📅 Day 1 – December 27th: Dryland Performance + Technique & Speed Session

Train Smarter. Move Better. Swim Faster.

👥 Clinicians

Julie Meynen — Two-Time Olympian (Luxembourg)
Santiago Grassi — Two-Time Olympian (Argentina)
Josh Dannhauser — African Games Champion

This camp brings together three elite athletes, all Auburn University alumni, who have trained and competed at the highest level of collegiate and international swimming.

A special highlight of this weekend is having Julie Meynen join us — one of the most accomplished sprinters in Europe and a two-time Olympian known for her speed, precision, and professionalism. Julie brings a world-class perspective to sprint mechanics, body movement, strength, and race execution.
Your swimmers will get the rare opportunity to learn directly from her.

Break It Down. Build It Up. Train Like a High-Performance Athlete.

At Catching Water, we believe high-performance swimming starts long before the first stroke.
How you warm up, move, activate, and connect your body to the water determines how fast — and how efficiently — you swim.

Day 1 is all about understanding the foundation of elite performance:
dryland mechanics + in-water technique + controlled speed.
Not just working harder… but working like an Olympian.

🔹 Build the Athlete. Shape the Stroke. Prepare for Speed.

Elite swimmers don’t just train in the pool — they prepare their bodies on land to move better in the water.

In this session, swimmers will learn:
✅ How Olympians warm up and activate before high-speed training
✅ What proper movement patterns look and feel like
✅ How to hold better bodyline, alignment, and posture when swimming fast
✅ How to swim with intention — connecting technique to speed

This isn’t simply a workout.
It’s education + application — the way high-performance athletes train.

🔹 Session Breakdown 🔹

1️⃣ Dryland Performance Training — Move Like an Elite Athlete 🏋️‍♂️

Before touching the water, swimmers will go through a complete elite warm-up created from the training systems used by Julie, Santi, and Josh throughout Auburn and their international careers.

We’ll focus on:
✔️ Core activation & posture control for better stability in the water
✔️ Hip mobility & shoulder mechanics — essential for speed and injury prevention
✔️ Balance & coordination drills to improve stroke rhythm
✔️ Power and athletic movement prep used by high-performance athletes

Julie’s experience as a world-class sprinter brings a unique layer to this dryland session — especially in how explosive movement and body alignment support top-end speed.

2️⃣ Technique Development — Build Efficiency & Power 🌊

Once warmed up, swimmers will take what they learned on land and bring it into the water.

We’ll refine:
✔️ Bodyline — how to hold speed and reduce drag
✔️ Kick connection — powering the stroke from the core
✔️ Stroke timing — creating rhythm that supports speed
✔️ Breathing patterns that maintain forward momentum
✔️ Propulsion — engaging lats and core for a stronger, more controlled pull

These technical elements are shaped by the clinicians’ Olympic and international racing experience, making the session both educational and performance-driven.

🔹 Drills You’ll Learn:

💥 Alignment & Kick Connection Drills
💥 Tempo & Rhythm Efficiency Drills
💥 Power Catch Drills for stronger propulsion
💥 Speed-Prep Technique Drills to maintain form at higher intensities

These are the exact drills used by Santi and Julie in their sprint training, and by Josh in high-endurance, efficiency-based preparation.

3️⃣ Controlled Speed Sets — Swim Fast with Purpose ⚡

Technique comes first.
Speed comes second.
Combining them is where real performance begins.

Swimmers will practice:
✔️ Short, race-focused speed efforts
✔️ Holding technical quality under fatigue
✔️ Controlled acceleration sets
✔️ Using tempo, rhythm, and body position to maintain top speed

This is where swimmers begin to understand how Olympians execute fast swimming with precision and consistency — the foundation for Day 2.

🏆 Why This Matters for Your Swimmer

Day 1 teaches swimmers how high-level athletes prepare, think, and perform.
They will finish the session with:

✅ A stronger, more athletic movement foundation
✅ Clear understanding of how Olympians connect technique to speed
✅ Improved bodyline, alignment, and stroke mechanics
✅ Higher confidence swimming fast with control
✅ Tools they can use every time they train

This day sets the stage for the high-intensity, college-style training coming on Day 2.