There are many different tools a props that you can use
when swimming. In “Swimming for Exercise”, Greg Whyte helps to clarify the
purpose of these items and what they can be helpful for.
Kick board and flippers - Helps if you want to focus on
kicking which is my favorite because it is easy to talk while you do this. This
also helps to give your legs a good workout which is important and helpful for
your overall stroke. You can also wear flippers while kicking to intensify the
amount of work your legs do, it feels easier and you move faster but it makes
for a better workout. Whyte notes “It Is important to select the right length
of flipper- the longer the flipper, the more stress you place on your ankles”
(74). I have noticed that my ankles start to hurt after too much kicking with
flippers (also called fins). Once I tried using a shorter fin and noticed that
it was a lot easier on my ankles but I also needed to do more kicks per yard. Below
are the flippers I usually use, they are pretty long, but I practiced with some
that had been cut where the red line is, making them shorter and less stressful
on my ankles.
Pull-buoy and paddles- A pull-buoy is used by placing it
between your legs and only using your arms to “pull” which is a good arm
workout and also helpful for perfecting your strokes. Paddles are used by
placing your hands on them and swimming, by using these you will be able to
have a more efficient stroke. I like to use these when I want to focus on my
stroke technique. Both of these are usually used for freestyle but can be used for the other strokes as well.
Which is your favorite to use? Kick board, pull-buoy,
flippers, or paddles?
Citation
Whyte, Gregory P., and Eddie Jacob.
Swimming for Exercise. Richmond Hill, Ont.: Firefly, 2011. Print.
0 comments:
Post a Comment