Past Clinic: Comprehensive Starts, Backstroke, and Freestyle Racing

Victor High School
953 High St, Victor, NY 14564

A description of what was covered at this past clinic is below the upcoming clinics.

Upcoming Swim Clinics and Camps

Within 250 miles of Victor, NY.

Starting Apr 06, 2024

Hollidaysburg High School

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Big Spring High School Natatorium

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Marywood University

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Youth Development and Aquatic Center

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Mercer County Community College

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Victor Aquatics Center

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Victor Aquatics Center

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Kaplan Recreation Center at Mt. St. Mary's College

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Starting Jun 01, 2024

Kaplan Recreation Center at Mt. St. Mary's College

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Past Clinic

Introduction

September 24-26, 2021: Comprehensive Starts, Backstroke, and Freestyle Racing Camp- Save when you purchase multiple sessions for one or more swimmers!

This swim camp will cover a lot of ground over 3 days and will benefit committed competitive swimmers of any caliber! Session sizes are limited to no more than 24 participants to ensure the highest level learning experience! This camp will be led by  Olympian Nick Thoman and Elite Clinician Makayla Sargent!

  • September 24, (Friday): The first session of the weekend is for all swimmers ages 11 & up. Participants will work on Explosive Starts, underwater dolphin kicking and breakouts! (Check in 6:15 PM, Clinic 6:30 – 9 PM)

Sessions on Saturday and Sunday will be divided into two groups.  One group for swimmers 12 & under and another for swimmers ages 13 & up.

  • September 25, (Saturday): High Performance BackstrokeTechnique
  • September 26, (Sunday): Freestyle Race Strategy
    • Session Times for the 25th & 26th:
      • 12 & Under: Check in 8:45 AM, Clinic 9 – 11:30 AM
      • 
13 & Over: Check in 12:45 PM, Clinic 1-4 PM

Scroll down for more details on the curriculum! Sign up for all 3 sessions and save! 

Suggested Participants

This camp are 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 9 years old are not invited without submitting their times or swimming history to Fitter and Faster.

Curriculum

DAY ONE: EXPLOSIVE STARTS

The start sets up a swimmers race. The more power off the block- the better! There are countless intricacies to performing an explosive start, followed by a dominating underwater. Nick and Makayla have spent numerous hours practicing details of starts and underwater dolphin kicking and will work with swimmers on how to be explosive and efficient with each movement.

  • STARTS: Nick Thoman and Makayla Sargent will work with swimmers to find the best position on the block, as well as how to launch off with power into a tight streamline. Swimmers will also discover their optimal reaction time to get off the blocks fast and ahead of their competition.
  • UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The fastest swimmers know how to weaponize their underwater. It's one of the most crucial components to maintaining speed off the walls! Understanding the importance of streamlined underwater speed is vital for every level of swimmer.
  • 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 explode into the first stroke and accelerate onward.

DAY TWO: HIGH PERFORMANCE BACKSTOKE TECHNIQUE

Begin to master the subtle skills that will help swimmers compete at a higher Backstroke level. Participants will practice using their core to create rotation as well as a stable and balanced stroke, build a powerful pull with a strategic use of stroke rate, and use their kick as a dominant propulsive force.

  • BODY POSITION: Participants will work with Nick and Makayla to feel and understand how to maintain a neutral spine and head position for less drag and better full body connection in backstroke.
  • ROTATION: The fastest backstrokers in the world use a powerful rotation to create more power and increase their tempo. Discover how to finesse when to rotate and how to use it for maximum speed and power.
  • KICK: If a swimmer is kicking from their knees it is less efficient than kicking from the hip. Nick and Makayla will help swimmers maintain maximum propulsion with the proper kicking technique.
  • PULL: It is very important for swimmers to bend their elbow very early in the pull so that they can get an early catch for an immediate and powerful press back into the water. Participants will work on timing their catch for the greatest amount of pull possible.

DAY THREE: FREESTYLE RACING STRATEGY

The technique for swimming a fast freestyle race changes depending on the distance. Learning how to prioritize tempo vs. length and speed vs. efficiency can make a big difference in maximizing speed in shorter races or increasing endurance in longer races. The session will also include a training set designed to challenge swimmers and complement the technical foundation developed during the session.

  • DISTANCE PER STROKE: Depending on a swimmer's race, their distance per stroke might change. Longer distances require extended, efficient strokes to save energy. Shorter events might need to have to increase the number of strokes taken to go faster. Participants will work with our clinicians to discover the proper stroke counts for different event lengths.
  • TEMPO: A Swimmer’s tempo is how fast or slow they complete each stroke. Slower tempos allow swimmers to conserve energy by taking fewer strokes. Faster tempos are tiring but much faster. Changing tempo based on event distance and fatigue level will help participants swim as fast as possible.
  • PACING: At this session, Nick Thoman and Makayla Sargent will help participants refine their stroke count and tempo to limit fatigue and increase efficiency to race faster in any distance!
  • TRAINING FREESTYLE: Also included in this session is an elite workout designed by your clinicians and the Fitter and Faster Coaching Team. This workout is specifically designed to challenge your swimmer’s freestyle and help identify strengths and weaknesses in their training, which will ultimately transfer into becoming a better racer!

ASK QUESTIONS

Swimmers and parents are invited to ask our 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 top speed with some of the best swimmers & coaches in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo with clinicians, get autographs, and ALL PARTICIPANTS receive a FREE Fitter and Faster swim cap!

Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!

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