Choosing a Suitable Training Aid

With swimming technique, work and drills are a very important part of each swim session. You need to have a good swim technique before you can swim fast and should focus on this area during the warm up particularly. Some swim drills can be done without aids, but training aids are very important to help you with particular drills and technique.

Swimming Training Aids

Fins or flippers are excellent because they can make a slow swimmer swim that bit faster with a stronger leg kick. This gives the athlete a better body position which in turn means they will find it easier to improve their arm stroke.

Fins are also great to just kick with, as they increase flexibility in the ankles, which will lead to a stronger leg kick. Finally, the fins are great to use during some swim drills to give you a bit more speed.

Kick Boards & Paddles

A kick board is a great piece of equipment to simply hold out in front of you and practise kicking. A pull buoy gives a poor swimmer a bit more buoyancy, but also help with body rotation. On top of this, you don’t have to kick your legs much so it focuses the workout on the arms.

Finally, hand paddles (usually used with a pull buoy) are great, as they make the pull through harder and build-up arm strength. Very small paddles also help with the initial catch of the water. All these items are essential for anyone serious about improving their stroke.