Did you know the fastest parts of every race are the start and turns? At this high performance swim camp, participants will work on starts on Saturday and turns on Sunday. A special emphasis will be put on underwater dolphin kicking in both sessions.

Your clinician for this camp with be Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman. Nick is known for his precision of technique and clear teaching style. He is one of the most experienced and requested clinicians with Fitter and Faster.

Each day there are sessions for swimmers ages 11 & under and another for those ages 12 and up. Scroll down to sign up and for more details on the curriculum.

Suggested Participants

SAVE: Sign up early - before prices increase or sessions fill up. These sessions are for competitive swimmers only. Swimmers younger than 9 years old are not encouraged to sign up for sessions 1 & 3 without a recommendation by their swim coach.

Curriculum

SESSION 1 & 2: DIVES AND UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING

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 experience 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.

DIVES: How you set up on the block including proper hand and foot placement can allow your swimmer to explode forward with a lot of 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 explosively 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 Thoman 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.
BREAKOUTS: Learn how to carry momentum from the underwater dolphin kicks into the breakout by timing the first stroke and staying streamlined. Your swimmer will practice keeping their head down and it'll make a big difference in their breakout!

SESSIONS 3 & 4: FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS, AND UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING

Races are often won and lost because of the quality of turns and underwater dolphin kicking 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 these sessions, gold medalist Nick Thoman will work with each participant to maintain their momentum at these key points in a race.

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!
UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: Many swimmer's don't know this, but you shouldn't begin dolphin kicking as soon as possible after the start or turn. Swimmers should push off in a tight streamline, then begin dolphin kicking after maximizing the speed of the pushoff. As a swimmer begins to kick, they should start bigger and slower, then become smaller and faster as they go. Nick will work with the participants at this session to not only have the proper technique, but also the proper strategy to get the most out of their underwater dolphin kicking!

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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