College Preparation Swim Camp For Grades 8
Woollett Aquatics Center
4601 Walnut Ave,
Irvine,
CA 92604
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Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing a series of 2-day College Preparation Swim Camps across the USA in 2024 for experienced competitive swimmers and the parents of athletes in 8th through 12th grades who are interested in college swimming. This swim camp page is for the camp in Irvine, CA, on September 7 & 8, 2024. Please see below for additional College Preparation Swim Camp Locations.
The College Prep Swim Camps are focused on guiding athletes through the information and in-water skills they need to progress to collegiate swimming. The camp includes sessions for parents to help you guide and support your swimmer through the college search process.
COLLEGE PREPARATION SWIM CAMP (Grades 8-12)
Day 1 (Saturday, September 7):
SESSION 1:
-> Classroom (Swimmers & Optional for Parents): Finding the “Right Fit”
-> Pool: Back to Breast Crossover Turns
SESSION 2:
-> Classroom (Parents): Parent Session
-> Pool: Training With Collegiate Intensity
Day 2 (Sunday, September 8):
SESSION 3:
Classroom (Swimmers & Optional for Parents): Navigating the Recruiting Process
Pool: Relay Starts & Review
SESSION 4:
Classroom (Swimmers): Learning to Analyze Races
Pool: Using Race Analysis Data in Training
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details about each camp session!
-> Availability in each session is limited to ensure the best learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase the "Entire Camp Bundle”.
Select a curriculum below
SEPTEMBER 7, SESSION 1: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT & CROSS-OVER TURNS
College swimming presents an amazing experience, but finding the perfect fit is vital. Swimmers must consider factors like their competitive level, academics, location, cost, and team position. During Session 1, participants will work on identifying their needs, setting priorities, and creating a timeline for their college search. Additionally, a fast and legal back to breast cross-over turn is crucial for IM races. This session focuses on refining the technique, addressing mistimed approaches, and maximizing underwater pullout strength to avoid disqualification and gain a competitive advantage.
- CLASSROOM - FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: College swimming is an incredible experience… and an opportunity that is available to every competitive swimmer. The key is finding the right fit for your swimmer.
- The Factors: It is important to consider factors such as competitive level, academics, location, cost, and position on the team.
- Needs and Wants: We will guide your swimmer through establishing their needs and wants.
- Priorities: Understanding their priorities will help your swimmer narrow their college search.
- Timeline: We will help your swimmer establish a timeline and plan to hone in on colleges that are the best fit for them.
- POOL - CROSSOVER TURNS: The back to breast cross-over turn is an expected skill for all swimmers going to college and is essential to racing IMs successfully at the highest level.
- Make it Legal: Crossover turns are also the least practiced and the most disqualified skill for athletes of all levels.
- Ambidexterity: Even elite swimmers typically have a weak turning side that they are working to improve. Participants in this session will learn, refine, and practice their cross-over turn to give them a leg up on the competition.
- The Approach: Most DQ’s happen due to mistimed approaches and loss of momentum into the wall. Participants will learn to maintain their speed into the touch (with both hands) and how to properly position their head to avoid disqualification.
- The Turn: Participants will learn the proper mechanics of rotation and foot placement to execute this maneuver with speed and agility.
- The Pullout: Many swimmers choose to sacrifice the quality of their Breaststroke underwater pullout when executing the cross-over turning, losing most of the advantage gained. Participants will learn how to maximize the strength of their push-off and underwater pullout.
SEPTEMBER 7, SESSION 2: PARENTS INFO SESSION & TRAINING WITH COLLEGIATE INTENSITY
During the parent info session in Session 2, we'll guide you through understanding your role in the college search process, NCAA rules, and financial aid options. Meanwhile, in the pool, swimmers will experience collegiate-level training, focusing on teamwork, knowledge acquisition, and taking ownership of their results.
- CLASSROOM - PARENTS INFO (Runs concurrently with pool session for the swimmers): Effective communication and understanding your role in the college search process is a key to helping your child find the best fit for themselves and your family.
- Parents Role: Knowing and understanding how to define your role in the process will help you navigate your child’s college search as smoothly as possible.
- Communication: We will stimulate parents’ thoughts and give you the information that you need to choose and communicate your role.
- Rules & Timelines: Learn the NCAA, NAIA, and Jr. College rules and typical timelines for the recruiting process for each division.
- Financial Aid: There are numerous sources of financial aid (athletic, need based, academic merit, “Alston Money”). You will learn the basics and also how to ask the right questions for each school.
- POOL - TRAINING WITH COLLEGIATE INTENSITY: Collegiate training sessions often have greater pace, intensity, and freedom of choice than most club or high school practices. Our second pool session of this camp will be a physically and mentally stimulating 2+ hour workout that simulates a collegiate practice. This will allow your child to continue their training progress (and reassure their high school or club team coach that they aren’t missing practice by attending camp).
- Teamwork: Collegiate swimming is the highest form of team swimming. This shows up during the practice as athletes work hard to push one another to the highest level. We will have a great environment that blends competition and cooperation!
- Knowledge: Collegiate coaches want their athletes to bring knowledge into each practice. This ranges from stroke technique to race strategy and everything in between.
- Ownership: Collegiate athletes understand that how they practice determines how they compete. We will coach the athletes to go beyond merely completing the practice to owning their results.
SEPTEMBER 8, SESSION 3: NAVIGATING THE RECRUITING PROCESS & RELAY STARTS
During the classroom portion of Session 3, swimmers and parents will learn about NCAA rules, how to contact coaches, college visits, scholarships, and decision-making. Then, in the pool, swimmers will focus on relay starts to improve their splits and secure relay spots.
- CLASSROOM - NAVIGATING THE RECRUITING PROCESS: This session will guide your swimmer step by step through the recruiting process including NCAA rules by division, how to communicate with coaches, and when/how to make their choice of college.
- The Process: Your swimmer will learn the different steps along the recruiting process.
- Contacting Coaches: When and how should your swimmer contact coaches?
- Being Inquisitive: What are the best questions to ask the coaches?
- College Visits: How do I choose whether to visit a school? Official versus “unofficial” visits.
- Scholarships: When should I ask about scholarships? How much money is “enough”?
- Making a Decision: How early do I need to decide?
- POOL - RELAY STARTS: College swimming takes the importance of relays to the next level. Swimmers will learn advanced relay start skills helping them decrease their splits and increase their chances of grabbing a coveted relay spot.
- Momentum: One advantage of relay starts is that swimmers can generate additional momentum off the blocks by moving forward both with their feet and a great arm swing.
- Timing: The other advantage of relay start is the elimination of reaction time. Elite reaction times are less than .15 seconds. Swimmers will learn to anticipate the approaching swimmer’s finish.
- Technique: There are several different relay start techniques that are currently in competitive use. We will introduce the one-step, two-step, hop, and step-over to help each participant find the fastest relay start technique for them as an individual.
SEPTEMBER 8, SESSION 4: RACE ANALYSIS
This session will teach swimmers the important, advanced skill of race analysis. The best swimmers in the world are the most knowledgeable and empowered. Race analysis provides the information to allow athletes (and coaches) to better plan and execute the optimal race strategy with this knowledge they can both increase the specificity of their training and maximize their performance. We will also study race statistics for the best in the world and show your swimmer the next step in their path to improvement. This session of the camp consists of learning in the classroom followed by a workout in the pool using the newly gained knowledge. Swimmers will be asked to bring video from their most recent championship meet and we will work with them to analyze their own races. After this camp your swimmer will be empowered to take their training to the next level and have a step up on their competition.
- CLASSROOM - LEARNING HOW TO ANALYZE RACES: We will start in the classroom having your swimmer analy
- Stroke Rate: Stroke rate quantifies the speed at which swimmers are moving their arms during the race. Not only is the rate specific to the race, but also to each lap and even within the lap. For example, swimmers able to maintain their rate through a 50m lap are more likely to translate short course success to long course.
- Stroke Count: The number of strokes/lap is easily measured and provides great insight into a swimmer's distance per stroke and efficiency in the water.
- Kick Count: Underwater kicking is firmly established as the 5th stroke. Elite swimmers have a plan for how many kicks to take each lap based on their kicking speed, endurance, and race strategy.
- Splits: Splits not only show a swimmers race strategy, but in combination with stroke rate, stroke count, and kick count can show a straightforward path to improvement.
- POOL - USING RACE ANALYSIS IN TRAINING: Your swimmer will jump in the pool and put their newly found knowledge to work. This race specific practice will challenge swimmers both physically and mentally.
- Counting Stroke: We will count strokes to improve distance per stroke and efficiency at race speeds.
- Working Tempo: We will experiment with different rates using either Tempo Trainers or coaches stopwatches.
- Kick Count Discipline: Kick count discipline during races is established with good habits in practice. Your swimmer will establish a kick standard for themselves during race pace training.
- Putting It Together: Stroke rate, distance per stroke, and kick count exist in a balance. For many swimmers taking fewer strokes is the best path to improvement while for others speeding up the rate (and taking more strokes) may be the best choice. We will teach the swimmers to discover the best balance for their races.
SESSION TIMES: Saturday (Day 1):
- SESSION 1:
- Check-in: 8:45 AM
- Classroom session for swimmers and parents: 9-10 AM
- Pool session: 10 AM-12 PM
- SESSION 2:
- Check-in: 1 PM
- Classroom session for parents only: 1:15 PM-3:15 PM
- Pool session for swimmers: 1:15 PM-3:45 PM
- SESSION 3:
- Check-in: 8:45 AM
- Classroom session for swimmers and parents: 9-10 AM
- Pool session: 10 AM-12 PM
- SESSION 4:
- Check-in: 1 PM
- Classroom session for swimmers: 1:15 PM-2:30 PM
- Pool session: 2:30 PM-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!
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!
