Your swimmer trains four times a week. So why are the times still the same?
Swim Camp May 2027, Piombino, Italy is a seven day training camp for club swimmers aged 10 to 18, built around your swimmer's own stroke. On a full camp day: two sessions of two hours, plus one hour of dryland before the afternoon session and a warm-up before the morning session.
The training log looks great. The clock refuses to move.
You see the early alarms and the weekends spent at the pool. Then the results sheet comes in, and the 100 free is within a few tenths of where it was in September.
You hear it in the car on the way home. I swam well, I just wasn't faster. Coach says my kick is weak again. And somewhere in the back of your mind you start to wonder whether more training is the answer, or whether your child has simply reached their level.
After more than two years of camps, this is what we see in most of these swimmers: the engine is fine, and the time leaks out through technique.
Club coaches do great work. A coach with twenty swimmers in the water writes sets for twenty swimmers, and that leaves very little time to stop, film one stroke and go through it frame by frame. So the habit stays in place, season after season.
Every month in the stroke makes a habit harder to change
In the meantime your swimmer trains harder for the same result. A qualifying time gets missed by half a second. And the child who loved this sport starts asking, after one more flat gala, whether all those hours are worth it.
Many families have already tried an extra training week somewhere. The swimmer comes home tired and happy, and the times are exactly the same. In most of those weeks the coaches write sets the way they always do: more metres, and the same stroke as before.
What is missing is a week where the coaching starts from your swimmer. Their stroke, their starts, their turns, filmed and corrected until the new movement holds.
Your swimmer goes home knowing where the time went
And how to win it back. This is what parents notice when their swimmer comes home from Piombino.
- Your swimmer sees their own stroke on video, slowed down and marked up, and finally understands what the coach has been saying for months
- They know their priorities for every stroke, start and turn, ranked by how much time each one can save
- They have repeated each correction two sessions a day for a week, until the new movement starts to feel natural
- Their starts and turns, where many races are decided, get real attention for the first time
- They come home with drills that fit into a normal club session, so the changes keep going after camp
- A week of training led by an Olympic or national champion.
Built for swimmers who want the honest correction
A great fit if your swimmer
- Is 10 to 18, trains with a club and races at regional level or above
- Works hard and wants to understand why it isn't showing on the clock yet
- Would rather hear one honest correction than ten compliments
- can handle the fixed camp day: two training sessions of two hours, plus 1 hour of land training before the afternoon session and a warm-up before the morning session
At the Day Camp, your swimmer stays with you at the resort itself. The pool is only open to guests staying at the resort.
Not the right week if your swimmer
- Has never trained or raced at club level
- Is looking for a sun holiday with a bit of swimming
- Prefers to keep doing what feels comfortable
The days start at seven, the sessions are long, and the coaches will ask your swimmer to change things. Swimmers who enjoy that challenge get the most out of the week.
Every session has one job: find the lost time and train it out
Two sessions a day
On a full camp day: two sessions of two hours, plus one hour of dryland before the afternoon session and a warm-up before the morning session. Corrections are repeated until they hold under fatigue.
Off the Blocks, Off the Walls
The dive, the underwater phase, the breakout and every turn. Often the fastest place to win time back.
Technique in and out of the water
Coaches work on your stroke technique in the water and on deck.
The Race Week Seminars
Stroke technique, race preparation, nutrition and racing kit, so your swimmer prepares for a gala without guessing.
Pool, dryland and warm-up
Two swim sessions of two hours a day, plus dryland and a warm-up.
A training day in Piombino
- 07:00
- Breakfast
- 07:30
- Dryland warm up
- 07:50
- Morning pool session
- 09:30
- Seminar, beach or free time
- 12:00
- Lunch and rest
- 13:00
- Dryland training
- 14:00
- Afternoon pool session
- 19:00
- Dinner and evening programme until 22:00
Between the hard sessions: beach afternoons and a full theme park day.
The practical side
I built the week the other way around
I started these camps in 2023 because of something I kept seeing around the pool. Kids were spending less and less time on technique. And when families paid for an extra coaching week outside the club, it rarely made a difference.
When I looked at those weeks more closely, the reason was simple. The coaches wrote sets the same way the club did. More metres, the same drills for everyone, and very little attention for the individual swimmer. Ten lengths of a stroke with a habit in it only make the habit stronger.
So every swimmer at our camp is filmed. Every stroke, start and turn is reviewed. The coaches plan the training on what they see in each swimmer, and they repeat the corrections until they hold.
I am the organiser, so you won't find me on deck with a whistle. My job is to bring in coaches who have raced at the highest level, and give them a week where they can coach each swimmer as an individual.
Three reasons to decide before the new year
Early bird price
The early bird price applies until 31 October 2026, or until the camp is full. After that, the package costs €200 more, through 31 December 2026.
In the group
Places go in order of registration.
The right moment
A swimmer who changes their stroke in April races with that change at the summer championships.
Vienna had a wonderful week. She learned a great deal and loved the atmosphere and the good vibes of the group and the coaching staff. Great job, team!Judith, mother of Vienna
Make the hours in the pool count
This week is built to make the training show up on the clock.
| Package | until 31 October 2026 | until 31 December 2026 | From 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day campAll training sessions. At the Day Camp, your swimmer stays with you at the resort itself. The pool is only open to guests staying at the resort. Most swimmers are dropped off after breakfast and picked up after the last session. Lunch is an option at €150. Staying longer? Breakfast and dinner together are an option at €175. | €1,095 | €1,295 | €1,495 |
| Resort stayEverything in the day camp, plus 6 nights full board in shared apartments | €1,595 | €1,795 | €1,995 |
On behalf of Ruben and ourselves as parents, we would like to thank the whole team for a fun and instructive week. We learned from it as parents too. Thank you!David, father of Ruben
Before you book
Until when does the early bird price apply?
The early bird price applies until 31 October 2026, or until the camp is full. The next price then applies through 31 December 2026, and after that the standard rate.
One week is short. Can it really make a difference?
A week of normal training would not. This week is different because each correction is repeated twice a day until it holds.
My swimmer already has a good club coach. Won't this clash?
We work alongside the club.
My swimmer is doing well already. Why invest?
A swimmer who is improving gains the most from fine tuning, because the small details are where the next tenths are. Starts and turns are a good example: they get little time in club training, and they decide many races.
Who are the coaches?
On camp there are swim coaches, a dryland trainer, an activity leader, supervisors and a photographer/videographer. Mike is always there as coordinator, never as a coach. Every camp is coached by an Olympic or national champion.
What language is the coaching in?
Coaching is in English, with Dutch translation where needed. Swimmers from every country are welcome.
Is the training too hard for a 10 year old?
On a full camp day: two sessions of two hours, plus one hour of dryland before the afternoon session and a warm-up before the morning session. Free time and recovery are planned around it.
How is my child supervised?
On camp there are swim coaches, a dryland trainer, an activity leader, supervisors and a photographer/videographer. Mike is always there as coordinator, never as a coach. Allergies, medication and special needs are collected before camp and known to the whole team.
Are meals included in the day camp?
At the Day Camp, your swimmer stays with you at the resort itself. The pool is only open to guests staying at the resort. Most swimmers are dropped off after breakfast and picked up after the last session. Lunch is an option at €150. Staying longer? Breakfast and dinner together are an option at €175.
How do we get to the resort?
If your swimmer flies with the group from the Netherlands, the airport transfer both ways is included. Travelling yourself? Ask us about a transfer for a fee. There is also a train station a 5 minute walk from the resort.
What if my swimmer gets ill or can't come?
A deposit of €500 reserves the place. That deposit is not refunded. The balance is due no later than 3 months before the camp, via an invoice with a payment link. The full text is in our cancellation policy.
Where do we stay with the Day Camp?
At the Day Camp, your swimmer stays with you at the resort itself. The pool is only open to guests staying at the resort.
Can we pay in instalments?
Instalments are not available for this camp. A deposit of €500 reserves the place and is not refunded. The balance is due no later than 3 months before the camp, via an invoice with a payment link.
Four sessions a week deserve a faster time on the results sheet.
Seven days in Piombino show your swimmer where the time has been going, and give them everything they need to win it back.