Swim Equipment

​Kick Boards

The use of a kick board can;

• Allow for the focus on kick, building leg strength.
• Can be used between the legs as an alternative to a pull buoy.
• Ensure they are used correctly as they can cause the legs to drop in the water. Hands should be placed either together on top of the center of the board, or at the bottom of the board. The alternate kick board (yellow) has a small strap to encourage correct use.

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Pull Buoy

Using a pull buoy raises the hip position in the water, this gives extra support.
Extra support allows; 
- The swimmer to focus on their head position, breathing and arms.
- Not using your legs with a pull buoy means your upper body gets a work out.
- By positioning the pull buoy between their feet the swimmer will experience the swimming downhill sensation and allows them to relax and improve their balance.

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Flipper / Fins

The use of fins have many benefits;
- Improving body position with the addition of speed.
- Lowering stroke rate allows for more time to focus on technique.
- Adding fins adds resistance in the water increasing load on the swimmer.
- Improves ankle flexibility.
Over use of fins can lead to cramp, in the lower calves. If swimmers suffer from this a larger more flexible fin may help.

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