I was wondering how many of you out there, especially the coaches, feel about the use of pull buoys. Pulling sets are intended to put more stress on the upper body particularly when paddles are involved. Some of my favorite workouts include the use of these "water toys" as I like to refer to them.
Would it be safe to say that however that the buoy is actually a crutch for folks with poor body positioning and/or a weak kick ?There was a time time that I wouldn't even consider a set of five hundred yard repeats without my styrofoam lifesaver. Even during some of the longer sets I see many in the other lanes break out the buoys when the going gets tough. Any thoughts?
The question is answered more in conduct not actual use. If you find yourself or watch others reaching for the pull bouy when the intervals descend or as they say the going gets tough then you can rest assured that you or he is using them as a crutch. If this is true you really need to evaluate what exactly you should be getting from the pull bouy.
The shoulder thing, I don't buy. If using them "overloads' your shoulders how come you reach for the pull bouy during hard sets or go faster while using it? (Not YOU specifically of course) Seems that if you want to make the shoulders work harder you'd use somethiign that makes your legs sink, not float.
I can see some limited use for kinesthetic sense of what it feels like to be balanced. Unfortunately the bouy doesn't do anything to help you figure out how to swim that way.
For real beginners, I use it as a signal of when they are using a big scissor kick during freestyle. I like to call it skeedaddle legs.
Otherwise I don't use them with the swimmers I coach.
The question is answered more in conduct not actual use. If you find yourself or watch others reaching for the pull bouy when the intervals descend or as they say the going gets tough then you can rest assured that you or he is using them as a crutch. If this is true you really need to evaluate what exactly you should be getting from the pull bouy.
The shoulder thing, I don't buy. If using them "overloads' your shoulders how come you reach for the pull bouy during hard sets or go faster while using it? (Not YOU specifically of course) Seems that if you want to make the shoulders work harder you'd use somethiign that makes your legs sink, not float.
I can see some limited use for kinesthetic sense of what it feels like to be balanced. Unfortunately the bouy doesn't do anything to help you figure out how to swim that way.
For real beginners, I use it as a signal of when they are using a big scissor kick during freestyle. I like to call it skeedaddle legs.
Otherwise I don't use them with the swimmers I coach.
