what is the point of putting a band around your ankles when swimming? I thought it was to keep your kick nice and tight. However, I tried this today and my legs sank like bricks. When do you use this band? only with paddles or pull buoy? Any advice on how to incorporate this into workouts?
ideally it will teach you how to press your shoulders and balance your body position, but I’m a sinker and I really have to go hard with paddles to keep the legs up. I like to use a small buoy between my ankles and 2 bands to hold the buoy in. It will really work you core trying to keep your body from going all over the place when you swim.
a lot of people will use a pull buoy when they do this, but that sort of defeats purpose.
Start with paddles and pull buoy, then go to paddles, then go without anything.
a lot of people will use a pull buoy when they do this, but that sort of defeats purpose.
A lot of people have a small 2-beat kick going when they swim with a pull buoy and this stops that.
what is the point of putting a band around your ankles when swimming? I thought it was to keep your kick nice and tight. However, I tried this today and my legs sank like bricks. When do you use this band? only with paddles or pull buoy? Any advice on how to incorporate this into workouts?
band only drill forces you to use your core to support a proper body position and builds strength… we added a 2.5 or 5lb weight to ours sometimes
t.d. - I wouldn’t consider myself a failure if I were not able to regularly drill with my feet banded. Some can, some can’t, and still develop into satisfactory triathletes. I have a great deal of difficulty with that “skill” yet was first out of the water in my wave in a recent triathlon. As you know, there are many technical aspects to each discipline in triathlon and perhaps others contribute more significantly to *your *overall success. Best of luck!
John
how tight is the band? Loose enough to still wiggle your legs a bit or tight?
A lot of people have a small 2-beat kick going when they swim with a pull buoy and this stops that.
x2.
I was always the fastest when we drilled with pull bouys. Then my buddy noticed I was still kicking. I had no idea. Now I band, whether I’m swimming in a group or swimming by myself.
Only possible downside is that the legs help balance you when (slightly) kicking and maybe my pull workout isn’t as good as it should be?
you should really ask your coach.
if you don’t have one, ask on forum, www.teamtbb.com
obvious from the responses no one knows the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the band for triathlon swimming.
It makes you focus more on good rotation as well. Off-axis movements are harder to do because your legs are stuck together, but if you do have some really eccentric movements it ought to be clear to you whenever you swim with the band. Also, if you have a sporadic or 2 beat kick and use your kick to drive rotation (usually from your breathing side to non-breathing side) that motion can really slow you down. Training with the band will force you to learn how to rotate without having a foot flare out here and there.
For our swims we sometimes use bands and a lot, including myself have had trouble keeping their legs up. Couple of things that I figured out is quicker turnover, good rotation and a good strong pull and I was able to complete a few 50’s. Try and see if it helps.
So instead of answering you link to another tri forum…Sweet!
you’re welcome! at least they can answer the question appropriately instead of random crap. 
a lot of people will use a pull buoy when they do this, but that sort of defeats purpose.
A lot of people have a small 2-beat kick going when they swim with a pull buoy and this stops that.
Equipment, like drills, can sometimes have multiple purposes. Sure, a band can help stop someone from kicking while pulling with a buoy. Using a band with a buoy does defeat the normal purpose swimmers use it for though. Using a band alone or with paddles (my strong preference) helps work on balance and power and keeping a tight core. Those who tend to pull too soon or have slow tempo may find themselves sinking. Try doing some catch up stroke and play with higher tempos. I like using the band to work on body awareness. My favorite thing is to do with the band is swim 200-300yards with paddles and band (no buoy) then take off the band and swim between 100-300 working on a good catch. If I do much more than 300 at a time with the band I start feeling it in my hip flexors. If you can’t hold your form for 200-300y then it would be best to break it into 25s or 50s or whatever distance it is that you feel yourself sinking or losing good form.
-leh
What is your swimming background and how efficient is your stroke. To be honest, flippers, bands, weights, paddles are all things that can hurt your stroke more than help (my humble opinion and my DIV I swim coaches too). You need to get your stroke down first, which a pull buoy can help. Catch-up and fingertip drills are great as well as one we call “shark fins”–getting the elbows up high. If you tend to still kick while using the pull buoy, cross your ankles. I actually use this techniques sometimes to do pull sets without a buoy. And remember, stroke drills are not meant to be fast. They are meant to teach your body muscle memory so that when you speed up, your stroke does not go to Sh&$#@t. Hope this helps.