A group of 51 talented young swimmers watched the Olympians perform at the highest level and gained some tips on how to improve their own swimming to bolster their chances of representing Australia at the London Olympics in four years time.

Among those at the camp was Canberra's Ben Treffers, who won silver and gold in the 50 and 100m backstroke at the world junior championships last month.

Last week he watched Hayden Stoeckel, who finished six spots ahead of him at nationals in the 100m backstroke, win an Olympic bronze medal behind US world record-holder Aaron Peirsol.

Not only did the effort motivate Treffers but it highlighted what he had to do to succeed at a higher level.

''Watching the Olympics you see the likes of Aaron Peirsol and Ryan Lochte: they are just amazing in their skill-work,'' Treffers said.

''Hayden can swim as fast as them, but in skills he's not quite up there, and I think that's where swimming is going to go, as everyone comes up to a level playing field it's the skill-work that everyone needs to improve.''

Also at the AIS last week was one of Eamon Sullivan's training partners Garth Kates, and someone who hopes to be Eamon's rival in the coming years, David Trouville.

Kates, of Perth, is a 100m butterfly specialist who is in coach Grant Stoelwinder's squad.

The oldest swimmer in camp this week is Trouville, 26, from NSW, who is a 50m and 100m freestyle sprinter. He gave up swimming when he was 18 to do an electrical apprenticeship, but is back in the pool again and climbing up the ranks.

The AIS camp was a week of intensive training, combined with an introduction into biomechanics and the sports science and psychological side of becoming an elite athlete.

In the Olympic cycle, it hopefully marks week one for most of them in the four-year process.

''We've had an educational program for the athletes and coaches that is really trying to expose them to the realities of achieving at [Olympic level], and to kickstart their next four years,'' Swimming Australia youth coach Leigh Nugent said.