Swimming Toys – Back to the Playground

Triathletes love gadgets and toys, it’s a fact – just like they love lycra! Triathletes all love the latest model of almost everything and we are always looking for the next update or upgrade on our cycling or running kit but when was the last time you saw a triathlete invest in their swimming kit?

Just add water…

Sure you just need a swim hat, a pair of goggles and a swim suit to be able to swim but the bizarre thing is, for gadget savvy, kit loving athletes, triathletes tend to pack the bear minimum into their swimming bags. Compare this to swimmers, who bring a full rucksack of kit which is impossible to use all at once and inevitably can be shared through the squad. What would actual swimmers know about swimming fast…!?

Just like running and cycling, there are some investments you should make to be able to make the most out of your swim. Choosing your swimming gear is as much important as choosing your new set of wheels or your new pair of runners, you should choose wisely and choose what suits you the best.

Goggles

One of the most important things where you should spend some time is the choice of your swimming goggles. The choice of this important item should take in care the shape of your face, the purpose of why you need the goggles (open water environment is different from swimming pool), if you will use it for training or racing and how well you can see not only underwater but also out of the water, remember you need to sight to the buoys. A lot of triathletes tend to favour the larger goggles to see more easily. However, these can also be knocked off. Make sure you choose a pair that fits your face and have multiples of the same style (with different lens colours) just in case on race day (In the UK) it is actually sunny!

Your swimming bag

Depending on the athletes and coaches, there are some items that are almost mandatory to bring to your swimming sessions. As a coach I ask my athletes to bring paddles (different sizes/shapes for different workouts), fins, kicking board, pull buoy, band, tempo trainer and snorkel. The list looks long but but it allows versatility in the session, it will make a difference in your performance and so is a worthwhile investment. After all, swimmers use all of the above and they tend to swim faster than the average swimmer!

A lot of this stuff can be easily found in shops or online and at affordable prices. You don’t have to buy everything for your first session, it is better to purchase your kit over time and you can see what works best. Ask your swimming friends for recommendations, or check out Finis, they have pretty much anything you would want.

But why are these items so important?

Depending on the session it self, some items may be helpful to work on your swim technique or strength or even both. Fins are useful for drills, speed intervals , strength and your kicking technique. The same is true for paddles: depending on the size or shape of it they can be useful for different purposes. Swimming with paddles, pull buoy and a band is a great way to improve your strength and technique and timing of your stroke. Paddles will give you a different perspective on your stroke and will allow you to work strength when swimming (almost the same way hills reps work for your run). Some swimming pools have pull buoys and kicking boards available for the athletes but I always think it’s better to have your own. It makes you independent and if you need to travel you can bring them with you. A tempo trainer is an amazing tool that can help you pace yourself or improve on your stroke rate. They are small and easy to carry on your bag, if you’re new into this sport it can be one of the most useful gadgets you can buy to build pace awareness and control.

Aftercare

Remember you need to be careful and take care of your toys: wash them up after you use them and dry them when you finish your session, this will allow the rubber to last longer and unnecessary replacements in the future. Use an old inner tube as a band, this is something you can easily do by just tying up and old inner tube to the size you prefer. There are also some products you can use to clean your goggles and to prevent them to get foggy with time also, is important to protect the lenses from scratching, you want to make sure you see properly when you use them, so keep them in a bag.

The future?

Although swimming is a very rudimental sport in terms of gadgets (A tempo trainer is the only item above that needs batteries!), the fact is that technology is improving in this sport. Some brands are now developing interesting items such as Form Goggles that show you in real time the same data that a normal sports watch would show you, the difference is you can check all this information while you swim instead of checking it when you stop at the wall, this will certainly play a huge roll on pacing yourself and knowing immediately what kind of work you’re putting into your swim and getting close to a PB. Another brand like Sensarii is developing a power meter for swimming (it focuses on force curves). Power meters have been in our sport for a long time, they started with cycling, more recently they have moved into the running world and by the end of this year, this company will release the first power meter for swimming, this makes us question how gadgets and technology will affect the swimming playground in the next years and we are certainly keeping are eyes open. Nevertheless, we hope that, as with all gadgets, these don’t over-ride the basics of swimming that have still resulted in some fairly fast times! We have swum fast without them, but maybe it will help more swimmers improve their swimming quicker!

Either way, it is time to enjoy the swimming playground?

We’re here to help

Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.

The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.

If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.

Diogo CustodioFebruary 1, 2020Diogo Custodio, Swimming, Triathlon, TrainingComment

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