Swimming fast requires good technique, efficiency, power, and a hard-working athlete. Participants in this swim camp will advance their skills in Backstroke, Breaststroke, Starts, Underwaters, Relay Exchanges & More. Now is the time for swimmers to establish and cultivate habits that enable them to swim their shorter races as fast as possible, with good technique, positioning them for success as they mature.

Day 1 (Saturday, April 25)
• FAST BACKSTROKE & BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE: In this session, your swimmer will refine bodyline, rotation, kick, and pull specifically for backstroke. We will also teach your swimmer to reduce resistance, perfect their timing, and find what works best for their breaststroke. We’ll build a foundation and then help each swimmer refine their style for maximum speed and efficiency. No matter your swimmer’s level, this session will strengthen their technique and lead to faster and more efficient swimming.
• Bodyline: Backstroke bodyline should eliminate unnecessary movement— even slight bobbing or swaying creates drag. Swimmers will learn to maintain a flat, aligned posture and engage their core to achieve a strong, stable position in the water. Breaststroke produces more drag than any other stroke, demanding constant attention to alignment. We’ll focus on keeping the head, hips, and spine connected and driving forward at every phase.
• Kick: Effective backstroke kicking creates propulsion in both directions. Swimmers will develop ankle flexibility and consistent drive to support rotation and speed. In breaststroke, a powerful kick with the ankles outside the knees is essential. Kick size should match each swimmer’s flexibility—often, narrowing the kick unlocks surprising efficiency and power.
• Pull: Backstroke requires a high-elbow catch and a longer pull path than any other stroke, engaging the full arm and large back muscles for power. We’ll focus on feeling and maximizing that complete pull. In breaststroke, elbows stay high and in front of the shoulders, with a quick recovery to full extension to reestablish bodyline. Swimmers will match pull width and tempo to their natural kick to maximize efficiency and propulsion.
• Momentum: Backstroke has no glide— the arms are always moving. Swimmers will refine continuous, efficient strokes that maximize distance per stroke without losing tempo. In breaststroke, timing is everything. We’ll connect pull, kick, breath, and glide into one smooth, powerful cycle.
Day 2 (Sunday, April 26)
• FAST STARTS, UNDERWATERS, RELAY EXCHANGES, & MORE: The better a swimmer’s technique off the starting block, the more speed they carry into the water — and in sprint events, that speed can define the entire race. In this session, swimmers will reinforce the skills from Day 1 while sharpening their starts, underwater dolphin kicking, breakouts, and relay exchanges — learning precise timing, powerful takeoff mechanics, and how to maximize speed while staying legal. This sequence isn’t just the fastest and most explosive part of every race — it’s where elite swimmers gain their greatest advantage by covering the most distance with the highest 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 swimmers' 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 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 camp, participants will focus on perfecting their breakout timing to maintain momentum and power into each lap.