Achieving faster swimming is the ultimate pursuit for many swimmers, but a fin is a fin…right? Today fins come in all different shapes, styles, and lengths with each fin model creating a different type of training. Chances are you have heard of short blade and long blade fins. So what distinguishes the two? Let’s find out.
Swimming pace is vital for any swimmer as it doesn’t just allow you to preserve energy but also to be more efficient in the water and help you with forward propulsion.
There are not many secrets to be learnt on how to improve your swim pace, but here are three tips to help your swim become more under control with a consistent and efficient rhythm and pace.
With the open-water season approaching it is important to take into consideration the dangers that could come with it, and follow all of the safety steps required. It is important for everyone to have fun and experience the beauty of natural areas but do so in a safe manner.
So how do you stay safe whilst swimming in open water? It can be dangerous sometimes to swim on your own. Swimming with another person that you trust can help improve your safety. Even if they don’t get in the water and sit on the side, they will be able to keep an eye on you to ensure that you are safe and comfortable in the water. Check the route that you are taking with your friend and plan it in advance. Swimming with a group means you always have others looking out for you.
Check the tides, currents, the weather, and check for hidden structures and foliage on your route that may get in your way or could cause any danger. The weather can especially play a large part in the difficulty of open water swimming conditions, so check the weather conditions on the day of your swim before heading out into the open water.
You can always seek out advice from locals to ensure you understand your route as best as possible. Let another responsible person know where you are swimming so they have knowledge of your location to keep you safe if they need to call for help. Make sure that you don’t dive or jump into the water, enter slowly to allow yourself to acclimatize to the temperature, and not have a shock due to it.
If you are new to open water swimming or are still not comfortable, swim within a depth where you are able to stand comfortably with easy access in and out of the water. A steady slope or beach is ideal for this. If you still feel unsafe, don’t get in the water. Knowing your limitations whilst swimming in open water is important. If you happen to get in and find out that there are currents, make sure that you swim upstream (against the current or tide) first and get to shore safely.
Take a tow float and whistle on your swim. A tow float is a visual aid for others to find you in the water if needed and the whistle will help to attract attention if you are in trouble. Wearing a brightly coloured swim cap is also a great way to be seen in the water by your friends, peers, and rescuers. Make sure that you also check for any motorised boat traffic in the area.
Wear a wetsuit. It will help to provide your body with extra warmth and avoid you getting cold whilst in the open water. The temperature of the water can be shocking in just a swimsuit. It is advised to practice swimming in a wetsuit before going out in the open water as it can change your swimming stroke slightly.
If at any point you feel your body getting too cold, get out of the water. Make sure you lubricate around your neck to avoid chafing from your wetsuit. You should also wear goggles to help protect your eyes and increase visibility in lakes, rivers, and seas that have poor water visibility. At Proswimwear we have a large range of tow-floats and wetsuits to protect your body when swimming, take a look at what we have in stock.
Overall, open water can be fun and exciting, but you should stay vigilant and wary when in the water of any dangers that may occur. For example, the changing currents and change in weather conditions. If you are ever in doubt, stay out of the water. Make sure that you have all of the open-water essentials provided by Proswimwear shown in the link below, and swim safely!
When I think about the Tempo Trainer Pro, I think about what I call the “Holy Grail of Swim Coaching”, which in my opinion is knowing how many strokes you’re taking and how fast you’re taking them. After discussing this with hundreds of swim coaches over the years, I found little if any disagreement. That said, when coaches work on stroke counts they inevitably run into to the problem of needing to increase power.
If you ask former swimmers why they gave up on the sport, chances are you’ll hear something about the tediousness of working out in solitude, staring at the black line. It’s true that swimming doesn’t offer the distraction of changing scenery or the satisfaction of seeing a distant destination grow closer, but lap swim doesn’t have to be monotonous.
FINIS, Inc. a worldwide leader in technical swimming innovation, is excited to announce the launch of the SwimEars® watertight acoustic earplugs.These revolutionary earplugs are designed to let sound in and keep water out. The SwimEars® were originally designed by Christian Dittrich and his team at Ear Labs in Sweden. His team of specialists spent over 1,000 hours designing, developing and prototyping the product to create an innovative, new earplug.
Swim Snorkel Pro is the latest development on the more conventional Swim Snorkel. Designed for more experienced swimmers, its hydrodynamic design guarantees exceptional stability at high speeds. This feature not only allows you to maintain an efficient swimming technique, it also guarantees an efficient swimming style in workouts focusing on developing strength in the water.
Using fins is the best way to improve your technique, the flexibility of your hips and strength in your legs. Extremely short fins are generally used in the pool, both when practising a complete swim stroke or when training with a kickboard. Using fins allows you to accentuate your leg movement to work on your quads and hamstrings. Fins allow you to swim faster using the biggest muscle groups, which means you also develop your cardiovascular system...
The Arena Swim Keel has arrived! An innovative swim training tool to try on your next trip to the pool. The key feature of the Arena Swim Keel is the shape and weighted bottom. The balance of weight and buoyancy makes for a more neutral buoyancy than a traditional kickboard or pull buoy, giving a different experience and allowing the swimmer to work on different areas of their stroke. Take a look at the video for the full breakdown of the features and advantages:
Welcome to our list of the top 10 FINIS products at ProSwimwear. These products have all proved incredibly popular with our customers during the most recent months and have proven themselves to be good quality, trustworthy and reliable. FINIS are a market leader in swim training equipment and technical racing swimwear. They made their name with innovative training tools designed to help with stroke development.
Make the most of every swim with the Swimsense Live Bluetooth Swim Tracker! The new swimming gadget from FINIS is a waterproof fitness-tracking device that uses proprietary algorithms to record the most accurate swim workout data. The innovative swim workout tracking device straps to your wrist just like a watch, but it is so much more than that for swimmers that want to improve their stroke and get a little bit nerdy with their swimming statistics/data!
In previous articles we've delved into the subject of hand paddles. We know they develop the upper body and make it easier to propel your arms in the water. Extremely popular with both coaches and swimmers, hand paddles are beneficial to all swimmers looking to improve their strength in the water, but they need to be used with care.
The FINIS Axis Buoy was released earlier this year, receiving glowing reviews from swimmers and coaches alike. The one piece of feedback that FINIS kept getting was that they should create a smaller version that would better fit junior swimmers. Well they've been listening to your feedback and we now have the Junior Axis Buoy! With all the same features as the adult version, but scaled down to suit the junior swimmers more comfortably.
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