Four Training Aids To Improve Your Swimming Technique

If you’re a regular in the water you should always dedicate some of your time to practicing your skills and working on your technique. In doing so you’ll become a more competent and all-round swimmer - plus you’ll feel great after a good session too! To work your muscles that extra bit further and to build your stamina and endurance, consider purchasing training aids. These are great for working on specific areas of your body and helping you to become more confident in the water. So with this in mind, let’s look at some of the best training aids available.

Swimming Fins

Starting with your legs, swimming fins are perfect for building your muscles and giving you a more powerful and streamlined kick. Fins will help to increase your speed in the water and feature rubber foot pockets which are designed to be comfortable and flexible when wearing them. The rib and fin structure will support your feet whilst also giving you maximum propulsion in the water – great for building your strength. This piece of equipment will also keep your body and legs high in the water, allowing you to focus on your technique and in addition provide grip pads to stop you slipping out of the pool.

Swim Gloves

Moving to the upper body, swim gloves will help to enhance your workout in the water by increasing the resistance during each stroke. This is due to the webbing around the fingers when the gloves are placed on each hand and tightened securely in place. After a good workout this training aid will help to build upper body strength in your shoulders and arms and can be used after fins to increase all-round strength too. Gloves are ideal for individual training and also for those who are regularly in the pool with an instructor at aqua aerobics classes.

Kickboards

This piece of equipment is great for using as part of your competitive or fitness swimming training and will help to develop your lower body muscles. A kickboard creates optimum buoyancy in the water as you aim to enhance your leg technique. With your body afloat you can focus all of your attention on developing your style and looking out for any areas that you need to work on. Boards come in a range of shapes and sizes with different hand slots for grip and are available for both adults and juniors – meaning the whole family can join in. These items are an inexpensive investment and can make a big difference to the power you create in the water.

 

Drag Shorts

The last training aid to feature on our list that’s designed to create resistance in the water is drag shorts. These can be worn by both men and women over your swimwear and are usually held in place with a drawstring for a comfortable and stable fit. When worn in the water these shorts will help to build your upper body strength, including your neck, chest, shoulder and bicep muscles as well as improve your stamina too. One of the key benefits of drag shorts is they increase the intensity of your training regime and make your body tired quicker. This means that you will get a good work out and the transition back to swimming normally will be easier as a result. Drag shorts can be worn for all strokes and techniques and come in a range of colours and sizes, as well as reversible designs too.

 

Purchasing the Right Training Aids

Once you know what part of your body you want to work on, you can select the most appropriate training gear to improve this aspect of your swimming technique. Don’t forget if you need any help along the way in determining which equipment to purchase, make sure you speak to a swimming expert. Here at Simply Swim we stock a wide range of training aids and if you need any help in finding one that’s right for you, contact us for more information. Best of luck in your training routine and remember to have fun in the water!  

(Image credits Swim image from Bigstock)