Your training has begun, and by now, you know that the butterfly is not just a pretty insect and that swimming 1 km means 40 pool lengths. Well done! To continue on this path, here is the next part of our series on swimming terminology, to support your progress.
Basic Equipment
Apart from your essential kit (swimsuit, cap, goggles) that you always have with you in case you get the chance to take a dip, there are plenty of accessories to improve your performance.
- Kickboard The simplest accessory for working on your legs.
- Pull Buoy: A foam float you squeeze between your thighs to work on your arms. It helps to lift your legs, making it easier. Thank you Fred (Carbonero), its inventor!
- Paddles: A bit like fins for your hands for working on your water grip. Or pretending to be the “Man from Atlantis.”
Swimming styles
- Swim well: Good movements and keep up the pace.
- Streamline: The time spent underwater after pushing off the wall or diving. This is limited to 15 meters in competition or one arm stroke in breaststroke. Pretty little flags indicate this in pools.
- Technique The movement is broken down to achieve the perfect gesture, identifying flaws to correct them.
- Acceleration: Swimming faster and faster… there is usually a clock with 4 different coloured hands on the poolside to time you.
- Easy: Swimming loosely, usually during warm-up or cool down. Relax!
Breathing patterns
- Every 2 strokes: Breath on every stroke to one side, either always to the right or always to the left.
- Every 3 strokes: Take a breath on alternating sides every three strokes, or bilateral breathing.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to all strokes: in breaststroke, you breathe every stroke and in backstroke, well, you can guess…
And there you go. One step closer to reading your training sessions with the confidence of understanding what is being said! And if you missed the first article, take 3 minutes to read it: Swimming vocabulary.
If in doubt, refer to the OpenSwim App glossary…