Championship Preparation w/ Video Filming & Analysis Swim Camp (Ages 9 to 12)
Alamo Area Aquatics (Alamo Heights)
705 Trafalgar Rd,
San Antonio,
TX 78216
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Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing a 2-day swim camp for competitive swimmers ages 9 to 12 at Alamo Area Aquatics (Alamo Heights) in San Antonio, Texas on January 4 & 5, 2025! Click Here for the swim camp page for ages 13 & over!
CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION SWIM CAMP (Ages 9 to 12)
DAY 1 (Saturday, January 4): Starts, Underwaters & Breakouts
DAY 2 (Sunday, January 5): The Essentials of Sprinting
VIDEO FILMING & ANALYSIS
SATURDAY, January 4 (12-1:30 PM): Swimmers who register for the Championship Preparation Swim Camp are also able to purchase video analysis of their strokes. Sign up for 1, 2 3 strokes or SAVE when you attend both days AND have 4 strokes analyzed!
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details on the swim camp and video analysis session.
-> Availability in each session of the swim camp is limited to ensure the highest level learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase an "Entire Camp Bundle” for your swimmer
Select a curriculum below
CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION SWIM CAMP: January 4 & 5, 2025
This camp is designed to give your swimmer a competitive edge at those crucial "last chance qualifier" and Championship Meets. By focusing on starts, underwaters, breakouts, and the essentials of sprinting—skills for establishing speed and racing faster—your swimmer will gain valuable fractions of a second that can make all the difference in securing a qualifying spot, shaving off time, or reaching the podium.
- Day 1 (Saturday, January 4): STARTS, UNDERWATERS & BREAKOUTS: The better a swimmer’s technique is off the starting block, the more speed they will carry into the water. Day 1 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.
- Water Entry: Starting the race with a smooth entry into the water will boost your swimmer's speed and carry the momentum generated off the block or wall. Becoming skilled at the water entry is crucial for any start, and significantly contributes to your swimmer's overall race!
- 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 unintentionally add movements in their breakouts that reduce speed by creating drag. In this session, participants will focus on perfecting their breakout timing to maintain momentum and power into each lap.
- Day 2 (Sunday, January 5): THE ESSENTIALS OF SPRINTING: Swimming fast requires good technique, efficiency, power, and a hardworking athlete. Participants in this session will advance their skills that apply to fast swimming in every stroke. Now is the time for swimmers to establish and cultivate habits to swim their shorter races as fast as possible, with good technique that will position them for success as they mature.
- Body Position: A competitive swimmer’s body position is the key to fast swimming. Most swimmers are NOT hydrodynamic in the water - and that has a big effect on how fast they “allow” themselves to swim - especially as they get older. Let’s find the right body position for your swimmer.
- Stroke Length: Lengthening their 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: When sprinting short races, young swimmers often tend to take too many strokes (“spin their wheels”) and not “hold onto the water”. At this session, we will find the appropriate tempo to maximize their own personal speed.
- Walls!: Approaching the wall at top speed in preparation for the fastest turn is vital. Swimmers will work on techniques to get in and out of every wall faster!
- Finishes: 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 session, your swimmer will learn techniques to set themselves up for a well-timed finish about 10 yards from the wall. A well-timed finish is also a valuable attribute for swimmers competing on relays, so that the next person can time their start with precision.
- Sprinting: Earlier in the session, your swimmer worked on body position, tempo, and stroke length. Now, we are going to apply those skills to swimming “all out” on top of the water with efficiency and power.
- Sprinting & Pacing Application: Swimmers at this session will work on applying their newly developed skills during racing scenarios. As with all the other sessions of this camp, the clinicians will provide feedback for your swimmer to take home and apply at upcoming practices and meets.
VIDEO FILMING & ANALYSIS: January 4, 2025
Since so much of the stroke happens underwater, 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 that 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 stroke.
- 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!
SWIM CAMP SESSION START TIMES:
- Check in 8:45 AM, Camp 9-11:30 AM
- Depending on the number of strokes you are getting recorded, your session time will run between 5 and 15 minutes.
- The Video Filming & Analysis session is separate from the swim camp. Camp registration does not include this session.
- You will receive an email a week before the filming session with the specific time for your swimmer to check in, warm up, and be filmed.
- Swimmer's scheduled time will be between 12-1:30 PM.
- Elite Video Filming & Analysis is for ALL swimmers ages 8 & Over, including adults!
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!
Gabrielle Hillis
Gabby Hillis combines her love for swimming and passion for working with young athletes in a career as a swim coach. She strives to help swimmers learn, grow, share, improve and enjoy what they are doing. She says, "Any positive impact I can make towards a swimmer’s success makes it all worth it!”.
Inquisitive, Educated Swimmers are Faster Swimmers! Sign up today!
