Stafford, Virginia Swim Camp Series for Ages 10 to 12
Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center
Embrey Mill Park,
Stafford,
VA 22554
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Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing a series of swim camps for competitive swimmers ages 10 to 12 years old at the Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center in Stafford, Virginia throughout 2025. Click here for the swim camp page for ages 13 & over.
STAFFORD, VA SWIM CAMP SERIES (Ages 10 to 12)
-> Comprehensive Backstroke Racing Swim Camp (October 11 & 12, 2025)
-> Comprehensive Butterfly Racing With Underwaters Swim Camp (December 27-29, 2025)
Click the “Curriculum Menu” below for details on each swim camp!
-> Availability in each session of this swim camp series is limited to ensure the highest level learning experience.
-> SAVE when you purchase a "Bundle” for your swimmer.
Select a curriculum below
COMPREHENSIVE BACKSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP: October 11 & October 12, 2025
Over two days, your swimmer will work with Fitter & Faster's world-class clinicians to elevate their backstroke. They'll focus on refining bodyline, catch, kick, and pull for improved efficiency. They'll then explore strategies for tempo, stroke length, and efficiency to enhance their racing performance. Whether your swimmer is new to backstroke or looking to refine their technique, this camp offers valuable insights to help them progress in the pool. This swim camp will be led by Elite Clinician and Olympic Gold Medalist, Tyler Clary!
- DAY 1 (Saturday, October 11): 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, October 12): 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.
COMPREHENSIVE BUTTERFLY RACING WITH UNDERWATERS SWIM CAMP: December 27 - December 29, 2025
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 3-day camp will strengthen their underwater dolphin kicking, butterfly technique, racing and training skills that will lead to faster and more efficient butterfly races!
- DAY 1 (Saturday, December 27): THE FIFTH STROKE - UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING: 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 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 (Sunday, December 28): 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 3 (Monday, December 29): BUTTERFLY RACING AND TRAINING SKILLS: On the first day of this camp swimmers worked on skills to improve their streamlines, underwater dolphin kicks & breakouts and on day 2 they worked on skills to implement a solid, efficient butterfly stroke. On Day 3 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.
- 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.
Session Start Times for OCTOBER:
- DAY 1: Check in 1:15 PM, Camp 1:30–4:30 PM
- DAY 2: Check in 9:45 AM, Camp 10-1 PM
- Check in 9:45 AM, Camp 10-12:30 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!
Tyler Clary
Tyler Clary won an Olympic gold medal in the 200 backstroke. He is also a dominant force in butterfly, freestyle, and IM! Talk about a master of all things swimming! Not only is Tyler obviously an incredible athlete, his swimming abilities are on par with his teaching abilities. You'll be amazed at how well he teaches the finer details of swimming fast!
Elite Clinician
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!
