Hi there! I've recently joined USMS after about 16-17 years out of any serious training. I'm feeling pretty good in the pool so far but out of the loop otherwise. Can anyone from eras past fill me in on the following subjects:
1. Racing Suits (female) - OK so the last racing suit I owned was a Speedo S2000. God I HATED that thing. I'm glad newer suits seem to have a less strangling neckline, but now they have legs. Makes me want to get a chin strap for my swim cap. How are those comfortable? Do you still get wedgies? ANYWAY....what do you all wear for racing these days in terms of small meets? I assume a technical knee suit for big meets, but are knee suits the norm even for smaller meets? Where can I find a paper suit....lol?
2. Caps/Goggles - Two caps.... really? Seems headache inducing, but silicone seems to be in vs. latex now. Do my swedish goggle strap tails cause that much drag? Or is it more to secure goggles (which I've never had a problem with)? Do people even still wear swedes any more? I see none on my team, so I'm assuming goggles have gone all techy now too.
3. Paddles/Fins/Bouys - I still have my old square Han's paddles, Zoomer fins, and white bouy with straps. No one has looked at me funny yet....but everyone has cooler looking stuff haha. Is there anything better out there that I should try?
Finally, what do they call the new fangled back to *** turn? Looks fancy and I need to learn it. Also the underwater pull with fly kick? If someone could link me to some good vids or tutorials that would be super.
Thanks in advance!
i just nabbed an new 'ancient' aquablade kneesuit on ebay for 30 bucks, can't wait to try it out! Pretty sure its legal lol. BTW there seems to be a TON of aquablade suits on ebay now, mainly sizes 30 and up though.YingFa's are nice too. I like mine better than my Aquablade and I spent less money on it. (http://www.swimdownhill.com/) George will get you set up with the right size.
Probably something like this: Lochte Back To *** Transition Turn - YouTube
One of the guys on my team showed me how to do this but I never got comfortable enough in practice to do it at a meet. I also do not breathe very well on backstroke (getting better - it's a water up the nose phobia I'm getting over) so I kind of like that open turn breath on the wall.
That's broadly what I do, I think. I only do 100 medley about once a year! I'm always too knackered to do it on 200 medley. I swing my arm over and touch just before I turn onto my front.
It helps that I learned the "rollover" backstroke turn as a youth, despite being an awful backstroker. At our club we were pioneering it (at least in the UK). Our backstrokers were DQd so many times for doing it, but we persisted and it eventually caught on.
What is the best style of fin to buy? I see the half and now quarter sizes - what is the difference?
Oh, I swim with a buzz cut and no cap (unless I have to for open water). Kiefer has great optical goggles so I can see in the water - anti-fog goes after a few months, but they are not super expensive. I have a pull bouy, blue hard-plastic paddles, and use a short soft kickboard from the pool.
YingFa's are nice too. I like mine better than my Aquablade and I spent less money on it. (http://www.swimdownhill.com/) George will get you set up with the right size.
Just keep in mind they run SMALL! At a lean 5'71/2" and 120 pounds, I had to exchange the 2XL for a 3XL; the largest size they make for women! :afraid: But, I do like my Yingfa, anyway... :D And, George provides excellent customer service! :applaud:
Just keep in mind they run SMALL! At a lean 5'71/2" and 120 pounds, I had to exchange the 2XL for a 3XL; the largest size they make for women! :afraid: But, I do like my Yingfa, anyway... :D And, George provides excellent customer service! :applaud:
I think that may be a male/female difference, or maybe a difference of someone who's swum their whole life, vs. a "newbie" as well. For some reason, even into college I was still squeezing into a 24 or 26 racing suit. :) Now I use a 30, but could probably be 28.
In Yingfa originally got a large, but have since gone down to medium. I'm a 5'9", 190 pound male.
I think that may be a male/female difference, or maybe a difference of someone who's swum their whole life, vs. a "newbie" as well. For some reason, even into college I was still squeezing into a 24 or 26 racing suit. :) Now I use a 30, but could probably be 28.
In Yingfa originally got a large, but have since gone down to medium. I'm a 5'9", 190 pound male.
Have you noticed how Chinese women are built? They are typically tiny all over with very narrow hips. The Yingfa suits were designed and sized for their tiny, narrow figures. Even though I am thin, my skeletal structure is wider-set (pelvis, hips, rib cage, shoulders), so it takes a larger size to fit. You can see what I mean in the attached photo...
I think that may be a male/female difference, or maybe a difference of someone who's swum their whole life, vs. a "newbie" as well. For some reason, even into college I was still squeezing into a 24 or 26 racing suit. :) Now I use a 30, but could probably be 28.
In Yingfa originally got a large, but have since gone down to medium. I'm a 5'9", 190 pound male.
I think it depends on your body proportions too. I found the Yingfa was just "wrong" for me. Great suit, great price, but not on my body. As a 5'5" 140lb female, the large was too big at the top, but I doubt I would have got my belly-flab into the medium. Still I got great customer service from George, so they're definitely worth a try! FTR I can pour myself into a TYR 28 for racing :D
I'm looking and I don't see anything on your body I would describe as "wide." :)
Well, that's what I thought until I tried on 2XL and 3XL Yinga suits! The 2XL didn't even cover my crack and my butt is NOT fat!
Seriously, Asian women have much narrower hips than I do! I know I am thin, but, no matter how thin I am, nothing can change my bone structure. And, I am built like many (most?) Caucasian women with much wider hips and shoulders.
Have you noticed how Chinese women are built? They are typically tiny all over with very narrow hips. The Yingfa suits were designed and sized for their tiny, narrow figures. Even though I am thin, my skeletal structure is wider-set (pelvis, hips, rib cage, shoulders), so it takes a larger size to fit. You can see what I mean in the attached photo...
I'm looking and I don't see anything on your body I would describe as "wide." :)
