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 focus on backstroke.

This camp will be limited to 36 participants per session.

Leading this camp are Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman and Ben Cono! Scroll down for more details on the curriculum.

Session Times (Both Days):
11 & Under: Check in 1:00 PM, Clinic 1:15 PM-3:15 PM
12 & Over: Check in 3:30 PM, Clinic 3:45 PM-5:45 PM

Suggested Participants

SAVE: Sign up before prices rise or the sessions fill up!

Nick and Ben will be in the water leading four sessions - two for each age group. This camp is recommended for swimmers with at least one year of competitive swimming experience. Swimmers younger than 8 years old are not recommended without their coach's approval.

Curriculum

DAY 1 (SATURDAY): ELITE FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE

Freestyle is the stroke swam more than any other in races and practices. Creating and cultivating good habits now will not only make your swimmer faster but will also reduce the risk for injuries in the long term. Olympic gold medalist Nick Thoman and Ben Cono 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: Your swimmer's freestyle will never be fast without a strong bodyline. Your swimmer 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: Your swimmer will become a stronger and faster kicker 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. Nick and Ben 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: All swimmers know to keep one goggle in and one goggle out of the water when they take a breath, but do they know when and how long to breathe? Nick and Ben will show your swimmer how to make each breath more efficient for faster freestyle racing no matter what distance.

DAY 2 (SUNDAY): ELITE BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE

Your swimmer understands the core components of backstroke, now begin to master the subtle skills that will help your swimmer compete at a higher level. Participants will practice using their core to create rotation and a 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 Thoman and Ben Cono 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.

ASK QUESTIONS

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

WATCH THE CLINICIANS

Observe Nick and Ben 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 your top speed with two of the best swimmers in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo with Nick and Ben, get autographs, and ALL PARTICIPANTS receive a FREE Fitter and Faster Collector’s Bag Tag for each day they are at the camp. Collect all 37 and trade with your friends!

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

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