Whether you're a professional swimmer or someone who enjoys swimming for fitness and recreation, having the best swim training equipment can improve your performance and make your training more effective than ever. Investing in the right tools and accessories can lead to a better swimming experience. Whether it's improving your technique, tracking your progress, or focusing on specific muscle groups, choosing the right equipment can make a big difference.
The 7 Best Swimming Gear
1. Swimming Goggles
Swimming goggles are essential gear for any swimmer, whether you're training, racing, or just enjoying a leisurely swim. They help protect your eyes from chlorinated water, improve visibility underwater, and can even enhance your performance by providing a more streamlined experience.
Typically smaller, more aerodynamic, and designed to provide a very snug fit. They usually have a low-profile design to reduce drag in the water. Racing goggles may feature silicone or rubber seals and sometimes come with mirrored or tinted lenses to reduce glare and enhance visibility in outdoor pools or open water.
Best For: Competitive swimmers, triathletes, and anyone seeking a high-performance fit.
Training goggles are often designed with features like wide lenses for better peripheral vision, anti-fog coating, and UV protection. They may also offer more adjustable straps for a personalized fit, but they are typically not as sleek or small as racing goggles.
Best For: Swimmers who train regularly but don't need the extreme low-profile of racing goggles.
2. Swimming Paddle Board
Swim paddles are essential equipment for swimming training, especially for improving swimming power and technique. They act as hand extenders, helping swimmers to get more water in their stroke. This means your arms will work harder, helping you to improve upper body strength. Swim paddles are essential for beginners and are considered essential competitive swimming training equipment.
Hand paddles are a great way to go faster for longer and introduce some power into your strokes. Even if it feels like using hand paddles takes its toll on your muscles, if used properly, they also undeniably improve your swimming technique.
With their imposing shape, the propulsion surface is enlarged, which increases the water displaced. As a result of this colossal "catch", you will need to use your upper body muscles more (triceps, dorsals, biceps, shoulders).
This will have an impact on your muscle mass and your swimming comfort without paddles too!
For refining your technique and boast well-executed movement, give finger paddles a go.
Finger paddles are much smaller than hand paddles. The propulsion surface is thus reduced, but it still lets you work on the resistance of the hand during the underwater movement as well as the sensation of resistance before the pull phase.
Finger paddles focus your concentration on what you can feel, your catch, and the placement of your hands and forearms for better hydrodynamics.
This equipment makes it easier to take cues to correct your movement and detect the most effective gestures to swim better, faster, and finally achieve a clean and smooth stroke!
3. Swimming Earplugs and nose clips
Swimming earplugs and nose clips are essential accessories for many swimmers, especially those who swim frequently or in specific conditions like open water or competitive settings. Both items help protect against water entering the ears and nose, which can improve comfort and prevent various issues such as ear infections or sinus discomfort.
Soft Silicone Swimming Earplugs are molded, flexible earplugs that fit snugly into the ear canal. The soft silicone material creates a seal that blocks water while remaining comfortable.
Pros: Comfortable, reusable, and effective at sealing the ear.
Best For: Preventing water from entering the ear, comfortable for extended swimming sessions.
Material: Made from flexible silicone that adjusts to the contours of the nose for a comfortable, customizable fit.
Fit: Offers a more comfortable fit, especially for swimmers who need something less rigid.
Pros: Gentle on the skin and can be worn for longer periods.
Best For: Swimmers with sensitive skin or those looking for a more comfortable, adaptable fit.
4. Swimming Pull Buoy
The pull buoy is more than simply a buoyant gadget; it's an essential piece of training swimming equipment. Positioned between the knees, this swimming aid isolates the upper body, allowing swimmers to focus on arm technique, posture, and strength training.
Beyond giving dense swimmers more buoyancy, this way of using the pull buoy maintains increased focus on upper limb movements, promoting the improvement of the swimming technique.
The principal aims of the pull buoy are to impose a flat position on the swimmer and to work on the first part of the arm movement (traction), where the swimmer must pull their body (half of which is "immobilised") forward.
The legs are however brought to the surface by the pull buoy, giving you optimal alignment on the water and thus reducing the resistance that would have been caused by your legs dangling (since you are not able to kick at all).
5. Swimming Kickboards
A kickboard is an essential piece of swimming training equipment that allows for targeted lower body exercises. Swimmers can isolate their leg muscles by grabbing a kickboard and focusing on kicking technique and power. A kickboard is a buoyancy device placed in front of the swimmer that allows the swimmer to keep the upper body afloat while exercising the legs.
Kickboards are used to isolate leg muscles, focusing on the thighs, calves, and buttocks. This kickboard technique emphasizes the water-kicking motion, improving leg strength and coordination.
With the upper body supported, the legs can move freely, allowing you to focus on maintaining a continuous kicking pattern. The use of a traditional kickboard helps train correct leg position and improves endurance through repetitive leg movements.
6. Swimming Bands
Swimming Training bands are also called resistance bands. Their function is to increase resistance during swimming, help build muscle strength and improve swimming endurance. Training bands are usually fixed around the swimmer's waist or ankles, creating resistance with the water flow, forcing the swimmer to swim under a greater force load.
Swimming Resistance bands are meant to provide variable resistance, allowing swimmers to target specific muscles such as their arms, shoulders, and back. You can efficiently recreate the arm action in different strokes by gripping the band in both hands and making a swimming motion.
Best For:Commonly used for water aerobic training and is suitable for those who want to do running training in the water. It can effectively enhance the strength of the lower limb muscles while reducing the pressure on the joints.
More Swimming Gear
WHALE as the professional swimming gear & swimming goggles manufacturer, offer wide range of swimming accessories can boost your overall swimming experience. From anti-fog goggles to swim caps and Hand paddles, these additional items cater to various needs.
These swimming accessories are designed with the swimmer in mind, offering comfort, functionality, and style. Whether you're a novice or an elite athlete, these swimming aids for adults and children add to your comfort, performance, and enjoyment in the water.