Swimming Training Aids

Front Crawl Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly Tumble Turns Training Aids Arms Training Aids Legs Training Aids

Forget all the expensive pacer gadgets and gismos you can buy. Our number one swimming training aid is a cheap water proof watch with a count down repeat function. Simply set it on the pace you need to achieve per 50m and then put it inside your hat before you start. Fins are good for improving leg strength. They behave as though you have an extra muscle; your legs therefore strengthen up because they have to work this extra muscle in addition to the real ones. We wouldn’t recommend the large fins though. As with the large paddles, they are too much effort. We prefer the short stubby ones and, again, supplementing them with a drag belt with cups if you want to. Fins are also a good swimming training aid for assisting with difficult drills when you want to concentrate on something else, however, don’t swim a lot of full stroke with them on. Believe it or not, your arm and leg tempos are more linked than you think. Fins alter the tempo of the legs so much that the timing of swimming full stroke with them gets ruined – and there’s no reason to learn it. As the saying goes, ‘there’s no substitute for the real thing’. Do use a kickboard when doing leg kick only; it means you can breath when you want to which means you can work your leg muscles effectively.