills, tempo
- Day 2 clinic: Breaststroke skills, drills, tempo
- 11 & under (Basic/advanced concepts)
- 12 & Over (Advanced/elite concepts)
10. “Technique Academy”
- The “Technique Academy” consists of five individual clinic sessions over five days to improve ALL ASPECTS of participants’ racing
- Two clinic sessions each day for two sets of age groups (11 & under) and (12 and above)
- Session length: Sessions for swimmers ages 11 & under are usually 2-2.5 hours and the sessions for swimmers ages 12 and up are usually 3 hours.
Additional “add-on” topics for any swim camp:
♦ Meet preparation
(Swim Blog: The Final 24 Hours before race time)
♦ Balancing School and Swimming
(Swim Blog: Student Athlete Balance)
♦ Mental Preparation
(Swim Blog: Developing the Self-sufficient Athlete)
♦ Sprinting and racing skills
♦ Nutrition
(Swim Blog: Fueling a Fitter and Faster Swimmer)
(Swim Blog: Recovery Nutrition)
♦ Sessions for swim parents
(Swim Blog: Being a Supportive Swim Parent)
(Swim Blog: Swim Family, The Vanderkaays)
(Swim Blog: Swim Parent Perspective: Wildman-Tobriner)
1. Speed and Power Camp
- Day 1 clinic: Power; Dynamic warmup; Improving power in stroke technique
- Day 2 clinic: Speed
- Dryland for swimming
- Maintain technique through fatigue
- Speed training
- Recovery (nutrition, sleep, recovery techniques)
2. Race Strategy Camps: Race Strategy Camps are quickly becoming one of our most popular. How many times have you asked your coach “how should I swim this race?” This camp seeks to help the participant answer that question by learning and applying different race strategies. Each session of each camp focuses on one specific race. These camps are less about a specific stroke and are more about the distance, mindset and execution of various strategies so that you will perform at a higher level. The most popular Race Strategy Camps across this USA are:
- The 100’s
- The 200’s
- The IM’s
- 500 Freestyle
- 50 Freestyle
3. Explosive Starts and Turns Camps
- Day 1 clinic: Dives, underwater dolphin kicking, Breakouts
- Day 2 clinic: Flip turns, open turns, finishes
4. Two or Three Day Comprehensive STROKE camps: Each Comprehensive Stroke camp focuses on just one stroke or technique for the duration of the camp:
- Popular Comprehensive Camps:
- Explosive Starts, underwaters, breakouts
- Powerful turns (flip, open, IM transitions), underwaters, breakouts & finishes
- High Performance Butterfly
- High Performance Backstroke
- High Performance Breaststroke
- High Performance Freestyle
- Day 1 clinic: Technique and drills (as appropriate for the participants of that session)
- Day 2 clinic: Applied butterfly speed; Open turns; Finishes
- Day 3 clinic: Distance per stroke; tempo; pacing; sprint versus distance variations
5. All Strokes Two-day Camp
- Day 1 clinic: Butterfly/Breaststroke technique and drills
- Day 2 clinic: Freestyle/Backstroke technique and drills
6. Four Session Racing Camp (usually held over two to four days):
- Session 1: Starts & underwaters
- Session 2: Long axis: freestyle & backstroke technique
- Session 3: Flip turns, open turns and finishes
- Session 4: Short Axis: breaststroke & butterfly technique
7. Boot Camp & College Performance Training Camps
- Set your stroke up with drills for the first part of each session. Then, engage in a high intensity, dynamic training set specific to that particular camp’s focus.
- Swimmers are divided by sessions and lanes according to speed.
8. Elite Video filming and Analysis
- Have your swimmers’ stroke professionally filmed SIMULTANEOUSLY at strategic angles below and above water! THEN, have your video analyzed with voice over and graphics on the actual video by an Elite Clinician or Olympic coach.
9. Long Axis Camps (Freestyle and Backstroke)
- Day 1 clinic: Freestyle skills, drills and tempo
- Day 2 clinic: Backstroke skills drills and tempo
- 11 & under (Basic/advanced concepts)
- 12 & Over (Advanced/elite concepts)
10. Short Axis Camps (Butterfly and Breaststroke)
- Day 1 clinic: Butterfly skills, drills, tempo
- Day 2 clinic: Breaststroke skills, drills, tempo
- 11 & under (Basic/advanced concepts)
- 12 & Over (Advanced/elite concepts)
11. IM Racing and Strategy Camp
- Day 1 clinic: Butterfly and backstroke; underwater dolphin kicking; open turns
- Day 2 clinic: Breaststroke and freestyle; Breaststroke pullouts; crossover turn (back to breast)
12. “Technique Academy”
- The “Technique Academy” consists of five individual clinic sessions over five days to improve ALL ASPECTS of participants’ racing
- Two clinic sessions each day for two sets of age groups (11 & under) and (12 and above)
- Session length: All sessions 3 total hours plus sign-in
Additional “add-on” topics for any swim camp:
♦ Meet preparation
(Swim Blog: The Final 24 Hours before race time)
♦ Balancing School and Swimming
(Swim Blog: Student Athlete Balance)
♦ Mental Preparation
(Swim Blog: Developing the Self-sufficient Athlete)
♦ Sprinting and racing skills
♦ Nutrition
(Swim Blog: Fueling a Fitter and Faster Swimmer)
(Swim Blog: Recovery Nutrition)
♦ Sessions for swim parents
(Swim Blog: Being a Supportive Swim Parent)
(Swim Blog: Swim Family, The Vanderkaays)
(Swim Blog: Swim Parent Perspective: Wildman-Tobriner)
Five-time Olympian (twice as a swimmer and three-times as a coach) Brett Hawke is Fitter and Faster's Development Director for swim clinics and camps. He is charged with cultivating our curriculum topics so that we are continuously creating innovative curriculums that benefit local communities throughout the United States, Canada and other key competitive swimming communities.
Olympic gold medalist Tyler McGill works with a participant at a Fitter and Faster swim clinic
Olympian Shane Ryan offers constructive feedback to a participant.
Laura Sogar works with participants of a clinic in Southlake, TX.
