Training Equipment
The right training equipment is vital to help a swimmer progress and develop technique, strength and stamina. We expect swimmers in certain groups to have certain items of personal training equipment and to bring them to every session. Because of the numbers of pieces of kit they need to be clearly labelled with the swimmers name.
Below is a list of training equipment required by each group and some guidelines for purchase. There are many internet/mail order suppliers such as; Mailsports, Swimshop, Allens of Kingsbury that you can buy equipment from. The Club shop also stocks some items. Extra kit may be added over time and swimmers will need to get that if needed by their group. If you need any further advice please speak to one of the Club’s coaches.
Kickboards (£5-£8)
These are used by all groups and they do come in different sizes. The adult sizes are too large and buoyant for younger children. Swimmers under 10 should generally have a junior board and upgrade when they grow out of it. I prefer a stiff flat board without hand holds as the holes weaken the board and allow it to flex too much. These are as described used during kick practices to isolate the kicking action.
Pull Buoys (£3-£6)
Again these come in a junior and senior variety and those under 10 usually need the junior size. You don’t need anything fancy just standard items. We use these so the swimmers can concentrate on developing their arm actions without worrying about the kicking movements.
Training Fins (£8-£15)
These are specially designed for swim training and are not the same as diving fins. They are usually much softer and shorter. You can get fins in all sorts of materials but rubber ones are fine. You might find the silicone ones are slightly softer and are less likely to give blisters. If you are really struggling with fins then you can wear socks which might help. You can swim much faster with fins and we use these often while doing drills so the swimmers do not have to kick so hard just to keep moving. They are used a lot during the teaching of Butterfly as swimmers can swim for much longer with their fins on. Also with fins on the older swimmers can train much faster and get used to swimming at higher speeds. Be careful not to buy the special fins called Zoomers at this stage.
Hand Paddles (£6-£15)
We use these for a few reasons. For the younger swimmers it is mainly for technique purposes. And it is much easier to see their mistakes with paddles on. As they get more proficient the paddles then become a way of increasing resistance to build strength and muscular endurance. I like the speedo power paddles and they are relatively cheap compared to some of the others. Under 12s need the small ones and then they need to get the medium size ones as they out grow them. We have very few swimmers who can handle the large ones!
Snorkels (£18-£20)
For the strongest group I have asked them to get a Snorkel. This is quite specialist but a good tool to get the swimmers to be able to swim without head movement disturbing the stroke. The FINIS Swimmers snorkel is ideal, under 12s should get the junior version. The FINIS Freestyle snorkel is ok but some swimmers dfind it more difficult to use. For the really tough swimmers, or naughty ones, their breathing can be restricted by obstructing the end of the snorkel!
The groups below should have the equipment listed:
D - Fins/Pull Bouy/ Kickboard
C - Fins/Pull Bouy/ Kickboard
B - Fins/Pull Bouy/ Kickboard/Hand Paddles
A - Fins/Pull Bouy/ Kickboard/Hand Paddles/Snorkel
Seniors - Fins/Pull Bouy/ Kickboard/Hand Paddles/Snorkel
Keith Smith
Southwold SC Head Coach