Fitter & Faster is producing a 2-day swim camp in Potsdam, NY on October 8 & 9, 2022! This camp consists of 4 sessions – all for competitive swimmers ages 11 & Over. SAVE when you purchase the “Full Camp Bundle”!

Day 1: Saturday, Oct 8:
Session 1: High Performance Breaststroke Technique & Open Turns
Session 2: Relay Exchanges, Dryland & Recovery Techniques including Nutrition

Day 2: Sunday, Oct 9:
Session 3: High Performance Butterfly Technique
Session 4: Sprinting & Fast 50’s

Scroll down for more details on the curriculum! Session sizes are limited to no more than 24 participants to ensure the highest level learning experience!

SESSION TIMES
Sessions 1 & 3: Check in 8:45 AM, Camp 9-11:30 AM
Sessions 2 & 4: Check in 12:15 PM, Camp 12:30-3 PM

Suggested Participants

This camp is designed for swimmers with a minimum of one-year of competitive swimming experience all the way up to AAAA times and faster. Swimmers younger than 11 years old are not invited without submitting their times or swimming history to Fitter and Faster.

Curriculum

Day 1: Saturday, Oct 8

Session 1: BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE & OPEN TURNS

We want your swimmer to establish a well-timed breaststroke. During the 1st session, we will practice various drills and skills that will enable your swimmer to have flowing hips, a powerful kick and a long, flowing stroke. We will also be working on generating speed and momentum going into the next lap with quick open turns!

BODYLINE: A breaststroke race is going to be fastest with a proper bodyline. Even the slightest adjustment of the chin, neck, and/or back can make a huge difference. Elite breaststrokers focus on minimizing drag by “catching water” on their hands and feet as quickly as possible, so they can shoot back into a “straight bodyline” where they can glide at top speed.
KICK: The kick creates a lot of the power in breaststroke. Swimmers need to keep their knees high in the water and snap their feet quickly around and back to create a powerful kick. Our clinicians will work with participants to strengthen their kick for the ultimate propulsion forward!
PULL: The name of the game in breaststroke is to create as much propulsion as possible in the pull while minimizing resistance… and then quickly getting back into a straight bodyline to establish a high speed glide. Participants at this session will focus on setting up a proper "catch" and keeping their hands and elbows high on the water throughout the entire pull. The techniques your swimmer will practice will minimize resistance and enable them to maintain forward momentum for the fastest breaststroke.
TIMING: Fast, flowing breaststroke is the result of proper timing between a swimmer’s hands and feet. Establishing proper timing in your swimmer’s breaststroke will allow for more fluidity, power and speed. Participants in this session will learn how elite swimmers time their breaststroke for ultimate efficiency and the fastest races.
OPEN TURNS: Elite breaststrokers utilize speed from their last lap to create momentum and even more speed at the beginning of the next lap. Their open turns are actually not “turns”, but more like high-speed pivots. Participants in this session will work on these techniques to have much faster open turns!

Session 2: RELAY EXCHANGES, DRYLAND & RECOVERY

During the second session, participants will work with our elite clinicians on explosive and well timed relay exchanges that will lead to stronger performances! Participants will also learn specific dryland exercises and recovery tactics that will help them recuperate after hard practices and prep for workouts and swim meets!

RELAY EXCHANGES: In relays, reaction time is crucial! At this camp your swimmer will learn skills that the best swimmers in the world use to time the “exchange” just right! If we react too quickly, we’ll start before the other swimmer finishes - and we’ll get disqualified. If we start too slow, we can lose our positioning in a race! Learning the proper technique for a well-timed start and an explosive relay dive will make your swimmer a valuable teammate.
DRYLAND: Participants will work on swimmer specific strength & conditioning exercises to promote core strength, stability and coordination. They will also work on explosive strength training, specifically for starts and underwater kicks!
RECOVERY: While training is important for swimming faster and gaining strength, recovery is just as important to make sure that you can keep training at a high level. Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, proper nutrition and stretching before and after practice are vital to athletes of all ages! During this session, we will talk with the swimmers (and parents) on recovery tactics that will help prepare your body and mind for your upcoming practices and races!

Day 2: Sunday, Oct 9

Session 3: BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE

We want your swimmer to establish a rhythmic butterfly. During session 3, we will practice various drills and skills that will enable your swimmer to have flowing hips and a long, more powerful butterfly stroke.

BODYLINE: A butterfly race is going to be fastest with a proper bodyline. Even the slightest adjustment of the chin, neck, and/or back can make a huge difference. As swimmers mature in the sport and grow physically, their body position shifts and bad habits can emerge. Participants will learn and practice proper posture and engagement of their core to have a strong foundation for better technique - creating a full-body connection for more hydrodynamic and efficient butterfly strokes.
KICK: Each butterfly stroke has two kicks to propel the swimmer towards the other end of the pool! If the kicks are properly timed and equally strong, they can positively impact your swimmer’s efficiency and stroke timing! Your swimmer will work on how and when to kick in butterfly for maximum speed.
PULL: Long and smooth strokes allow swimmers to have a more efficient and fluid butterfly. The pull in butterfly keeps a swimmer accelerating forward. Your clinicians will work with participants to establish an early vertical forearm, “the catch”, enabling the swimmers to put immediate pressure back on the water. Properly completing the stroke keeps the swimmer moving forward efficiently and fast.
BREATH: The timing of the breath in butterfly has a direct relationship on a swimmer’s body position, pull, kick and TIMES! At this camp, we will work with participants on breathing with their chin low to the water... and WHEN to breathe in their stroke cycle so that they develop the most efficient stroke possible!

Session 4: SPRINTING & FAST 50's

Now is the time for swimmers to establish and cultivate habits to swim their shorter races as fast as possible with good technique that will position them for success as they mature.

BODY POSITION: A competitive swimmer’s body position is the key to fast swimming. Most swimmers are NOT hydrodynamic in the water - and that has a big effect on how fast they “allow” themselves to swim - especially as they get older. Let’s find the right body position for your swimmer.
STROKE LENGTH: Lengthening their stroke will enable your swimmer to “catch” and hold onto more water to propel them as they swim. Whereas a short stroke is inefficient and not sustainable for very long. The clinicians will work with participants on this important skill for fast swimming.
TEMPO: When sprinting short races young swimmers often tend to take too many strokes (“spin their wheels”) and not “hold onto the water”. At this camp we will find the appropriate tempo to maximize their own personal speed.
BREAKOUTS: Many swimmers add movement within their breakout that creates drag and destroys all of the power created during their underwaters. Participants will work on timing their breakouts to accelerate to explode into each lap.
SPRINTING: During session 4, we are going to apply those skills to swimming “all out” on top of the water with efficiency and power.
WALLS!: Approaching the wall at top speed in preparation for the fastest turn is vital. Swimmers will work on techniques to get in and out of every wall faster!
FINISHES: Dropping time and even winning or moving up a few spots in the results can all come down to the last stroke! A well-timed finish at full speed, with full-arm extension and head down can make a difference of up to a full second in a race! Your swimmer is going to learn how to take advantage of the finish to drop time!
SPRINTING APPLICATION: Swimmers at this session will work on applying their newly developed skills during racing scenarios. As with all the other segments of this camp, the clinicians will provide feedback for your swimmer to take home and apply at upcoming practices and meets.

ASK QUESTIONS

Swimmers and parents are invited to ask the clinicians questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into their training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.

WATCH THE CLINICIANS

Observe clinicians swim at full speed and demonstrate a progression of perfectly executed drills to achieve powerful, efficient and fast swimming.

PUT YOUR SKILLS TO THE TEST

Swimmers will get to practice what they've learned by taking their stroke to your top speed with some of the best swimmers and coaches in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo with the clinicians, get autographs, and ALL PARTICIPANTS receive a FREE Fitter & Faster give away item!

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