Which swim toys, if any, are you using?

I have a pair of fist gloves that I am thinking about using BUT never have...was wondering what people thought about them. I have a set that I use a few times a week and I think they're great for developing a feel for how the forearm contributes to the stroke. Hey Fort, you didn't put these on your list! I use a pull buoy ocassionally, usually alternating 1 swim with, then 1 without, and try to get the same feel of gliding when not using it. I've noticed that over the last few years as my strike has improved that I swim faster without it. That was not the case previously. I aslo use a kickboard, mainly for *** kicking and sometimes for free when I'm feeling lazy.

I have a set that I use a few times a week and I think they're great for developing a feel for how the forearm contributes to the stroke. Hey Fort, you didn't put these on your list! Ask the mods to add them to the poll. I can't think of everything. Plus, I've never used them. But Jim Matysek does. Oh Jim?

I use my kick board and pull bouy every practice. I love to pull at the end for a warm down so I can think about body position and work on the high elbows. I am more relaxed with the pull bouy. I use zoomer fins on some kick sets especially when practicing with the age groupers who seem to kick circles around me.

I use m small paddles for BR pull drill, MF for core work (when I'm not backspasm incapped), pull buoys for Crawl arm drill (sometimes), alpha fins to hit my quads, boards not too often. mostly I've just been swimming 6-10x500 working on OW distance...that ends this week!

I actually use kind of medium paddles (yellow) and a pull bouy - same ones I had in HS. 3 types of fins - regular speedo's, breaststroke speedo's and positive drive fins. Kickboard is one of the Speedo Competition ones. Been starting to do more race pace stuff and getting away from equipment.

I also don't consider earplugs to be a "toy". That's like saying goggles are "toys". I don't think that logic extends to noseplugs, however, since good swimming technique (learning how to breath out while your head is submerged and otherwise pressurize your nose) should obviate the need for a noseplug. Noseplugs make it easier to swim (theoretically) and are a crutch. Earplugs are not. It's quite apparent that I know that nose clips and earplugs are not toys. I don't need a lecture, and I'm not an idiot. :mooning: I just ran out of ideas and tried to be funny by listing other things one might wear in the water. Nose clips are not a "crutch," however, for people with chronic sinus infections from swimming. They might be the only thing that keeps them in the water. While not "quite obvious" to me that you were joking about including earplugs and nose clips in your list of toys, it SHOULD HAVE been quite obvious to me that you may need a nose clip for sinus infections, as you said in your initial post and I missed. It looks like you're as sensitive about nose clips as I am about ear plugs and I certainly didn't mean to offend by saying that I generally view them as a crutch. For people who get chronic sinus infections (much like people who get chronic ear infections), they're not a crutch. But they CAN BE, which should have been my point. My bad offending you! :blush:

While not "quite obvious" to me that you were joking about including earplugs and nose clips in your list of toys, it SHOULD HAVE been quite obvious to me that you may need a nose clip for sinus infections, as you said in your initial post and I missed. It looks like you're as sensitive about nose clips as I am about ear plugs and I certainly didn't mean to offend by saying that I generally view them as a crutch. For people who get chronic sinus infections (much like people who get chronic ear infections), they're not a crutch. But they CAN BE, which should have been my point. My bad offending you! :blush: It's OK. You're just talking "logic" to a lawyer. Besides, I'm way more sensitive about shoulders. :rofl: I have serious problems with sinus infections, but can't seem to keep a nose clip on. But I know people who swear by them. I have heard, however, of people using them to stay underwater longer in backstroke. I'm not sure I know anyone using them as a crutch though ... but that's possible too.

I have heard, however, of people using them to stay underwater longer in backstroke. I'm not sure I know anyone using them as a crutch though ... but that's possible too. Ah, but that's exactly what I mean by using a noseplug as a crutch!

I use toys for a specific purpose, then move on. We have a few who use fins or a pull buoy for a whole practice and it can be disruptive, especially as the rest of us fatigue. My pull buoy is my friend, as I love to pull, but I am experimenting with using my paddles less often. Same goes for the fins. My kick has gotten better, so I'm doing more without fins, but when the rest of the lane slips them on, it's hard to avoid getting run over, so out they come. I have ditched the kickboard though. Kicking on the back (fly, ***, and flutter) does double duty as an ab workout. What are alpha zura fins?

Ah, but that's exactly what I mean by using a noseplug as a crutch! Ah, the people I know using a nose clip for a perceived underwater advantage know perfectly well how to "breathe out while your head is properly submerged and otherwise pressurize your nose." I thought it was newbies you were referring to. A "crutch" is different than a performance enhancer.