Inver Grove, Minnesota Swim Camp Series (Ages 13 & over)
Veterans Memorial Community Center
8055 Barbara Ave,
Inver Grove Heights,
MN 55077
- days
- hours
- minutes
- seconds
Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing two swim camps for competitive swimmers ages 13 & over at the Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove, Minnesota in November and December of 2024! If you're looking for the swim camp page for ages 10 to 12, click here.
INVER GROVE, MINNESOTA SWIM CAMP SERIES (Ages 13 & over)
-> Fast Butterfly & Breaststroke Technique Swim Camp (November 16 & 17)
-> Speed, Power, and Underwaters Swim Camp (December 27-29)
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details about each swim camp!
-> Availability in each session of the swim camp is limited to 24 participants to ensure the highest level learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase an "Entire Camp Bundle” for your swimmer.
Select a curriculum below
FAST BUTTERFLY & BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE SWIM CAMP: November 16 & November 17, 2024
Butterfly and breaststroke utilize similar body position, “undulating” movements, and an early “catch” to get across the pool with efficiency and speed. They are called the “short axis” strokes because swimmers do not rotate their body at the spine, as is done in freestyle and backstroke. In butterfly and breaststroke, swimmers bend at the hips to generate power and forward momentum. Over two days, your swimmer, no matter their level, will improve their butterfly and breaststroke technique, as well as their racing and training skills! This camp will be led by Elite Clinician Youssef El-Kamash.
- DAY 1 (Saturday, November 16): BUTTERFLY DAY!: 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!
- 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.
- Timing: The timing of the breath in butterfly has a direct relationship on a swimmer’s body position, pull, kick, and TIMES! At this session, 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, November 17): BREASTSTROKE DAY!: 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 session will strengthen their technique and lead to faster and more efficient breaststroke races… and faster IMs!
- 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.
SPEED, POWER, AND UNDERWATERS SWIM CAMP: December 27 - December 29, 2024
Due to the advanced concepts covered in this camp, this camp is exclusively for swimmers ages 13 & older. Swimming fast requires good technique, efficiency, power, and a hardworking athlete. Elite swimmers are always working on this. At the Speed, Power, and Underwaters Camp, participants will advance their skills that apply to fast swimming in every stroke.
- DAY 1 (Friday, December 27): THE FIFTH STROKE - UNDERWATERS: In the first session, our Elite Clinicians will work with participants to enhance the fastest sequence for each race lap: streamlines, underwater dolphin kicks & breakouts. Finessing these techniques not only reduces drag and enhances efficiency, but also contributes significantly to overall speed and performance in the water!
- 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 gain a better appreciation of what they need to do on every single wall in practice and in races.
- Initiating Underwater Dolphin Kicking: Top age group and elite swimmers maximize their streamline on every single lap. They don’t 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.
- DAY 2 (Saturday, December 28): GENERATING POWER: Developing power will help your swimmer be more efficient and stronger in the water! To strengthen swimming specific movements, the elite clinicians will work with participants on improving power in their strokes, using resistance training and dynamic warm-ups to their advantage.
- Gear to Bring with You: Please bring a t-shirt to swim in, your snorkel, paddles, fins, and a pair of gym sneakers to this session!
- Dynamic Warm-up: In order to go fast, you need to be warm! The clinicians will take participants through a combination of light cardio exercises and dynamic stretches to get the blood flowing to the muscles and loosen joints in preparation to SWIM FAST! Remember: Bring your Gym Shoes!
- Establishing Your Catch to Maximize Power in Your Stroke: The only way to generate maximum power in your stroke is by “holding” as much water as possible. That process begins with “your catch” at the top of every stroke. At this session, your clinicians will work with you to ensure you are grabbing onto and holding water throughout your stroke.
- Resistance Training: Resistance is an excellent method of building power - especially in the water. It also helps to expose areas within your technique that can be strengthened. The clinicians will take your swimmer through resistance training methods! Properly swimming with hand paddles and a T-shirt will add resistance and develop power! Remember: Bring a t-shirt to swim in and your hand paddles!
- DAY 3 (Sunday, December 29): CREATING & MAINTAINING SPEED: Your swimmer is going to learn how to swim at top speeds while continuing to leverage the powerful stroke that we worked on the day before! On Day 2, participants swam slower than they normally swim because of the resistance we added to establish a “powerful stroke”. Today is about swimming FASTER than you normally swim with assistance from fins and paddles, and by leveraging speed from dives and push-offs.
- Gear to Bring with You: Please bring a t-shirt to swim in, your snorkel, paddles, fins, and a pair of gym sneakers to this session!
- "Overspeed Training": Practice how to swim with good technique at speeds faster than you’ll ever go in a race, with the assistance of fins and paddles and by exploiting and sustaining speed from dives and push-offs. We will utilize overspeed drills in and out of turns, in their breakouts, and finishes. Remember: Bring your fins and hand paddles!
- Tempo & Distance Per Stroke: To swim faster, swimmers either need to increase their tempo while maintaining their distance per stroke, or increase their distance per stroke while maintaining their tempo. We will work on both! Power and technique improve distance per stroke, and overspeed training helps improve tempo.
- Maintaining Technique Through Fatigue: When swimmers get tired, their technique can break down. We are going to work with participants on how to handle fatigue. Competitive swimmers who focus on technique through fatigue in practice and races reap the rewards of faster times.
- 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 three days.
START TIMES FOR NOVEMBER:
- DAY 1: Check in 3 PM. Camp: 3:15-6:15 PM
- DAY 2: Check in 12 PM. Camp 12:15-3:15 PM
- ALL 3 DAYS: Check in 11:45 AM. Camp: 12-3 PM
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!
Todd Schmitz
Todd SCHMITZ has coached 7 Olympians from different countries in events ranging from the 50 Free to the 400 IM. Todd has also coached NCAA finalists in all four strokes and the IM. Todd has run clinics in 13 countries and 18 states since 2010. Todd coaches all levels including state champions, nationals champions, World Record Holders, and Olympic Champions.
Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!
