How To Use A Pull Buoy For Swimming

Fettle Booster: The pull beacon ... the 'get-to' piece of equipment in the pool

Feb 9, 2019

The use of pool and grooming equipment is widespread in the pond community. Ollie Baker takes a look at the pull buoy, the 'go-to' slice of equipment in the pool.

Very oftentimes you will see swimmers, divers, water polo players and synchro athletes using various 'tools' to improve their swimming.

These include paddles on their hands and forearms, pull buoys betwixt their legs, fins on their feet or pieces of state equipment like resistance bands and suspension straps and many more than.

Whilst all these pieces of equipment tin can be very useful, it is of import to make sure you are using the right one for your historic period, power and stage of physical evolution and training you are doing.

First and foremost, yous need to know exactly what it is you are trying to develop and improve. Here, nosotros look at the pull buoy and how it tin be used to develop yous in your preparation.

Pull buoy tin can be very effective

I of the almost ordinarily seen pieces of equipment for swimmers is a pull buoy.

These effigy-of-eight-shaped pieces of foam are oft an indispensable piece of equipment for many serious swimmers, only they can play havoc with your body position if they are not used properly.

The purpose of pull buoys is to create extra buoyancy for your hips, to bring your body position in line so yous are more streamlined. This can help yous to focus on the rest of your stroke, build core force, irksome down your stroke – and a whole host of other useful things to improve your overall swimming.

If you've but washed an intense fix and your legs are tired, or you are a triathlete who has tired legs from a run or bicycle, then yous tin can continue to train and perfect the upper trunk movements of your stroke without having to utilise your legs.

A pull buoy being used

If yous slow down your stroke to practise breathing elements, or arm entry position, particularly every bit a beginner, your hips and legs can begin to driblet through the lack of momentum.

This will render the drill useless and encourage bad positioning. Again, a pull beacon tin can be very effective here.

However, if the pull buoy is too effective, yous can end upwardly with your hips too loftier in the air, which is detrimental to your streamlined position and tin actually build bad technique and form.

If yous have a weaker kick but you think you demand more ability in your arms, using a pull buoy could end upwardly making yous too reliant on your upper trunk and not aid your performance, because your kick is withal the weaker element.

The of import affair, that is very oftentimes overlooked, is choosing the pull beacon size that is right for y'all, knowing exactly what y'all are trying to focus on improving – and the mode that the extra buoyancy complements this – earlier you start using it.

Great tool for developing body alignment

Kevin Brooks, head coach at Wycombe Commune, said: "I retrieve pull buoys are the go-to slice of equipment for many people – simply I call up they are a disaster for immature kids.

"It throws their body line out and makes them very reliant on using their shoulders and upper body, when actually they demand to develop their kick and torso position a lot more.

"For swimmers nether xvi, I would recommend the smallest pull beacon they can get, a 3 stripe pull beacon.

"For senior swimmers, pull buoys tin be a neat tool for developing body alignment, only as well power in their stroke and core body force.

"They need to empathise why they are using it, non just using it because everybody does."

It is very important that you lot don't overuse the in-pool training equipment.

Training aids like pull buoys should make up no more than a quarter of the session.

Using these tools tin be great to develop yourself as a swimmer or triathlete, merely using them too much tin can brand you reliant on them.

This will cause the other elements of your stroke to deteriorate and leave you in a worse position than you were when you started.

Every bit with all good things, they should exist used in moderation.