This swim camp is all about preparing for best times at the end of the short course season! On Saturday the curriculum will cover starts, underwater dolphin kicking, and "taper mindset". On Sunday the focus will be on flip turns, open turns, and your swimmer's mindset at the big meet.

Your clinician for this camp will be Elite Clinician and Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman. Scroll down for more details on the curriculum.

Suggested Participants

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Nick will be in the water for 4 sessions designed for swimmers with at least one year of competitive swimming experience. Swimmers under 8 years old are not recommended.

Curriculum

SESSION 1 & 2 (SATURDAY): STARTS, UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING, & TAPER MINDSET

The start is your opportunity to cover as much ground as possible in a very short period of time, with great efficiency and momentum heading into your underwater kicking and breakout. There are countless intricacies to performing a start and you only get better with practice. Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman will share his experiences on how he found time to practice and improve his start both in and out of the water and teach your swimmer some of his most effective strategies to execute this explosive and athletic movement. Nick will also cover "taper mindset" so that your swimmer can use their taper to sharpen their skills.

STARTS: Start out your big race FASTER! How you set up on the block including proper hand and foot placement can allow your swimmer to drive forward with a lot more explosive power. Nick will work with each swimmer to find their best position on the block as well as how to launch their body forward efficiently into a tight streamline and enter through a small hole.
UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The not-so-secret weapon of elite level swimmers is their underwater dolphin kick. Nick is known as one of the best underwater dolphin kickers in the world and he specializes in teaching swimmers how to unlock their potential in this important skill.
TAPER MINDSET: A few weeks before a big meet, a coach will begin to sharpen a swimmer's skills by having the group do shorter practices. However, these practices are not meant to be easy, they should allow a swimmer to be able to fine tune their explosive skills. During this time, swimmers should be focused on practicing and visualizing fast swimming at the end of the season. Nick Thoman will go over the mindset necessary to get the most out of their taper for faster racing at the end of the season.

SESSION 3 & 4 (SUNDAY): FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS, AND PRE-RACE MINDSET

Races are often won and lost because of the quality of turns of the competitors. Many people don't realize this, but the push-off and streamline from the wall after a turn SHOULD BE the fastest a swimmer will go while in the water other than the streamline after a dive. Even elite level, swimmers often add in extra movements on their turns that slow them down and even cause them to lose races that they could have won. At this session, Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman will work with each participant to maintain their momentum at these key points in a race. He will also go over tips for the best mindset before your swimmer's race for maximum performance.

FLIP TURNS: Your swimmer will learn how to carry their momentum through the turn to get in and out of every wall faster. Swimmers will practice accelerating into the wall with long strokes and then using their core and arms to get through the turn. They'll practice planting their feet on the wall for a powerful pushoff in the perfect streamline. Nick will give the swimmers drills and exercises to help them master this athletic skill now as well as in the future!
OPEN TURNS: Think about the open turn differently! You should not be making an open to turn around and swim the next lap. If you're doing this - you're actually stopping and then trying to regain speed again. An expertly executed open turn involves spinning backwards. This enables you to carry momentum into the pushoff. We're going to teach you how to cut a lot of time on this turn... helping you in all of your breaststroke and butterfly races!
PRE-RACE MINDSET: Finding the right mindset before a race can be difficult. Many swimmers get nervous and tighten up which doesn't allow them to race to their best ability. Nick Thoman has competed and won at the highest level: the Olympic Games! He will teach participants tips for controlling their nerves, staying focused, and finding a mindset for fast racing!

ASK QUESTIONS

Swimmers and parents are invited to ask Nick questions during a Q&A session. Gain insight into his training regimen, diet and nutrition, and recovery tactics.

WATCH THE CLINICIAN

Observe Nick 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 one of the best swimmers in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo while wearing Nick's medals, get autographs, and a gift from TYR Sport!

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

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