There are so many new products on the market, oddly shaped paddles, gloves - I even saw this contraption where you connect a tube from your waste to your ankles so that kicking is more difficult.
I do not think that this equipment is effective - particularily paddles - unless you are a very high lever swimmer and you only use it spottingly. Unfortunately ussage tends to be most common with LOW level swimmers and these swimmers use the equipment far too much durring each workout.
My advice to those returning to the pool is to avoid all of this stuff - it will only lead to injuries.
Former Member
Originally posted by SearayPaul
Kick board, I use what ever board a kid left at the pool after practice... Pullboy, same as kick board.
I am fortunate, I guess, that my pool provides both kick boards and pull bouys. The kick boards are those dense hard foam kind that are shaped like gravestones and always have fingernail indentations in the end of them. The bouys are also made of foam and have teeth marks in them from where the kids have played with them. Maybe those things look like food, but I don't see it myself. I noticed one of the kickboards has a dental impression also; that kid must have had a pretty strong bite.
The pool also has a variety of colorful noodles and foam water "weights," those dumbell-shaped floating foam devices used by the old ladies in the water aerobics class. I mention them because I have seen some of those new lap swimmers trying to use them in a variety of ways during their workouts. It looks rather strange to see some guy thrashing violently about with a big purple tail or with foam dumbells in his hands.
Add a snorkel and mask to that purple tail and for a moment you'd think you just saw a water monster.
:p
Shaky>The pool also has a variety of colorful noodles.
Shaky> I mention them because I have seen some of
Shaky>those new lap swimmers trying to use them in a
Shaky> variety of ways during their workouts. It looks
Shaky> rather strange to see some guy thrashing
Shaky> violently about with a big purple tail ...
When our coach has had a bad day at work, he makes us kick with a couple of those noodles under our arm pits. The justification for this form of torture is that it helps us keep our hips up while kicking. Another drill he has us do is to do a *** stroke pull while flutter kicking with the noodle under our arm pits. This is sort of like the lane line pull drill except you can also work on keeping your hips up at the same time. This is actually a good drill. So the noodles are not worthless for swimmers.
I wonder if any swim coach has found a use for those dumb bells? When I am on the road, they are guaranteed to be there, unlike kick boards, pull buoys or those noodles.
I have read Shaky's two posts ridiculing other swimmers with disgust. It is easy to recognize the new swimmer (especially around January 1). And, usually by this time of year, the regular crowd is all that is left and the newbies have long dropped out.
However, the fact that someone is making an effort to improve their physical conditioning should be applauded, not ridiculed. Maybe a word of encouragement or invitation to participate with other Masters would help that person stay in the pool.
I have found that if you truly want to see an impressive collection of pool toys, go to a Masters workout.
Originally posted by aquageek
I have read Shaky's two posts ridiculing other swimmers with disgust. It is easy to recognize the new swimmer (especially around January 1). And, usually by this time of year, the regular crowd is all that is left and the newbies have long dropped out.
However, the fact that someone is making an effort to improve their physical conditioning should be applauded, not ridiculed. Maybe a word of encouragement or invitation to participate with other Masters would help that person stay in the pool.
I have found that if you truly want to see an impressive collection of pool toys, go to a Masters workout.
Hi ya, maybe I shouldn't jump in here- but I will :D
whilst i understand your concern regarding the apparent sarcasm in Shaky's post (it's not nice to make fun of ANYONE :( )- i interpreted it more to be a comment on the overreliance of training aids in the absence of actual hard work in order to look good- i must admit that i never even knew that many of these training aids existed until i came to the States; however, i do use many of them now (under the guidance of a Masters coach) and, when used in moderation, can be very useful.
One person's minimal effort is another's maximum effort and it's not for you to judge. YMCA pools are not just for Masters swimmers. You do, of course, realize the Y mission is "to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build health spirit, mind and body for all." I suggest you keep this in mind as you look down on those you don't feel are worthy of swimming with you. I've seen swimmers like you from time to time chasing down slower swimmers and doing all you can to intimidate less capable participants. It's boorish behavior.
The "thems" and "theys" you refer to are fellow Y members and have just as much right to swim with you as a fast swimmer. You can't complain about swimming at a Y, you get all abilities there. I suggest you join a swim club that caters to elite swimmers like yourself so you can avoid the riff-raff you obviously have to suffer with daily.
In response to the original question, I have found paddles to be a useful tool. I coach an USS age group team. I have my swimmers use paddles a couple of times a week. The main reason I have my swimmers use paddles is because if you use a paddle, which does not have the wrist strap, and you swim freestyle with it and the paddle moves a lot, this is a pretty good indication that you are doing something wrong on your catch or pull. I have my swimmers fiddle around with their catch and pull as they try and not make the paddle move. If the swimmer is pulling "correctly" then the paddle should not move. Also, I have really bad knees and I use paddles to help me swim and take the pressure off of my knees.
Just my 2c for what it is worth. The 1 pool toy that I never use is the Kickboard, which I feel is a total waste of time, does more harm than good.
I use zoomer fins to help increase my ankle flexibility, to work on legs driving core body rotation and to build up core body strength. Sets of fly kicking on front, back and sides for ab strength. I also use them for sprint sets mainly to help me to increase my turnover and to become more relaxed when swimming at speed.
The pull bouy I use very occasionally to test the degree of lateral deviation in my freestyle. Swim a length over the lane line, eyes closed with a pull bouy. If you have lateral deviation then your body will drift off the centre line.
I find fistgloves useful, although recently I am using more fist swimming and opening to full hand in mid stroke as I am working on feeling the flow of water. I have been reading " Breakthrough Swimming " by Cecil Colwin and he has a fascinating chapter on flow control.
I have been trying Finger paddles for a few months, an unexpected benefit I have found is in feedback for Coaching. I get my swimmers to use them while I watch from the pool deck, the paddles allow me to see exactly where their hands move during the stroke. This can be hard to make out when swimming with just hands. I am also teaching early Sculling practices to them using paddles and a pull bouy before they progress to hands only.
I use the pool toys for very specific purposes, often to test my stroke and it seems to work OK. I also use the speedo stroke monitor watch on every swim and if anyone from speedo is reading this, I would love a new one!
Another benefit is if you want to clear people out of your lane then swim fly with paddles! OK I have never done that but sometimes I am tempted!
Originally posted by aquageek
However, the fact that someone is making an effort to improve their physical conditioning should be applauded, not ridiculed. Maybe a word of encouragement or invitation to participate with other Masters would help that person stay in the pool.
Perhaps I should take them by the hand and lead them in a poolside rendition of Kum Ba Yah.
I didn't ridicule people who are making an effort to improve their physical condition. I ridiculed posers who have no idea how to use the toys, or what they're for, who buy them because they think that the equipment makes the sport. I ridiculed those people who think that because they buy the toys, they are now "swimmers" and should tie up the fast and very fast lanes with their thrashing instead of moving over to the slow lane.
I didn't ridicule anyone who is actually "making an effort." I ridiculed people who are actually making a minimal effort to improve conditioning, but making a huge effort to look the part.
And I don't want to encourage them at all. My pool is too crowded to put up with them trying to swim in the fast lane when they can't keep up. There's a reason our lanes are divided into slow, medium, fast and very fast, and that is to designate a place for them to swim where they won't interfere with the people who really are making an effort (and who, by the way, usually know how to use whatever toys they bring).
Some of us are in this for our own conditioning. I didn't join the campfire girls.
