Can anyone suggest drills to help me swim as fast without a pull buoy as I do with one?
I work hard at practice 5 days a week and make incremental gains every so often. But my improvement over the past year can't compare to the amount I improve when I grab a pull buoy.
So - I need to be working on my body alignment? Keeping my legs high in the water? Strengthening my abs? I try to work on all of those things but I would really appreciate any drill or workout ideas.
Thanks!
Former Member
The main reason why I use a pull bouy is that it forces a tempo change.
I feel that one should adjust their stroke draw and turnover rate according to the distance of the race and exhaustion factor.
Pull bouys make me change my stroke.
Former Member
I'm with Mike. Agree with what he says.
As for a "drill": When I wear a buoy, I almost always wear a strap around my ankles. The buoy keeps my legs afloat, and the strap keeps me from kicking even a little. This quickly exposes any imbalance issues you have in your stroke - the ones that are counterbalanced with a split of the legs (the kind of split that creates drag and slows you down). For me, it's the best way to keep my stroke in check and in line.
The reactions I get from people who do this "drill" for the first time are remarkable. Most only take a few strokes before they stop and exclaim how "out of control" they feel. Many end up rolling over on their back because they don't have that crazy countering, split leg kick to keep them on their stomachs.
I like to use a dolphin kick to balance my stroke. I'm afraid of getting an addiction to the buoy, as some put it. I'm also very aware of the leg spreading technique associated with maintaining balance. Using a dolphin kick in warm up help me to stay aware of imbalances caused by my legs....
