Swimming fast requires good technique, efficiency, power, and a hard working athlete. Elite swimmers are always working on this. At the Elite Speed and Power Camp, participants will advance their skills that apply to fast swimming in every stroke. This swim camp will be led by Elite Clinician: Marius Kusch!

DAY 1: GENERATING POWER! (Dec 27)

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 camp!
• 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 camp 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 2: CREATING & MAINTAINING SPEED (Dec 28)

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 1, 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.

• 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 camp!
• “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. 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: One way to increase efficiency is to take fewer strokes. Improving technique to decrease the number of strokes your swimmer takes will enable them to go further faster - that’s when times DROP!
• 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 in 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 two days.

DAY 3: RACING APPLICATION & TESTING (Dec 29)

Now we test it! Swimmers will have a session dedicated to practicing racing under race conditions. We’ll get off the blocks and practice some front end swims, push some back end swims, and race! The Clinicians will watch and provide feedback specific to each swimmer!

• CONTROL: Your elite clinician will teach participants how to manipulate their speed and energy at different points in a race.
• BREATHING PATTERN: Establishing a breathing pattern will help the swimmer stay focused and relaxed on their own swim. It will also help them finish the race with enough oxygen to close the race at full speed.
• ESTABLISHING A PLAN: A racer should have a plan for the race before it is swum! What’s your plan for front-end and back-end speed? How much time will you spend underwater before your first breath? How often will you breath each length?
• CONFIDENCE: One of the essential elements to dropping time and swimming fast is being willing to try new strategies when swimming a race. It’s ok to feel nervous and a little bit uncomfortable before your race! Entering a race with a strategy will help your swimmer with their confidence… and that confidence will help propel them to the results they aim to achieve.
• SPEED SETS: During this session your swimmer will do a short and fast swim sets to practice everything they have learned over the past three days.