Let's Talk Toys

Well, I got my Fina Swim Snorkel Wednesday and will be trying it out Monday. So we'll see how that goes. Paul

Okay, here are the two training devices I'm curious about at the moment: the Techpaddle and the Forearm Fulcrum. If you've used either one, I'd like to hear your opinions about them. Do you think they help with your stroke mechanics? Thx, Skip Montanaro

I don't know if Fistgloves really count as "toys", because I count the seconds until I can finally take them off, but I love the way my hands feel so huge when the gloves finally do come off and I can swim bare handed. Recently l got some weird Hungarian "Turtle" paddles that look like prehistoric sea creatures, with the bottom shaped like the hull of a boat. Similar in function to Fistgloves, but harder to use - I really feel the abdominal muscles working on every stroke. Again, sort of this feeling: :frustrated: Feels so good to take them off! I've really learned to relax my hands with these suckers, because they really don't work if I don't. Other than that, and some Zoomers, I don't really like a whole lot of stuff in my swim bag. Too heavy to carry, and I live too close to the pool to have a good excuse not to walk most days.

I'm not sure what the forum guidelines are for discussing specific commercial products. I certainly haven't been able to figure it out from various threads. Here's what I think though: Here's a basic guideline for the discussion of products or services. --Don't start a thread to promote a specific product or service, regardless of whether you are the provider/seller of the product. --Don't post replies in threads with out-of-context promotion of products or services. --It's OK to reply to questions from forum users about specific products/services (for example, Tomtopo could answer questions about his tech paddles, or Terry Laughlin could answer questions about TI). These rules apply even if the product/service is a free one. Anna Lea

always wondered about this?? why would you buy fistgloves when you can swim w/ your fists closed? I see TI suggest the fistgloves and I always wondered why not just swim with your fists closed for free? and yes it does feel great to finally open those paddles(hands) back up!

always wondered about this?? why would you buy fistgloves when you can swim w/ your fists closed? The advantage of fistgloves is that the sensation of water passing around your hand is significantly (if not entirely) reduced. This causes you to focus more upon using the arm to act as the surface that moves water. Despite this, I choose not to use fistgloves and still get a lot of benefit from training with bare fists.

...why would you buy fistgloves when you can swim w/ your fists closed?... I think I'd get very sore forearm muscles if I tried to hold a fist for as long as I use the gloves, but sometimes I'll start off every length with 6 to 10 strokes with my fists closed, then open them up part-way down the pool. With the gloves, there's no effort required to hold the hands in that position.

Ok here is my weigh in on the toys I have used to date. Pull Buoys. I just overcame a two year addiction to my buoy. Took me three painful months to get over it. I will never use one again as long as I swim. Finis Freestyle paddles. The only toy I still use. Like them cuz it helps me extend and stretch better and the pull is a great workout. Only use them for 10-20% of any workout, usually only once a week. Zoomers. Great for making the legs burn. Currently retired but may bring them back for limited appearances. TYR fins. Like them for go fast sets. Currently retired. Blue Seventy Energie wetsuit. AWESOME wetsuit! Will only retire this one when it falls apartThats all I have used other than goggles and a jammer. I am curious about the arm cradle that I have read to keep the elbow bent. Anyone use that one? Spudfin

Here's a basic guideline for the discussion of products or services. --Don't start a thread to promote a specific product or service, regardless of whether you are the provider/seller of the product. The thing is, intellectual property is a product, so technically we shouldn't say anything smart at all.... :rofl: However, I'm a big proponent of tubing in the pool... I think the reason why full-length pool tubing works is because water naturally offers a constant (and limited amount of resistance). So the tubing increases the resistance on the parts of your body that are most out of streamline, and forces you to make adjustments that are conducive to the clock work. This trains your autonomic system to be more technically efficient without cognitive interference. This essentially improves kinesthetic awareness, which is critical for swimming faster.

I just got some fistgloves a couple of weeks ago, and I've been using them during warmup, which is typically about 800 to 1000 yards. Prior to getting the gloves, I used to swim bare-handed with closed fists. The gloves make it a lot easier to relax and focus on technique. They also make make my hands feel huge and uber-sensitive when I take them off. The first couple of times I used them at the beginning of my workouts, I was way more tired than usual during the main set, much quicker than usual. I think it was because some of the stroke adjustments made during the warmup rubbed off and lingered into the main workout. I must have been pushing more water, which made me get tired in a way I normally didn't. I've used zoomers for years, but lately I've been leaving those at home in favor of the longer, stiffer fins they have at the pool. The zoomers don't stretch my ankles out enough, all they do is give me a harder leg workout. When I use the longer fins, I get a hard workout, go much faster, and feel loose and smooth when the fins come off. I don't like the pull buoy, especially not for distances > 200, but we use it pretty frequently so I try to make the best of it. Sometimes the pull set falls within my warmup period, so I pull with the fistgloves on. That's kind of fun, in a sort of masochistic way... trying to keep up with the people using paddles. On the rare occasions that I swim with paddles, I use yellow Tyr catalysts with the wrist straps removed. Sometime I take all the straps off, or just flip them over, and swim breaststroke. That's one of my favorite drills. I like the tubing too. It's been awhile since we've used it, but I find that swimming a few hard sprints with the tubing is a great way to end a workout. It really helps work out the dead spots in my stroke. At this point the only pool toys I'd still like to try are a monofin and a SwiMP3. Oh, and I'm still looking for those mythical goggles that don't leak.