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Tips for Choosing the Right Swimming Equipment Regardless of Skill Level

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It may sound simple, but swimming gear is designed to make you a better swimmer. Every swimmer—from recreational to elite—can benefit from functional training tools to help maximize speed and efficiency, improve stroke technique, and make swimming more exciting. To elevate your swimming to the next level, here are a few products you’ll need, some are basic and some more advanced. When choosing your gear, keep in mind that some of the best swim shops cater to every swimmer who loves the sport. Swim Fins Swim Cap A swim cap isn’t like a shower cap—it isn’t meant to keep your hair totally dry. Most every swimmer, male and female, wears a cap to prevent drag, keep their hair out of their faces, and to protect their hair from the damaging effects of chlorine. You still may need to use a swimmer’s shampoo to keep hair from turning shades of green. Latex caps are inexpensive and made of stretchy rubber. They are thinner than their silicone counterparts. Silicone caps are soft, smooth, and do...

Tips for Choosing the Right Swimsuits for Your High School Swim Team

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As a coach or team manager, you may already know what colors and custom logos you want to appear on your swim team’s suits and what your budget is. And you probably have a good idea about fabric and design, but if you’re looking for a bit more guidance on buying team swimsuits, here are some additional important considerations for you. Swim Fins Comfort and Fit Suits worn to the beach or the local pool aren’t going to meet the daily demands of swim team practice. Most teams practice twice a day, so it’s essential to choose comfortable swimsuits with seams and stitching that lay flat against the body. This will help reduce possible chafing that occurs from repetitive movements. Chafing near the armpit area from material rubbing against the skin is the worst. Arm, leg, neck, and back holes or openings should not impair a swimmer’s range of motion. As coaches or team managers, when you set up an online account with a reputable swimming brand, you not only receive team discounts, you get t...

5 Reasons All Athletes Should Try Aquatic Exercise

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If you work hard in the gym or out on the running track, you might not consider swimming or aquatic therapy to mix up your workouts. Aquatic therapy and underwater workouts aren’t just for people with injuries or seniors (although it’s great for them too), they also make great workouts for any athlete to try. Whether you’re a powerlifter, a runner, or just want to be as healthy as you can be, here are five reasons to try aquatic exercise. Swim Fins It’s Low Impact While good for your cardiovascular health, running on pavement can take a toll on your joints over time. The constant pounding isn’t doing your feet, knees, or hips any favors, and the stress on your joints and spine can add up over time. Aquatic therapy, on the other hand, is a relatively low-impact form of exercise compared to others. With the water providing buoyancy, you can run, move, and swim with relative ease without feeling beaten down by the end of the workout. If you’ve been taking time off from your running regime...

Every Lifeguard Needs These 5 Things

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If you operate a swimming facility open to the public, your lifeguard staff must be prepared to handle anything and everything. They play a crucial role in ensuring that the area in and around the pool is safe for everyone. Along with their watchful eye, impressive swimming abilities, and safety knowledge, having the right tools is crucial. Swim Fins These tools play a role in helping your lifeguards perform their job duties and bring a sense of professionalism to observers that will put their minds at ease. Below are the five lifeguard essentials that the best swim shops will carry. The Classic Rescue Tube The first and perhaps the most important item is the classic rescue tube. These buoyant sticks are recognizable practically everywhere as a lifeline to safety. No matter the environments, whether an indoor pool, waterpark, or beach, a rescue tube is among the most essential items that your lifeguards can have on-hand. Consider the size of your staff along with any additional featur...

How You Can Improve Your Swim Kick with Fins

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Swimmers never want to rely on their training equipment too much, because at the end of the day, you have to count on your own body to get you through races successfully. But training tools do have a necessary and permanent place in any competitive swimmer’s workouts. For those of you looking to improve your kick strength and technique, swim fins just might be the tool you need to help take your freestyle, backstroke, or butterfly to the next level.  Swim Fins This is excellent news, because fins are a favorite among most swimmers, partially because of the hero speeds you can reach. Here are a few ways swim fins and a strong kick can help your swimming performance. Increase Leg Stamina and Strength Fins not only help you swim super fast through the water, they are also a tool of resistance. If you’re using swim fins correctly, you are working the biggest muscles in your body to build strength and stamina. Swim fins don’t allow you to drag your legs behind you. You hav...

5 Top Pieces of Gear Competitive Swimmers Use to Train

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Ask any competitive swimmer and they’ll tell you that swim practice isn’t just about swimming lap after lap or staring at the black line on the bottom of the pool for a few hours. Training gear is essential if you want to improve your times, strength, endurance, and technique.  Swim Shops When swimmers first start using swim equipment, it becomes fairly clear where any weaknesses may lie and what areas of their stroke could use more attention. Fortunately, proper use of training gear is an effective way to improve your swimming technique. Here are the top five pieces of training equipment competitive swimmers often use throughout their season and all year long. Pull Buoy For swimmers who want to work on upper body strength, a pull buoy is an essential piece of equipment. A pull buoy is a leg float held between the thighs to provide buoyancy to the lower body. This simple piece of foam equipment is used for arm pulling drills and stroke correction. A pull buoy encourages you to focu...