Past Clinic: Fast Starts, Turns, Underwaters & More Swim Camp

Bay Club Pleasanton
7090 Johnson Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588

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

Upcoming Swim Clinics and Camps

Within 250 miles of Pleasanton, CA.

Starting Oct 12, 2024

Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa

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Starting Feb 15, 2025

Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa

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Past Clinic

Introduction

Fitter & Faster returning to the Bay Club Pleasanton in Pleasanton, California to produce a 2-day swim camp on April 27 & 28, 2024!

FAST STARTS, TURNS, UNDERWATERS & MORE SWIM CAMP
DAY 1 (Saturday, April 27): Fast Flip Turns, Open Turns & Finishes
DAY 2 (Sunday, April 28): Explosive Starts, Underwaters & Breakouts 

Scroll down for details on the curriculum!
-> Availability in each session is limited to 24 participants to ensure the highest level learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase the “Entire Camp Bundle” for your swimmer's age group.

SESSION START TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS:
Ages 9 to 12: Check in 8:45 AM, Camp 9-11:30 AM
Ages 13 & over: Check in 12:15 PM, Camp 12:30-3:30 PM

Suggested Participants

Our top priority is to provide a world-class learning experience for all participants at all of our camps. This camp has sessions for swimmers ages 9 to 12 and 13 & older. Participants will range from one-year of competitive swimming experience to AAAA times and faster. If you are the parent of a child under the age of 9 and would like for your child to be considered for the younger sessions of this camp, please complete this questionnaire.

Curriculum

Fast Starts, Turns, Underwaters, Breakouts and Finishes - APRIL 27 & 28

The momentum generated from an explosive start and turns are the FASTEST that elite and top-level age group swimmers are moving in a race! The more efficient, powerful and hydrodynamic your swimmer is, directly impacts their speed and distance they travel in the water before taking their first stroke!

    Day 1 (Saturday, April 27): FASTER FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS & FINISHES

    Quick, powerful turns and finishes are crucial to fast times and winning close races. The top age group and elite swimmers aren't using walls just for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Elite swimmers are constantly working their turns and looking for areas to improve them. Today, we're going to work with your swimmer on taking this crucial part of every race (and practice) to the next level!

    • MOMENTUM: At the elite level of swimming, walls aren’t just used for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Outside of the elite ranks, most swimmers stop or slow down while going into the wall, which kills their momentum! We will work with participants on the intricacies of approaching every wall at top speed and seamlessly initiating their “turn”.
    • FLIP TURNS: Flip turns are an opportunity for your swimmers to increase momentum in the middle of a race! Flip turns in which the athletes slow down or have “mechanical” movements negatively impact the speed at which a swimmer comes off the wall. We will work with your swimmer to produce fast flip turns so that they can explode off the walls at maximum speed.
    • OPEN TURNS: Elite butterflyers and breaststrokers utilize speed from their last lap to create momentum and even more speed at the beginning of the next lap. Their open turns are actually not “turns”, but more like high-speed pivots. Participants in this session will work on these techniques to have much faster open turns!
    • FINISHES: Setting yourself up for a fast finish is very similar to setting yourself up for a strong turn in any race. Races are won and lost by hundredths-of-a-second at every swim meet. Many races come down to the last few strokes. At this camp, your swimmer will learn techniques to set themselves up for a well-timed finish when they are still about 10 yards from the wall.

    Day 2 (Sunday, April 28): EXPLOSIVE STARTS, UNDERWATERS & BREAKOUTS

    The better a swimmer’s technique is off the starting block, the more speed they will carry into the water. Day 2 of this swim camp will help your swimmer improve their start, underwater dolphin kicking and breakouts! This sequence is not only the fastest part of every race, but it is also the part of the race in which elite swimmers cover the most ground with the most efficiency.

    • BLOCK STARTS: To ensure an explosive start, a swimmer needs to set themselves up properly on the block. The elite clinicians will work with participants on the optimal positioning of your swimmer’s entire body to allow for a quick reaction time and optimal speed.
    • 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.
    • INITIATING UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The best swimmers maximize their streamline on every single lap. So, they don’t want to start their underwater dolphin kicking while they’re still achieving maximum speed in their streamline. They also don’t want to start the underwater dolphin kicking after their streamline has begun to slow. Your swimmer is going to learn how to time when to begin their underwater dolphin kicking.
    • POWERFUL UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: There are a few different techniques that swimmers use when underwater dolphin kicking. The common theme of these techniques is that the best swimmers kick up and down with equal power. We will show your swimmer the different techniques that elite swimmers use and teach them how to implement.
    • NUMBER OF UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKS: Figuring out the optimal number of kicks off each wall, for each race, is essential to fast swimming. Elite swimmers want to spend only the absolute necessary amount of time underwater to establish speed with each length. They want to avoid losing their breath and taking weak kicks.
    • BREAKOUTS: Many swimmers add movement within their breakout that creates drag and destroys all of the speed created during their underwaters. Participants will work on timing their breakouts to explode into each lap.

    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!

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