Fitter & Faster is producing a 2-day swim camp at the Fox Chapel Area High School in Pittsburgh, PA on September 16 & 17! This camp is being led by Elite Clinician and Olympic Gold Medalist Nick Thoman.

COMPREHENSIVE STARTS & UNDERWATERS SWIM CAMP!
DAY 1 (Saturday): The Fifth Stroke - Underwaters
DAY 2 (Sunday): Explosive Starts

Scroll down for details on the curriculum
-> Availability in each session is limited to ensure the best learning experience
-> SAVE when you purchase the “Full Camp Bundle” for your swimmer’s age group!

SESSION START TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS:
Ages 9 to 11: Check in 9:45 AM, Camp 10-12:30 PM
Ages 12 & over: Check in 1:15 PM, Camp 1:30-4:30 PM

Please click here for the swim clinic for adults focusing on Freestyle Technique on Friday evening, September 15th.

Suggested Participants

Our top priority is to provide a world-class learning experience for all participants at all of our camps. This camp has sessions for swimmers ages 9 to 11 and 12 & older. Participants will range from one-year of competitive swimming experience to AAAA times and faster. If you are the parent of a child under the age of 9 and would like for your child to be considered for the younger sessions of this camp, please complete this questionnaire. We are also producing a Master's swimmer session on September 15th, please click here for the registration page!

Curriculum

COMPREHENSIVE STARTS & UNDERWATERS CAMP! - September 16 & 17

Over 2 days, participants will work with our world-class clinicians to finesse and strengthen the fastest part of every single race: starts, underwater dolphin kicking and breakouts! This sequence is not only the fastest part of every race, but it is also the part of the race in which elite swimmers cover the most ground with the most efficiency.

Day 1: THE FIFTH STROKE - UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING (Sept 16)

Top-level swimmers have faster times in “short course” pools than in “long course” pools because of the power they’re able to generate from the walls. We are going to work with each participant to improve the fastest sequence in every lap of every race race: streamline, underwater dolphin kick and breakout! The techniques covered in this session will help improve swimmers times in every race.

STREAMLINE: The streamline - if done properly - will be the fastest a swimmer travels while in the water. Proper streamlines are even faster than underwater dolphin kicking. Even the most elite swimmers in the world are constantly working on improving their streamline. Your swimmer will get tips to improve their streamline and a better appreciation of what they need to do on every single wall in practice and in races.
INITIATING UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: Elite swimmers want to maximize their streamline on every single lap. So, they don’t want to start their underwater dolphin kicking while they’re still achieving maximum speed in their streamline. They also don’t want to start the underwater dolphin kicking after their streamline has begun to slow. Your swimmer is going to learn how to time when to begin their underwater dolphin kicking.
POWERFUL UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: There are a few different techniques that swimmers use when underwater dolphin kicking. The common theme of these techniques is that the best swimmers kick up and down with equal power. We will show your swimmer the different techniques that elite swimmers use and teach them how to implement.
NUMBER OF UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKS: Figuring out the optimal number of kicks off each wall, for each race, is essential to fast swimming. Elite swimmers want to spend only the absolute necessary amount of time underwater to establish speed with each length. They want to avoid losing their breath and taking weak kicks.
BREAKOUTS: Many swimmers add movement within their breakout that creates drag and destroys all of the speed created during their underwaters. Participants will work on timing their breakouts to explode into each lap.

DAY 2: EXPLOSIVE STARTS (Sept 17)

The better a swimmer’s technique is off the starting block, the more speed they will carry into the water. Day 2 of this swim camp will help your swimmer improve their start, underwater dolphin kicking and breakouts!

BLOCK STARTS: To ensure an explosive start, a swimmer needs to set themselves up properly on the block. The elite clinicians will work with participants on the optimal positioning of your swimmer’s entire body to allow for a quick reaction time and optimal speed.
BACKSTROKE STARTS & WATER ENTRY: Your swimmer is going to learn and practice starting a high performance backstroke race. We’re going to work on a “clean”, fast water entry in which the athlete carries the momentum from the start into their streamline, underwater dolphin kicking and breakout.
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.
FINISHES: Races are won and lost by hundredths-of-a-second at every swim meet. Many races come down to the last few strokes. At this camp, your swimmer will learn techniques to set themselves up for a well-timed finish about 10 yards from the wall. A well-timed finish is also a valuable attribute for swimmers competing on relays so that the next person can time their start with precision.

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, get autographs, and chat with your clinicians!

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