Houston, Texas Swim Camp Series For Ages 13 & over

Houston Swim Club - Sharpstown
8307 Augustine Dr, Houston, TX 77036

Countdown

2days
13hours
29minutes
31seconds

Introduction

Fitter & Faster is returning to Houston Swim Club-Sharpstown in Houston, Texas to produce four, 2-day swim camps and a video filming session for competitive swimmers ages 13 & over between February and December of 2024. See below for additional Houston swim camps for swimmers in different age groups.

HOUSTON SWIM CAMP SERIES (Ages 13 & over)
-> Comprehensive Butterfly Racing Swim Camp (April 27 & 28)
-> Executing on Race Day: Success Through Habit Building and Accountability (June 29 & 30)
-> Comprehensive Breaststroke Racing Swim Camp (August 17 & 18)
-> Video Filming & Analysis (August 17)
-> Comprehensive Backstroke Racing Swim Camp (November 30 & December 1)

Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details on each swim camp!
-> Availability in each session is limited to 24 participants to ensure the best learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase an “Entire Camp Bundle” for your swimmer.

ADDITIONAL SWIM CAMPS IN HOUSTON:

Select a curriculum below

COMPREHENSIVE BUTTERFLY RACING SWIM CAMP - April 27 & 28

EXECUTING ON RACE DAY: SUCCESS THROUGH HABIT BUILDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY - June 29 & 30

COMPREHENSIVE BREASTSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP - August 17 & 18

VIDEO FILMING & ANALYSIS - August 17

COMPREHENSIVE BACKSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP - November 30 & December 1

Curriculum

Session TimesSession Times & Groups

COMPREHENSIVE BUTTERFLY RACING SWIM CAMP - April 27 & 28

At the highest level of swimming, butterfly is the second fastest stroke and beautiful to watch because of its rhythmic and powerful strokes. There are some complexities to establishing a smooth, rhythmic fly, but with practice and attention to detail your swimmer can master the stroke and begin swimming it for longer distances and at very fast speeds! No matter your swimmer’s level, this 2-day camp will strengthen their butterfly technique, racing and training skills that will lead to faster and more efficient butterfly races! This swim camp will be led by elite clinician and Olympic Gold Medalist Jack Conger.

DAY 1 (Saturday, April 27): BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE: We want your swimmer to establish a rhythmic butterfly. Today we will practice various drills and skills that will enable your swimmer to have flowing hips and a long, more powerful butterfly stroke.
Bodyline: A butterfly race is going to be fastest with a proper bodyline. Even the slightest adjustment of the chin, neck, and/or back can make a huge difference. As swimmers mature in the sport and grow physically, their body position shifts and bad habits can emerge. Participants will learn and practice proper posture and engagement of their core to have a strong foundation for better technique - creating a full-body connection for more hydrodynamic and efficient butterfly strokes.
Kick: Each butterfly stroke has two kicks to propel the swimmer towards the other end of the pool! If the kicks are properly timed and equally strong, they can positively impact your swimmer’s efficiency and stroke timing! Your swimmer will work on how and when to kick in butterfly for maximum speed.
Pull: Long and smooth strokes allow swimmers to have a more efficient and fluid butterfly. The pull in butterfly keeps a swimmer accelerating forward. Your clinicians will work with participants to establish an early vertical forearm, “the catch”, enabling the swimmers to put immediate pressure back on the water. Properly completing the stroke keeps the swimmer moving forward efficiently and fast.
Breath: The timing of the breath in butterfly has a direct relationship on a swimmer’s body position, pull, kick and TIMES! At this camp, we will work with participants on breathing with their chin low to the water... and WHEN to breathe in their stroke cycle so that they develop the most efficient stroke possible!
DAY 2 (Sunday, April 28): BUTTERFLY RACING AND TRAINING SKILLS: On the first day of this camp swimmers worked on skills to implement a solid, efficient butterfly stroke. On Day 2 we will work on racing skills and apply speed to their butterfly. Your swimmer's elite clinicians will work with participants on maintaining their technique by developing proper distance per stroke, appropriate race tempo, and training for a faster and stronger butterfly.
Stroke Length: Lengthening your swimmer’s butterfly stroke will enable them to “catch” and hold onto more water to propel them as they swim. In butterfly, it is particularly important to establish a “rhythmic flow”. We will teach participants how to stay long and avoid a short butterfly stroke that is inefficient and not sustainable for very long. The clinicians will work with participants on this important skill for swimming fast butterfly.
Tempo: Tempo in butterfly is the rate at which a swimmer is moving their arms and hips. When swimming butterfly races many athletes tend to take too many short strokes (“spin their wheels”) and not “hold onto the water”. At this camp we will explore different tempos that are sustainable for any distance your swimmer is racing.
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.
Speed Set: At the end of this session your swimmer will do a short and fast swim set to practice everything they have learned over the past two days.

EXECUTING ON RACE DAY: SUCCESS THROUGH HABIT BUILDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY - June 29 & 30

The best swimmers in the world have the best details on race day. The secret to their success is understanding that execution under the physical and mental stress of competition is the result of daily habit building and accountability. This in-water camp will focus on important details of practicing and racing that your swimmer already knows about, but may not “execute regularly”. As they swim, athletes will learn the value of building positive habits that are similar to the best athletes in the world… and how to enlist those around them to hold them accountable during training.

DAY 1 (Saturday, June 29): HABIT BUILDING: How a swimmer practices directly impacts how they compete. This session will focus on athletes using their best technique and details throughout an entire workout. Your swimmer will learn the skill of building good habits and taking advantage of opportunities to execute during the routine and stress of practice.
Putting it in Practice: The majority of the teaching will be done in the context of a pool workout. There is no better way to learn than putting things into practice. We will focus this session on 5 details where we can build great habits in a workout that will translate directly to meets. - STREAMLINE - BREATH DISCIPLINE - TURNING - FINISHES - BREAKOUTS
Habit Formation: It takes between two and three weeks of continual use to establish a new habit. This can seem like a monumental task to a swimmer until they think about it in the context of a season or even a swimming career. If you do a great streamline off of every single wall in practice for a few short weeks, then you are set up to have a lifetime of great streamlines just like the most elite swimmers in the world.
Habit Consistency: To build great habits, swimmers have to use proper technique at every single opportunity. Letting go of technique during the hardest set of the week or even the easy swimming during warm up can set them back in their progress. The science of nerve myelination teaches us that the more often we do something the easier and quicker we are able to do it. Many people refer to this as “muscle memory.” This is both why repeated practice of good technique leads to good technique, but also why it is so difficult to change bad habits.
Habit Coupling: Habits are most easily adopted by coupling them with already established habits. We can use this knowledge in two ways. The first is to couple the newly desired habit with a pre-existing habit. If the last item in a swimmer’s pre-race routine is to clap their hands, we can couple this clap with visualization and execution of a powerful start. The second is to change the routine before a bad habit to stop the cycle. For example, we can trigger a better streamline by changing the motion of pushing off the wall to start a swim.
Visualizing: Visualizing desired movements is a great and low effort way to make improvements. Vivid visualization has the same effect on the brain and body as physically executing the skill correctly. Watching a video of desired movements increases their likelihood in the future. Watching a video of errors similarly increases the likelihood of errors.
Commitment to Good Habits: Your swimmer will leave the camp committing to themselves to continue to work their new good habits every single chance they have - just like the best swimmers in the world do!
DAY 2 (Sunday, June 30): COMMITMENT TO ACCOUNTABILITY: Success is a choice made repeatedly each day in practice. Great swimmers hold themselves accountable every single day. This accountability can range from broad areas such as effort and attitude to details like streamline and breathing. This session is designed to help swimmers learn tools to hold themselves accountable and get the most out of every single workout. We will reinforce the habits from session one and expand the scope in the midst of a rigorous practice.
Putting it in Practice: The majority of the teaching will be done in the context of a pool workout. There is no better learning than putting things into practice. GOOD HABITS: We will start by having teammates hold themselves and each other accountable for the great habits we built in the first session of the camp. PEER COACHING: The workout will then involve new technical skills and engage the swimmers in giving feedback on the execution of drills to one another. Swimmers will work on staying focused on and reminding one another to follow the intent of the workout such as consistent kicking and negative splitting. EFFORT ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE POWER OF TEAM: The workout will conclude with a challenging set and provide opportunities for the swimmers to encourage one another and feel the power of a team working together to achieve greatness. They can take this special feeling home to their club or school.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is being aware of and intentional in your actions at all times. We will work to help swimmers understand why they are doing what they are doing and be aware of it consistently. What is your purpose? How do your actions reflect your purpose? How do your actions impact those around you? We will tackle all of these questions.
Correction Without Shame: Strong negative emotions associated with errors only serve to either reinforce the error (similar to reviewing video of poor technique) or lead to feelings of hopelessness and further errors. The key is for the swimmer to allow themselves to be corrected without feeling shame. Successful people take note of corrections and make the corrections without shaming themselves.
Enlisting Your Coach: The purpose of a coach is to help swimmers achieve their goals. This partnership is easy to lose sight of in the day to day. Listening and acting on a coach’s advice at practice will not only help a swimmer be better, but will also increase the amount of feedback they receive in the future. We will teach athletes the skill of accepting feedback and how to get the most out of the coach-athlete relationship.
Enlisting Your Teammates: Did your swimmer forget to put their head down at the finish? Are they having a difficult day and feeling checked-out at practice? A teammate can be the first line of accountability back to engagement. We will teach your swimmer how to empower their teammates to help hold them accountable. We will also teach them how to help hold others accountable in a productive and positive way.
The Power of Team: The gold standard in accountability is a full team invested in one another's success and holding one another accountable. Our training session will build and demonstrate the power of a team.
Commitment to Accountability: Your swimmer will leave the camp committing to hold themselves accountable in practice each and every day. They will also be committing to helping those around them who make that choice also.

COMPREHENSIVE BREASTSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP - August 17 & 18

At the highest level of swimming, breaststroke has the most varied technique. Out of the eight finalists at the Olympic Games, you might see eight different styles of breaststroke! A swimmer's timing and ability to eliminate resistance are hallmarks of an efficient and powerful breaststroker. No matter your swimmer’s level, this 2-day camp will strengthen their technique, racing and training skills that will lead to faster and more efficient breaststroke races… and faster IM’s!

DAY 1 (Saturday, August 17): BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE: We want your swimmer to establish a well-timed breaststroke. Today we will practice various drills and skills that will enable your swimmer to have flowing hips, a powerful kick and a long, flowing stroke.
Bodyline: A breaststroke race is going to be fastest with a proper bodyline. Even the slightest adjustment of the chin, neck, and/or back can make a huge difference. Elite breaststrokers focus on minimizing drag by “catching water” on their hands and feet as quickly as possible, so they can shoot back into a “straight bodyline” where they can glide at top speed.
Kick: The kick creates a lot of the power in breaststroke. Swimmers need to keep their knees high in the water and snap their feet quickly around and back to create a powerful kick. Our clinicians will work with participants to strengthen their kick for the ultimate propulsion forward!
Pull: The name of the game in breaststroke is to create as much propulsion as possible in the pull while minimizing resistance… and then quickly getting back into a straight bodyline to establish a high speed glide. Participants at this session will focus on setting up a proper "catch" and keeping their hands and elbows high on the water throughout the entire pull. The techniques your swimmer will practice will minimize resistance and enable them to maintain forward momentum for the fastest breaststroke.
Timing: Fast, flowing breaststroke is the result of proper timing between a swimmer’s hands and feet. Establishing proper timing in your swimmer’s breaststroke will allow for more fluidity, power and speed. Participants in this session will learn how elite swimmers time their breaststroke for ultimate efficiency and the fastest races.
DAY 2 (Sunday, August 18): BREASTSTROKE RACING TRAINING AND SKILLS: On the first day of this camp swimmers worked on techniques to implement an efficient breaststroke. On Day 2 we will work on applying speed to their breaststroke! Our objective is to get your swimmer to maintain their technique with distance per stroke, tempo, and flowing speed.
Tempo: Tempo in breaststroke is the rate at which a swimmer can get back into the proper bodyline to establish a high-speed glide. When swimming breaststroke races, many athletes tend to take too many strokes without ever getting into the proper bodyline. At this camp we will explore different tempos that are sustainable for any distance and allow for the proper glide between strokes.
Distance Per Stroke: One way to increase efficiency is to take fewer strokes. Counting the number of strokes a swimmer takes per lap, while improving technique to decrease that number, will enable them to be more efficient and even conserve energy. At this session, participants will discover how changing speeds might change their stroke-count, but should not change the effectiveness of each stroke.
Pacing: A breaststroker’s pace is going to change during a race and from distance to distance. When swimming breaststroke, your swimmer can learn to measure their pace using tempo and distance per stroke. At this session we will practice race strategy pacing for all breaststroke events.
Breaststroke Pullouts: The breaststroke pullout is an important and unique part of every breaststroke race. We will work with participants on minimizing resistance in their pull-outs and establishing maximum speed. The pullout can be used strategically, depending on the distance of the race, to cover more ground before breaking out.
Training Breaststroke: At the end of this session your swimmer will do a short and fast swim set to practice everything they have learned over the past two days.

VIDEO FILMING & ANALYSIS - August 17

Since so much of the stroke happens below water – it is incredibly important to see what’s going on below the surface! Small adjustments to your stroke can lead to big time drops! This is your opportunity to get beautiful footage of your stroke and get analysis from an expert… and you can review with your coach as well!

ANALYSIS: Our Fitter and Faster expert will use a video analysis application to record their comments on your technique. They will use slow motion, pause the video at specific points, and draw on the swimmer's video all while explaining where opportunities for improvement are. Each stroke will have approximately 3 to 5 minutes of expert commentary that you can review with your coaches at home!
DRILL RECOMMENDATIONS: You will receive recommendations for drills to correct the technique of each swimmer.
SIGN UP: Select to have one stroke filmed. Or, SAVE by choosing to have all four strokes filmed. The "multi-stroke options" are for individual swimmers and cannot be split.
ARRIVING AT THE POOL (Retain your order number): You will receive an e-mail approximately one week before the filming session with the specific time for your swimmer to check in, warm up, and be filmed. Please retain your order number - this is how swimmers will be identified on that schedule. When you arrive at the pool, you will be greeted by Fitter & Faster staff who will provide you instructions on the filming process.
WARM UP: Participants will have an opportunity to warm up before filming.
FILMING: Our camera operator will have you swim two 25s at a strong pace of each stroke purchased (1 stroke or all 4 strokes). The filming of each stroke will take about three minutes. The video will capture a side angle and a front angle below the water to get an accurate view of your technique.
SESSION LEGNTH: Depending on the number of strokes you are getting recorded, your session time will run between 5 and 15 minutes.
TIMELINE: All videos will be analyzed and returned within 14 days of the camp. The analyzed videos along with the original video will be sent via email for you to keep!

COMPREHENSIVE BACKSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP - November 30 & December 1

Over 2 days, swimmers will work with Fitter and Faster’s world-class clinicians to strengthen their backstroke technique and apply racing and training tactics that will lead to better performances in their competitions!

DAY 1 (Saturday, November 30): BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE: Cultivating good habits to swim high level Backstroke begins as soon as you learn the stroke. Even if your swimmer is already in high school - it’s never too late to begin practicing techniques that will drastically improve their efficiency, power and times. Today, your swimmer will work on techniques to strengthen their bodyline, catch, kick, and pull - resulting in faster backstroke races.
Bodyline: A competitive swimmer’s bodyline is the key to fast swimming. The name of the game is to eliminate all extra movement of the body including even the slightest bobbing, wiggling. Participants will learn and practice proper posture and engagement of their core to have a strong foundation for better technique - creating a full-body connection for more hydrodynamic and efficient backstroke.
Rotation: Backstroke is fastest and most efficient when a swimmer’s body is “rotating” around their spine with each stroke. This part of swimming Backstroke has a big effect on maintaining a proper bodyline. Participants will practice activating their core muscles to form a powerful connection from head to toe with every stroke - resulting in faster backstroke!
Kick: A swimmer’s kick is the motor behind their Backstroke! There are obviously proper and improper ways to kick which we will review at the camp. Just as important, however, is practicing the complexities of how and when swimmers need to “shift gears” in their legs to become stronger and faster racers.
Pull: Just like in freestyle, the pull in backstroke keeps a swimmer balanced and accelerating forward. Essentially the best swimmers are creating a paddle with every stroke. The clinicians will work with participants to establish an early vertical forearm “the catch”, enabling the swimmer to put immediate pressure back on the water. Properly completing the stroke keeps the swimmer moving forward efficiently and fast.
DAY 2 (Sunday, December 1): BACKSTROKE RACING AND TRAINING SKILLS: On Day 1, participants practiced high performance backstroke techniques. Now, let’s leverage these skills to develop strong racing and training habits. Learning to prioritize tempo and length of stroke, while maintaining efficiency has a huge impact on maximizing speed in backstroke.
Stroke Length: A long stroke will enable your swimmer to “catch” and hold onto more water to propel them as they swim. Whereas, a short stroke is inefficient and not sustainable for very long. The clinicians will work with participants on this important skill for fast swimming.
Tempo: Tempo is the rate at which a swimmer is moving their arms and legs. When sprinting short races many swimmers often tend to take too many strokes (“spin their wheels”) and not “hold onto the water”. At this camp we will explore different tempos that suit your swimmer for their backstroke races.
Pacing/Control: A swimmer’s tempo will change depending on the backstroke race that they are swimming. It may also change at different points during the same race! Your elite clinician will teach participants how to manipulate their tempo, speed and energy at different points in a race. This is called Pacing or “Control”.
Backstroke Starts: The fastest part of every single race is the start - that’s no different for backstroke! Your swimmer is going to learn and practice starting a high performance backstroke race. We’re going to work on a “clean”, fast water entry in which the athlete carries the momentum from the start into their streamline, underwater dolphin kicking and breakout.
Speed Set: At the end of this session your swimmer will do a short and fast swim set to practice everything they have learned over the past two days.

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!

Lead Clinicians

Jack Conger is an Olympic gold medalist with a wealth of knowledge. Specializing in butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle, Jack's versatility as a swimmer extends to his expertise when teaching. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from this decorated and inspiring athlete!

Fitter and Faster clinicians are Olympians and National Team members who have achieved at the highest level of the sport of swimming... and who have the unique skill to teach what they know from a technical perspective to swimmers of all ages and abilities.

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

Lead Clinicians

Houston, Texas Swim Camp Series For Ages 13 & over

Introduction

Select a curriculum below

COMPREHENSIVE BUTTERFLY RACING SWIM CAMP - April 27 & 28

EXECUTING ON RACE DAY: SUCCESS THROUGH HABIT BUILDING AND ACCOUNTABILITY - June 29 & 30