Freestyle and backstroke have a lot of similarities in technique. Working on both strokes together can deepen a swimmer's understanding of the skills necessary to race fast! There will be two sessions for each age group: Saturday will focus on freestyle technique. Sunday will cover backstroke.

DAY 1 (SATURDAY): HIGH PERFORMANCE FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE

As you know, freestyle is the stroke swam more than any other in races and practices. Creating and cultivating good habits will not only make your swimmer faster but will also reduce the risk for injuries in the long term. Katrina Konopka will be in the water leading participants through a progression of freestyle drills. These will allow them to deepen their understanding of each part of the stroke and help create good habits for fast and efficient freestyle technique.

• BODYLINE: Swimmer’s freestyle will never be fast without a strong bodyline. Participants will reinforce good posture and engage their core to have a strong foundation for a faster freestyle.
• ROTATION: Participants will learn to utilize their rotation to form more connection and power out of every pull and kick.
• KICK: A fast kick is the motor behind a swimmer's stroke! Participants will polish up their kicking to become stronger and faster through learning about both the technique and timing of each kick.
• PULL: The best swimmers in the world utilize an early vertical forearm to put immediate pressure back on the water. Your clinicians will also teach swimmers how to get maximum extension and a powerful finish to the stroke! Learn new drills and exercises to get more power from every stroke.
• BREATH: Timing is everything! The clinicians will work with the participants on how to make each breath more efficient for faster freestyle racing no matter what distance.

DAY 2 (SUNDAY): HIGH PERFORMANCE BACKSTROKE 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 Katrina and Joao 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 body rotation to create more power and increase their tempo. Your swimmer will learn how much to rotate, when to rotate, and how to use it for maximum speed and power.
• KICK: Have you ever noticed how many swimmers’ knees break the surface when they kick in backstroke? This means that the swimmer is kicking with their knees which is less efficient than kicking from their hip. Maintaining maximum propulsion and proper kicking technique will greatly improve your swimmer’s backstroke.
• 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.

Swimmers at this camp will focus on developing a strong race strategy for events 100 and 200 yards in any stroke. By learning how to vary components of technique, pacing, and tempo, participants can take their racing to the next level in any stroke. Saturday will focus on events 200 yards in length. Sunday will focus on swimming a fast 100 yard race.

DAY 1 (SATURDAY): SWIMMING A FAST 200

Races over 200 yards and meters are some of the most fun to swim and to watch because of the wide variety of strategies that swimmers can use. Some swimmers will take the race out very fast and hope to hang on at the finish, some will save their energy and finish strong, while others will hit consistent splits to balance those two strategies. Katrina and Joao will help participants see which strategy works the best for their swimming as well as how to implement that plan for faster racing.

• DISTANCE PER STROKE: One way to increase efficiency is to take fewer strokes. Counting the number of strokes and improving technique to decrease that number will save energy. On the other side, it may be faster to take more strokes per length, especially in shorter events.
• TEMPO: Your swimmer’s tempo is how fast or slow they complete each stroke. Having a slower tempo allows swimmers to conserve energy by taking fewer strokes, while a faster tempo is more tiring but much faster. Changing tempo based on event distance and fatigue level will help your swimmer swim as fast as possible.
• PACING: Every swimmer strategies their 200 yard races differently, and your clinicians will demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of these main approaches. Whether your swimmer likes to go out hard or finish strong, having a pre-race strategy will help make sure they are ready to swim each race confidently!

DAY 2 (SUNDAY): SWIMMING A FAST 100

Swimming the 100 freestyle requires a unique strategy and planning for fast racing. Technique is tweaked to provide more power for the event, and taking advantage of the start and streamline off each wall has a larger impact. Trying to find the perfect balance between staying underwater, maintaining speed on the surface, and keeping a strong breathing pattern is difficult, but Katrina Konopka and Joao de Lucca are the best instructors to help teach your swimmer.

• SPRINTING: Sprinting is all about swimming with “controlled aggression!” Clinicians will demonstrate how to swim with power, while also being relaxed - having too much tension will make your swimmer slip in the water and slow down. Swimmers will observe how to tweak their stroke to make them quick yet efficient - increasing tempo, shortening the breath, and a strong connected kick will lead to an explosive race!
• PACING: Pacing for races 100 yards or meters can be broken up many ways. Katrina will present different strategies on how to swim 100s: some swimmers focus on each 50, balancing “front end speed” and “back end speed”. Experimenting and learning new techniques will allow your swimmer to improve their 100!
• UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: The fastest swimmers know how to weaponize their dolphin kicking. It is absolutely, undeniably, the fastest way to move through the water! Whether you dolphin kick on your stomach, side, or back, understanding the importance of streamlined, underwater speed is vital for every swimmer!