This swim camp is designed for athletes who are hungry to race faster and gain a competitive edge. Over four high-impact sessions, your swimmer will train with elite clinicians to sharpen essential skills that lead to breakthrough performances!

Session 1: STARTS, UNDERWATERS & BREAKOUTS

The better a swimmer’s technique is off the starting block, the more speed they will carry into the water. Session 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 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.

Session 2: BUTTERFLY TECHNIQUE

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!

• 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!

Session 3: BREASTSTROKE TECHNIQUE

Out of the eight finalists at the Olympic Games, you might see eight different styles of breaststroke! A swimmer's timing and ability to eliminate resistance are hallmarks of an efficient and powerful breaststroker. No matter your swimmer’s level, this session will strengthen their technique and lead to faster and more efficient breaststroke races… and faster IM’s!

• BODYLINE: A breaststroke 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. Elite breaststrokers focus on minimizing drag by “catching water” on their hands and feet as quickly as possible, so they can shoot back into a “straight bodyline” where they can glide at top speed.
• KICK: The kick creates a lot of the power in breaststroke. Swimmers need to keep their knees high in the water and snap their feet quickly around and back to create a powerful kick. Our clinicians will work with participants to strengthen their kick for the ultimate propulsion forward!
• PULL: The name of the game in breaststroke is to create as much propulsion as possible in the pull while minimizing resistance… and then quickly getting back into a straight bodyline to establish a high speed glide. Participants at this session will focus on setting up a proper "catch" and keeping their hands and elbows high on the water throughout the entire pull. The techniques your swimmer will practice will minimize resistance and enable them to maintain forward momentum for the fastest breaststroke.
• TIMING: Fast, flowing breaststroke is the result of proper timing between a swimmer’s hands and feet. Establishing proper timing in your swimmer’s breaststroke will allow for more fluidity, power and speed. Participants in this session will learn how elite swimmers time their breaststroke for ultimate efficiency and the fastest races.

Session 4: RACING FAST IM's

IM races are among the most exciting to watch because each swimmer brings unique strengths and strategies to the pool. In this camp, swimmers will focus on key skills that benefit all IM athletes, such as stroke transitions, while also developing a personalized race strategy tailored to their individual skill set.

• LEARNING BY DOING: Swimmers will learn through hands-on practice, executing segments of the IM race to build a comprehensive race plan. By actively working through each part of the IM, swimmers will gain a deeper understanding of how to put their strategy into action.
• IM STRATEGY: Every IM swimmer has a race strategy that evolves with years of practice and experience. In this session, our Elite Clinicians will guide swimmers in identifying their unique strengths and weaknesses, helping them create a customized race plan to improve performance. While it may seem counterintuitive to some, a common strategy for younger swimmers is to focus on efficiency in their strongest strokes while putting more effort into their weaker strokes to balance the race.
• IM TRANSITIONS: Efficient IM transitions are critical to success in IM races. Swimmers will learn to execute smooth transition turns and develop the ability to seamlessly shift between muscle groups while maintaining ideal technique, timing, and effort as they move into the next stroke.
• STROKE PACING: There are many ways swimmers can adjust their strokes to optimize efficiency and speed. Lengthening stroke distance at critical moments in the IM can conserve energy, while prioritizing tempo can help accelerate or finish strong. By focusing on specific elements of their stroke—such as the kick, pull, or core—swimmers can better balance speed in the current stroke with the needs of the next. Elite athletes understand how to adjust these elements seamlessly, and our clinicians will help participants learn how to fine-tune their strokes for maximum effectiveness.
• STRATEGY REINFORCEMENT & TRAINING: Swimmers will work closely with our clinicians to refine the techniques learned throughout the session. They will also complete a training set designed by the Fitter and Faster coaching team to help them maintain their strategy and technique even as fatigue sets in.