Comprehensive Backstroke Racing Swim Camp, Lawrenceville, GA
Swim Atlanta Sugarloaf
4850 Sugarloaf Pkwy #702,
Lawrenceville,
GA 30044
Introduction
Fitter & Faster is producing a 2-day Comprehensive Backstroke Racing Swim Camp in Lawrenceville, Georgia on March 28–29, 2026. This camp will be led by Elite Clinician Josh Watson, and on Day 2, he will be joined by World Champion & 2024 Olympian Luca Urlando! Luca will be coming directly from the NCAA Division I Championships, which will conclude the day before this camp!
COMPREHENSIVE BACKSTROKE RACING SWIM CAMP
-> DAY 1 (Saturday, March 28): Backstroke Technique led by Olympic medalist Josh Watson
-> DAY 2 (Sunday, March 29): Backstroke Racing and Training Skills led by World Champion Luca Urlando and Olympic medalist Josh Watson
Each day will feature detailed technical instruction, in-water demonstrations, and personalized feedback from multiple elite clinicians - all dedicated to helping swimmers reach their full potential.
🔽 Scroll down for details on the curriculum!
🔒Each session has limited availability to provide a focused, high-quality learning environment.
⏳Don’t wait - prices will increase soon - and spots are expected to sell out quickly. Secure your swimmer’s place now to lock in the lowest rate.
🕘 SESSION START TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS (Ages 9-11):
→ Check-in 10:15 AM, Camp 10:30 AM–12:30 PM
🕘 SESSION START TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS (Ages 12-13):
→ Check-in 1:00 PM, Camp 1:15 PM–3:45 PM
🕘 SESSION START TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS (Ages 14 & Over):
→ Check-in 4:15 PM, Camp 4:30 PM–7:00 PM
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 9 to 11, ages 12 to 13, and ages 14 & older. Participants will range from one-year of competitive swimming experience to AAAA times and faster. If you are the parent of a swimmer under the age of 9 and would like for your swimmer to be considered for the younger sessions of this camp, please complete this questionnaire.
Curriculum
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.
- Day 1 (Saturday, March 28): BACKSTROKE TECHNIQUE: While backstroke shares many concepts with freestyle, the actual skill can be much different. In this session, your swimmer will refine bodyline, rotation, kick, and pull specifically for backstroke.
- Bodyline: Backstroke bodyline should eliminate unnecessary movement. Even small amounts of bobbing or swaying create drag. Participants will learn to maintain a flat, aligned posture and engage the core to support a strong, stable position in the water.
- Rotation: Unlike freestyle, backstrokers rotate most fully onto their side when their hand is midway through the stroke. Rotation in backstroke is essential for two key reasons. First, to apply power during the pull, the swimmer’s hand must be positioned in front of the shoulder and at least a few inches below the surface of the water—something that’s only possible with proper body rotation. Second, rotation helps activate the large muscles of the back as the swimmer drives their hand through the surface and into the catch.
- Constant Motion: Unlike other strokes, backstroke has no built-in glide phase—the arms are always moving. Your swimmer will work on strategies to keep their stroke continuous and efficient, maximizing distance per stroke while maintaining tempo.
- Kicking: Effective backstroke kicking requires generating propulsion in both directions—both the forward and backwards motions. Your swimmer will learn to kick efficiently on their back, using ankle flexibility and consistent drive to support rotation and propulsion.
- Pull: Backstroke pull requires a high elbow catch, but also uses more of the full arm in the pull than any other stroke since the hand pulls much further outside the body line. We will work on feeling that full pull and engaging the large muscles of the back to generate power.
- Day 2 (Sunday, March 29): 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.
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!
Luca Urlando
Luca Urlando is an NCAA Champion, American record holder, and U.S. National Team member specializing in butterfly. He brings firsthand experience competing at the highest collegiate and international levels, with a deep understanding of the technique, rhythm, and race execution required to swim fast butterfly. Luca focuses on breaking down advanced skills into clear, actionable takeaways swimmers can apply immediately in practice and competition.
Josh Watson
Josh Watson competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games for Australia and the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 World Short Course Championships! Josh brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences to clinics as a Fitter and Faster clinician and gives his all to the swimmers he coaches! Don't miss the opportunity to work with Olympian & Elite Clinician Josh Watson!
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