Irvine Swim Camp Series for Ages 13 & over!
Woollett Aquatics Center
4601 Walnut Ave,
Irvine,
CA 92604
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Introduction
Fitter & Faster is returning to the iconic Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine, California to produce two, 2-day swim camps in April & June of 2024. This swim camp page is for competitive swimmers ages 13 & over. Please see below for swim camps in Irvine for additional age groups.
2024 IRVINE SWIM CAMP SERIES (Ages 13 & over)
-> Comprehensive Freestyle Racing (2 sessions on April 27 & 28)
-> Fast Underwaters, Starts, Turns and IM Transitions including Crossover Turns (4 sessions on June 1 & 2)
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details on each swim camp
-> Availability in each session of the swim camp is limited to ensure the highest level learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase a "Bundle” for your swimmer.
ADDITIONAL SWIM CAMPS IN IRVINE:
Select a curriculum below
COMPREHENSIVE FREESTYLE RACING CAMP - April 27 & 28
Freestyle is the first stroke we learn. It’s the stroke we swim the most at practice. There are more freestyle races and relays at meets... and it is the fastest stroke to move through the water. As with any other stroke, the more efficient and powerful your technique - the more success you will experience with your practices and freestyle races as your career progresses. Over two days, your swimmer, no matter their level, will improve their freestyle technique, racing and training skills! This swim camp will be led by elite clinician: Drew Loy!
- DAY 1 (April 27) FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE: Cultivating good habits to swim high level freestyle begins as soon as you learn the stroke. Even if your swimmer is already in high school - it’s never too late to begin practicing techniques that will drastically improve their efficiency, power and times. Today, your swimmer will work on techniques to strengthen their bodyline, catch, kick, pull, and breathing pattern.
- Bodyline: A freestyle race is going to be fastest with the 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 often bad habits are created. 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 strokes.
- Rotation: Freestyle is fastest and most efficient when a swimmer’s body is “rotating” around their spine with each stroke. This part of swimming freestyle has a big effect on maintaining a proper bodyline. Participants will practice activating their core muscles to form a powerful connection from head to toe with every stroke - resulting in faster freestyle.
- Kicking: A swimmer’s kick is the motor behind their freestyle! There are obviously proper and improper ways to kick which we will review at the camp. Just as important, however, is practicing the complexities of how and when swimmers need to “shift gears” in their legs to become stronger and faster racers.
- Pull: The pull in freestyle keeps a swimmer balanced and accelerating forward. Essentially the best swimmers are creating a paddle with every stroke. The clinicians will work with participants to establish an early vertical forearm “the catch”, enabling the swimmer to put immediate pressure back on the water. Properly completing the stroke keeps the swimmer moving forward efficiently and fast.
- DAY 2 (April 28) FREESTYLE RACING AND TRAINING SKILLS: The technique for swimming a fast freestyle race changes depending on the distance. Learning to prioritize tempo and length of stroke, while maintaining efficiency has a huge impact on maximizing speed for sprints or increasing endurance for distance races.
- Stroke Length: A long 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: Tempo is the rate at which a swimmer is moving their arms and legs. When sprinting short races many swimmers often tend to take too many strokes (“spin their wheels”) and not “hold onto the water”. At this camp we will explore different tempos that suit your swimmer for different distances.
- Pacing/Control: A swimmer’s tempo will change depending on the race that they are swimming. It may also change at different points during the same race! Your elite clinician will teach participants how to manipulate their tempo, speed and energy at different points in a race. This is called Pacing or “Control”.
- Breathing Pattern: Establishing a breathing pattern will help the swimmer stay focused and relaxed during their swim. It will also help them finish the race with enough oxygen to close the race at full speed.
- Speed Set: At the end of this session your swimmer will do a short and fast swim set to practice everything they have learned over the past two days.
Fast Underwaters, Starts, Turns and IM Transitions including Crossover Turns - June 1 & 2
In 4 sessions, over two days, our clinicians will guide participants in strengthening and perfecting the fastest parts of every race: starts, underwater dolphin kicking, breakouts, & turns! This sequence not only allows swimmers to maximize their speed, but also to cover the most ground with optimal efficiency! This swim camp will be led by elite clinician: Drew Loy!
- DAY 1, Session 1: THE FIFTH STROKE - UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: Why do elite swimmers have faster times in “short course” pools than in “long course” pools? It’s the power they’re able to generate from the walls, leading into the fastest sequence in every lap of a race: streamline -> underwater dolphin kick -> breakout!
- Streamline: The streamline - when done properly - is the fastest a swimmer travels while in the water. Proper streamlines are faster than underwater dolphin kicking. 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: Top-level 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 1, Session 2: EXPLOSIVE STARTS!: The better a swimmer’s technique is off the starting block, the more speed they will carry into the water. Session 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.
- Day 2, Session 3: FASTER FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS & FINISHES: Quick, powerful turns and finishes are crucial to fast times and winning close races. The top age group and elite swimmers aren't using walls just for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Elite swimmers are constantly working their turns and looking for areas to improve them. Today, we're going to work with your swimmer on taking this crucial part of every race (and practice) to the next level!
- Momentum: At the elite level of swimming, walls aren’t just used for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Outside of the elite ranks, most swimmers stop or slow down while going into the wall, which kills their momentum! We will work with participants on the intricacies of approaching every wall at top speed and seamlessly initiating their “turn”.
- Flip Turns: Flip turns are an opportunity for your swimmers to increase momentum in the middle of a race! Flip turns in which the athletes slow down or have “mechanical” movements negatively impact the speed at which a swimmer comes off the wall. We will work with your swimmer to produce fast flip turns so that they can explode off the walls at maximum speed.
- Open Turns: Elite butterflyers and 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!
- Streamline, Underwaters Dolphin Kicking & Breakout Progression: At this session participants will continue to work on the progression covered during session 1.
- 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.
- DAY 2, Session 4: IM TRANSITIONS & CROSSOVER TURNS: The turns throughout an IM are essential! During session 4, participants will work with our elite clinicians on IM transitions, Crossover Turns & Open Turns to maximize momentum into and out of every wall!
- IM Transitions: Participants will work on fast transitions (i.e. turns) between each leg of the IM. Our elite clinicians will work with participants to finesse their IM transitions and explore different types of transition turns to have the tools to go from each leg of the IM in the fastest way possible!
- Crossover Turns: Cross-over turns are essential for collegiate swimmers and crucial for success in IM races. Despite their significance, they are often the least practiced and the leading cause of DQ's across all levels of athletes. This session aims to refine participants' cross-over turn technique, focusing on maintaining speed into the touch, mastering rotation mechanics, and maximizing the strength of the underwater pullout during the Breaststroke phase.
- Breaststroke Pullouts: The best breaststrokers are faster under the water than on the surface! Swimmers will polish up the components and sequence of movements that make up a fast underwater breaststroke pullout.
START TIMES FOR APRIL 27 & 28:
- DAY 1 (Saturday, April 27): Check in. 1:30 PM, Camp 1:45-4:45 PM
- DAY 2 (Sunday, April 28): Check in. 12:30 PM, Camp 12:45-3:45 PM
- Sessions 1 & 3: Check in 10 AM, Camp 10:15-12:45 PM
- Sessions 2 & 4: Check in 1:30 PM, Camp 1:45-4:15 PM
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
Throughout the camp, swimmers will practice what they've learned with some of the world's most elite Swimmer Clinicians and coaches!
Take a photo, get autographs, and chat with your clinicians!
Drew Loy
Drew Loy is an Ohio State University Alumni, two-time Big Ten Champion, and an Olympic Trials qualifier. He brings energy, joy, and a wealth of knowledge to every camp that he leads. You don't want to miss the chance to work with Drew!
Elite Clinician
Fitter and Faster clinicians are Olympians and National Team members who have achieved at the highest level of the sport of swimming... and who have the unique skill to teach what they know from a technical perspective to swimmers of all ages and abilities.
Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!
