Competitive Enrichment Swim Camp Series (Ages 7 to 10)
Houston Swim Club - Sharpstown
8307 Augustine Dr,
Houston,
TX 77036
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Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing The Competitive Enrichment Swim Camp Series for swimmers ages 7 to 10 at the Houston Swim Club - Sharpstown in Houston, Texas during 2025! This transformative and engaging series is designed to help young swimmers build foundational competitive skills, boost their confidence, and foster a lifelong love for swimming. Below, you'll also find links to additional swim camps for swimmers of other ages in Houston.
COMPETITIVE ENRICHMENT SWIM CAMP SERIES (Ages 7 to 10)
-> Butterfly & Breaststroke Technique Swim Camp (April 12 & 13, 2025)
-> Freestyle & Backstroke Technique Swim Camp (September 20 & 21, 2025)
-> Underwaters & Turns Swim Camp (November 29 & 30, 2025)
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details about each swim camp.
-> Availability in each swim camp is limited to 24 participants to ensure the highest level learning experience.
ADDITIONAL SWIM CAMPS IN HOUSTON:
-> Ages 13 & over
-> Ages 10 to 12
Select a curriculum below
BUTTERFLY & BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE SWIM CAMP: April 12 & April 13, 2025
Butterfly and breaststroke use similar body positions, "wave-like" movements, and an early "catch" to help swimmers move quickly and efficiently across the pool. These strokes are called "short axis" strokes because swimmers don’t rotate their bodies like in freestyle and backstroke. Instead, they bend at the hips to create power and move forward. Over two days, your swimmer will improve their butterfly and breaststroke technique, whether they are beginners or more experienced, and get better at racing and training!
- DAY 1 (Saturday, April 12): BUTTERFLY DAY!: At the highest level of swimming, butterfly is the second fastest stroke and beautiful to watch because of its rhythmic and powerful strokes. There are some complexities to establishing a smooth, rhythmic fly, but with practice and attention to detail your swimmer can master the stroke and begin swimming it for longer distances and at very fast speeds!
- 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.
- Timing: 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!
- DAY 2 (Sunday, April 13): BREASTSTROKE DAY!: Of all the strokes, competitive breaststroke differs the most from the foundational form taught to young swimmers. This makes it one of the most challenging techniques to master. Our elite clinicians are here to help your swimmer develop race-ready breaststroke skills!
- Gliding: Competitive breaststrokers glide with their hands extended in front, reaching toward the far wall. They hold this extended position until and for several moments after the kick is completed. Maintaining a long, almost streamlined bodyline during the glide is key to maximizing efficiency and speed.
- High Hips: A fast breaststroke requires swimmers to keep their hips high in the water at all times. This involves minimizing the time their head stays out of the water. Swimmers will learn to initiate their breath early in the pull and avoid pausing with their hands near their chest—a critical step for maintaining momentum.
- Kick: The kick is the powerhouse of breaststroke. Swimmers will work on lifting their heels (instead of pulling their knees forward) and snapping their feet quickly around and back to generate strong propulsion. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining the kick within the same horizontal plane and rotating the ankles throughout the motion to develop a powerful and legal kick. Our clinicians will guide participants in refining and strengthening their kick to achieve maximum forward momentum.
- Pull: The key to breaststroke is generating propulsion with the pull while minimizing resistance—and quickly returning to a straight bodyline for a high-speed glide. Many young swimmers have too big of an armstroke which impacts their timing and can even lead to disqualification. Swimmers in this clinic will learn to establish a proper "catch," keeping their hands and elbows high in the water and in front of their shoulders throughout the pull. These techniques will help them maintain forward momentum and achieve their fastest breaststroke.
FREESTYLE & BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE SWIM CAMP: September 20 & September 21, 2025
Freestyle and backstroke use the same body position, posture, and movement to help swimmers go fast and smoothly through the water. Both strokes are called "long axis" strokes because swimmers rotate their bodies from the hips and torso. Over two days, your swimmer will get better at freestyle and backstroke, whether they are beginners or more advanced, improving their technique and skills for both racing and practice!
- DAY 1 (Saturday, September 20): FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE
- DAY 2 (Sunday, September 21): BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE
- Bodyline: On each day of this camp, participants will learn and practice proper posture and engagement of their core for better technique in freestyle and backstroke. Participants will learn how even the slightest adjustment of the chin, neck, and/or back can make a huge difference in creating more hydrodynamic and efficient strokes - for faster swimming!
- Rotation: Freestyle and backstroke are fastest and most efficient when a swimmer’s body is “rotating” around their spine with each stroke. This part of swimming both strokes 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 they take! On Day 1 we will work on rotation skills for Freestyle and on Day 2 rotation skills for backstroke.
- Kicking: While similar, the kick is different in freestyle and backstroke. In both strokes the kick is the motor behind their races! There are obviously proper and improper ways to kick which we will review on each day of this 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 both freestyle and backstroke keeps a swimmer balanced and accelerating forward. Essentially the best swimmers are creating a paddle with every stroke. On each day of this camp, your clinicians will work with participants to establish an early vertical forearm “the catch”, enabling your swimmer to put immediate pressure back on the water. Properly completing the freestyle and backstroke arm-pull keeps the swimmer moving forward efficiently and fast.
UNDERWATERS & TURNS SWIM CAMP: November 29 & November 30, 2025
Fast turns and strong underwater movements are essential for swimming faster and doing well in races. Top swimmers use the walls to push themselves and keep their speed going into the next lap. In this two-day camp, we’ll focus on helping your swimmer improve their turns and underwater skills, making them more confident and ready for faster races!
- DAY 1 (Saturday, November 29): THE FIFTH STROKE - UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: In the first session, our expert coaches will help swimmers improve the fastest way to move through each lap: streamlines, underwater dolphin kicks, and breakouts. Perfecting these skills helps reduce resistance in the water and makes swimming more efficient, which leads to faster times and better performance!
- Streamline: The streamline - when done properly - is 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.
- Starting Underwater Dolphin Kicking: The best swimmers make sure they are moving fast in their streamline before they start kicking. They also wait until they have the most speed before they begin kicking. Your swimmer will learn how to time their underwater dolphin kicks so they can start at just the right moment.
- Powerful Underwater Dolphin Kicking: Swimmers use different ways to kick underwater, but the key is to kick strong and evenly. We’ll show your swimmer how to kick with power to go faster and teach them the techniques that top swimmers use.
- How Many Underwater Dolphin Kicks: Knowing how many kicks to take off each wall is essential for swimming fast. The best swimmers only stay underwater as long as they need to build speed without wasting time or getting out of breath. Your swimmer will learn to find the right number of kicks for each race.
- Breakouts: Many swimmers make extra movements when they start swimming again after their underwater kicks, which slows them down. In this session, your swimmer will practice timing their breakout to start each lap quickly and keep their speed.
- DAY 2 (Sunday, November 30): FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS & FINISHES: Fast turns and finishes are key to swimming faster and winning close races. The best swimmers don’t just use the walls to turn around—they use them to build speed for the next lap. Top swimmers always work on their turns and look for ways to get even better. In this session, your swimmer will learn how to improve their turns and finishes, which are important in every race and practice!
- Momentum: The fastest swimmers use the walls to help them speed up and keep going into the next lap. Many swimmers slow down as they approach the wall, which stops their momentum. We’ll teach your swimmer how to approach the wall at full speed and keep that speed going into the turn.
- Flip Turns: Flip turns are a great way to get more speed in the middle of a race. When swimmers slow down or do the flip wrong, it slows them down coming off the wall. We’ll work with your swimmer on doing fast, smooth flip turns so they can push off the wall with maximum speed.
- Open Turns: Swimmers who do butterfly and breaststroke use the speed from their last lap to get even faster on the next lap. Their open turns are more like quick pivots instead of regular turns. Your swimmer will learn how to do these fast open turns to keep their speed up.
- Streamline, Underwater Dolphin Kicking, Breakout Progression: In this session, swimmers will continue working on the techniques they learned on Day 1, like streamlining, underwater dolphin kicking, and breakouts to build even more speed.
- Finishes: A strong finish can make the difference between winning and losing a race, and it starts well before the swimmer reaches the wall. Many races are decided in the last few strokes. Your swimmer will learn how to set up for a fast finish and be ready to explode when they’re still 10 yards away from the wall!
START TIMES:
- April 12 & 13, 2025
- DAY 1: Check in 3:45 PM, Camp 4-6:30 PM
- DAY 2: Check in 11:45 AM, Camp 12-2:30 PM
- September 20 & 21, 2025
- DAY 1: Check in 12:30 PM, Camp 12:45-3:15 PM
- DAY 2: Check in 8:15 AM, Camp 8:30-11 AM
- November 29 & 30, 2025
- DAY 1: Check in 3:45 PM, Camp 4-6:30 PM
- DAY 2: Check in 11:45 AM, Camp 12-2:30 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!
Marina Spadoni
As a former ESL teacher, Marina Spadoni understands that students have different learning styles and she applies this knowledge to coaching young swimmers. Marina believes that consistency and hard work can help any swimmer reach their goals. She encourages camp participants to set personal goals and teaches them how to develop the skills to meet and exceed them!
Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!
