Fitter & Faster is producing a 2-day swim camp in Stamford, Connecticut on February 18-20, 2023. This camp will help your swimmer fine tune techniques and strategies to improve their performances at “last chance qualifier meets” and at their Championship Meets. Each day will also incorporate dryland exercises that are specific to what's being done in the water!

***This registration page is specifically for swimmers ages 13 & over. Please see below for links to additional camps for swimmers of all ages, including adults!

CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION SWIM CAMP (AGES 13 & Over)
-> DAY 1: Starts, Underwaters & Breakouts
-> DAY 2: Flip Turns, Open Turns & Finishes
-> DAY 3: Race Strategy & Execution: 100's & 200's

Scroll down below for more details about each day!
-> Availability in each session is limited to ensure the best learning experience!
-> SAVE when you purchase the “Full Camp Bundle” for your swimmer's age group

SESSION START TIMES:

DAYS 1 & 2: Check in 8:30 AM, Camp 8:45-11:45 AM
DAY 3: Check in 12 PM, Camp 12:15-3:15 PM

Additional Swim Camps in Stamford:

Suggested Participants

Our top priority is to provide a world-class learning experience for all participants at all of our camps. This camp has sessions for swimmers ages 13 & Over. Participants will range from one-year of competitive swimming experience to AAAA times and faster. If you are the parent of a child under the age of 13, Click here!

Curriculum

CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION SWIM CAMP (February 18-20, 2023)

Day 1: EXPLOSIVE STARTS, UNDERWATERS & BREAKOUTS (Feb 18)

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.
STREAMLINE: The streamline - if done properly - will be 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: Elite swimmers want to maximize their streamline on every single lap. So, they don’t want to 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: FASTER FLIP TURNS, OPEN TURNS & FINISHES (Feb 19)

Quick, powerful turns and finishes are crucial to fast times and winning close races. The top age group and elite swimmers aren't using walls just for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Elite swimmers are constantly working their turns and looking for areas to improve them. Today, we're going to work with your swimmer on taking this crucial part of every race (and practice) to the next level!

MOMENTUM: At the elite level of swimming, walls aren’t just used for turning around - they are used to generate speed and momentum going into the next lap. Outside of the elite ranks, most swimmers stop or slow down while going into the wall, which kills their momentum! We will work with participants on the intricacies of approaching every wall at top speed and seamlessly initiating their “turn”.
FLIP TURNS: Flip turns are an opportunity for your swimmers to increase momentum in the middle of a race! Flip turns in which the athletes slow down or have “mechanical” movements negatively impact the speed at which a swimmer comes off the wall. We will work with your swimmer to produce fast flip turns so that they can explode off the walls at maximum speed.
OPEN TURNS: Elite butterflyers and breaststrokers utilize speed from their last lap to create momentum and even more speed at the beginning of the next lap. Their open turns are actually not “turns”, but more like high-speed pivots. Participants in this session will work on these techniques to have much faster open turns!
STREAMLINE, UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICKING, BREAKOUT PROGRESSION: At this session participants will continue to work on the progression covered on Day 1.
FINISHES: Setting yourself up for a fast finish is very similar to setting yourself up for a strong turn in any race. 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 camp, your swimmer will learn techniques to set themselves up for a well-timed finish when they are still about 10 yards from the wall.

Day 3: Race Strategy & Execution - 100's & 200's (Feb 20)

“How should I swim this race?” How many times have you heard this? Swimmers of all ages and abilities have the same question. There are many different ways to swim a fast 100 and 200 in every stroke. The name of the game is understanding all the different ways to execute the race and seeing what works for you!

STRATEGIES: At this camp your swimmer will learn various strategies that elite swimmers have executed with top results. Before your camp you will be emailed links to several elite level races of 100 and/or 200 yards/meters across all strokes, along with a brief summary of each. At the camp we will discuss and practice those strategies.
EASY SPEED: Establishing stroke length with the proper tempo after the breakout is essential to setting up a strong 100 and 200 in any stroke. Going as fast as we can with ease is the key to “easy speed”. We don’t want to kick or pull too hard on the first 25 in the 100 or the first 50 in the 200. This will cause early fatigue. Swimmers will work on techniques to swim as fast as they can in all strokes with “easy speed”.
CONTROL: Your elite clinician will teach participants how to manipulate their speed and energy at different points in a race.
FRONT-END & BACK-END SPEED: The first half (front-end) and second half (back-end) of the 100 and 200 can be “broken up” to ensure an effective plan. Some swimmers go out really fast and hang on, while others control the first part of their race, then try to “back-end” the race at full speed. Testing new strategies at this camp will give your swimmer confidence in their next race.
UNDERWATER KICK COUNT: Figuring out the optimal number of kicks off each wall is essential to a fast 100 and 200. Your underwater strategy is likely to be different in the 100's versus 200’s. A swimmer wants to spend only the absolute necessary amount of time underwater to establish speed with each length. We want to avoid losing our breath and/or taking weak kicks.
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?
TEST THE PLAN IN PRACTICE: Now we test it! Swimmers will do a complete short set at the end of the session to practice racing the plan and stroke under race conditions. We’ll get off the blocks and practice some front end swims, push some back end swims, and race some straight 100’s or 200’s depending on the sessions.
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.

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

Swimmers will get to practice what they've learned by taking their stroke to your top speed with some of the best swimmers and coaches in the world! They'll work on holding onto their form while challenging themselves.

Take a photo with the clinicians, get autographs, and ALL PARTICIPANTS receive a FREE Fitter & Faster give away item!

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