A pull buoy is a swimming aid that we place between our thighs and use only our arms for swimming. The higher the pull buoy is placed on our legs, the easier it is to perform the exercise. Continue reading and learn more about this popular swimming aid.
The pull buoy is one of the basic swimming aids, next to the kicking board, hand paddles and fins. Together they form a basic set of four items that every swimmer shod have in their equipment. You will encounter these four items most often in swimming training.
What is a pull buoy?
The pull buoy is curved and narrow in the middle so that it can be comfortably placed between the thighs. It has widened edges, so it holds well and doesn’t slip. The pull buoy
easily holds the legs together, preventing the swimmer from using them and at the same time preventing them from sinking. Swimmers can
fully concentrate on their arms while swimming.
Pull buoy also offers some buoyancy, helping to keep the body in the ideal horizontal position. You don’t have to deal with your legs sinking, you can give full attention to your arms.
For who is the pull buoy suitable?
For teaching beginners, for whom the pull buoy will raise the position of the body and help the swimmer to balance better and concentrate on the arm work. One of the drills can be the so-called "Catch-up" with the pull buoy, which we use to eliminate insufficient arm extension at the beginning of the pull. During the "catch-up", the arms must meet in the outstretched position, focusing on staying longer in the extended position.
For experienced and trained swimmers, one of the most common swimming exercises is swimming with the pull buoy and fins. This way the intensity of the arm work is maximized.
Final tip:
To increase the intensity of the arm work, use the pull buoy in combination with
hand paddles.
Try not to put the pull buoy just between your thighs, but place it between your ankles. Try swimming 100m with the pull buoy between your ankles and see what your abdomen has to say about that
