If you are pleased with what you are using…please share which one you suggest. I need to purchase one for my swim workouts next month. Coach also said I could just wear a big cotton shirt, but think I would prefer a drag belt.
I started using one this past summer. The dynamics of the catch and pull went from a theoretical concept to an integral part of the stroke. I have been floundering with this over many years, and within a month finally came to understand what people have been trying to explain and have demonstrated on the deck or in the pool. I have developed a feel for the water and have gained a sense of how to convert a liquid to a solid; now being able to grip and hold the water. Gaps in stroke technique are magnified as the hand and arm uselessly passes the the water like a slipping clutch. Proper technique is immediately rewarded with a good sense of propulsion.
I typically use a pull buoy to keep from tangling in the cord. My stroke count per lap increases 30-50 % with the belt. Oh yeah, I actually have gotten faster and more efficient. My workouts no longer seem like futile repetition. It has now become a useful learning experience developing muscle memory and improved strength in the planes of the stroke. Get one yesterday. I can rotate better with the belt than I could with baggy shorts that interfere with the motion.
One of my favorite workouts has become 100 on the belt and 200 free, repeat x 5-6.
Swimsmooth.com to view a correct stroke has been very useful.
Enjoy
I started using one this past summer. The dynamics of the catch and pull went from a theoretical concept to an integral part of the stroke. I have been floundering with this over many years, and within a month finally came to understand what people have been trying to explain and have demonstrated on the deck or in the pool. I have developed a feel for the water and have gained a sense of how to convert a liquid to a solid; now being able to grip and hold the water. Gaps in stroke technique are magnified as the hand and arm uselessly passes the the water like a slipping clutch. Proper technique is immediately rewarded with a good sense of propulsion.
I typically use a pull buoy to keep from tangling in the cord. My stroke count per lap increases 30-50 % with the belt. Oh yeah, I actually have gotten faster and more efficient. My workouts no longer seem like futile repetition. It has now become a useful learning experience developing muscle memory and improved strength in the planes of the stroke. Get one yesterday. I can rotate better with the belt than I could with baggy shorts that interfere with the motion.
One of my favorite workouts has become 100 on the belt and 200 free, repeat x 5-6.
Swimsmooth.com to view a correct stroke has been very useful.
Enjoy
Which one do you recommend? Finis?
I use one of these.
Sort of like the 3 bears. Yellow is small, black is large, and blue is just right. I may graduate of black later this year.
http://new.swimoutlet.com/p/strechcordz-drag-belt-tow-tether-10584/
I have used a drag suit like this in the past,
http://new.swimoutlet.com/p/finis-ultimate-drag-suit-18907/
no issues if you want to kick as well.
Currently my coach is big on pull, strap, towel. Just a towel tied to the strap (old bike tyre) around your ankles, works a treat.
Never tried any drag belts but wear a shirt regular at practice. It increases the drag temendously and I can definitely feel my muscles pulling more water each stroke. Only thing is you have to be carefull of chafing on the nipples and neck for me. I’ve heard anti-chafing lube helps but have never tried it. I’d estimate that it’s 5 seconds slower every 100 with the same amount of effort.
I have pretty strong feelings about using one but will maintain an open mind. Why use this tool at all? It is a pretty specific crowd who benefits from that kind of overload.
I can tell you from experience (Swam up through college and played H2O polo) that one of the biggest ways to get drag in a pool while swimming is to wear an old pair of shoes and go swimming. I thought it was crazy the first time i tried it but i gave it a shot and was impressed with the amount of resistance they provided.
Other recommendations would be a t-shirt (as you mentioned), sweat shirt or tightly tied sweatpants, loop an innertube around your ankles, or if you dont have anything and want your legs to turn into anchors while you swim just cross your legs. (no buoy)
I have pretty strong feelings about using one but will maintain an open mind. Why use this tool at all? It is a pretty specific crowd who benefits from that kind of overload.
My coach rx’d it. He hasn’t done me wrong yet…and I have made significant improvement in all 3 disciplines over the last year…so I will go with this recommendation.
Does the stretchcordz waist belt work well? Comfortable…no chafing? Speedo makes one for $99…not sure why it is so expensive…but they do have free shipping today.
No issues with the belt. Put it on and forget it.
I coach a masters swim team that is all triathletes and I don’t have anyone that I would use a drag belt on. With a drag belt you’ll increase the likelihood of wrecking your shoulders. Especially if your technique is off by only a little.
What type of pace can you hold for a 500yd swim in a pool? What is your best time for a 100yd sprint?
I swam at very competitive programs growing up and we did use different equipment that increased drag and most of us in the different programs had spent huge amounts of time developing technique and strength in the water and still some got injured. But we were chasing the very small gains that were left and trying to compete at a very high level.
I don’t really see how the cost/benefit works on increasing the drag with an age group triathlete. There are a lot better ways to get at what your coach is trying to do without the same potential for injury.
But to answer your question, we used to do a number of things to increase drag. You can wear shoes as a previous posted mentioned. Also try to kick with shoes on. Drag suits, stretch cords that attach to the deck. Stretch cords attached to the deck if you keep it short and fast would be a better option. We would also take a five gallon bucket, punch a hole in the bottom, use a stretch cord belt with a short piece of stretch cord attached to the bucket and swim against that. You can also use a parachute.
But again, be very careful with your shoulders. My guess is that this might not be the best way to go for you.
Best regards,
Tim Floyd
SnappingT: often I make a drive by comment for or against a particular swim issue and you follow up with a much more detailed ( and better) explanation that is lock-step with my own thoughts. I am glad my thoughts are consistent wih an expert such as yourself…
Anyhow: swimming with drag is pretty old school. On the elite level I think you are more likely to see swimmers wearing illegal fast skins for a better than race pace type effort than a drag belt. Either way, I will reiterate : if you are going to use one, be careful
My coach rx’d it. He hasn’t done me wrong yet…and I have made significant improvement in all 3 disciplines over the last year…so I will go with this recommendation.
A triathlon coach? Or a swim coach? Just curious.
Jussi: thanks.
Increasing drag has it’s place in the pool, but in very small doses and certainly not for training for an age group triathlete. I’m constantly amazed at how much bad information is floating around in the triathlon community about swim training. Typically, you want to increase drag to overexaggerate a particular piece of technique or highlight a part of the stroke.
At the elite level, you see a lot of work with fins (short) and paddles. Also, power towers and power racks are very effective at getting at more strength/speed in the water.
Best regards,
Tim
In addition to being hard on your shoulders I think drag belts can be detrimental to good stroke technique.
My coach rx’d it. He hasn’t done me wrong yet…and I have made significant improvement in all 3 disciplines over the last year…so I will go with this recommendation.
A triathlon coach? Or a swim coach? Just curious.
A triathlon coach with feedback from another one of his coaches who is a professional triathlete and accomplished swimmer.
I learned to swim at a young age, dabbling in swim meets as a pre-teen then swimming as a teenager enough to become a lifeguard. I did a little more swimming to complete scuba certification and then not to drown while out diving. I came to triathlons in my 30’s adding to my experience as a runner and competitive cyclist from the age of 12 or so. Over the past 30 years, as a triathlete, I have been periodically coached by college swimmers, olympic coaches, and olympic athletes. Some progress has been made in form and efficiency over the ensuing time, but never achieving a level that has matched my overall level of fitness and achievement in the other two disciplines. As a family physician in private practice I have not had a huge amount of time to spend swimming, so I have tried for quality directed toward improvement of form and efficiency. In spite of these years of effort and hours of various drills I never really developed a good feel for the water until I strapped on the drag belt. The resistance has accentuated my feel for the different aspects of the stroke and stimulated appropriate muscle firing sequence to maintain stroke consistency. I finally came to understand and am noe able to practice what all of those folks have been explaining and demonstrating over all of those years.
Maybe for folks who have been swimming most of their lives or have the time to swim hours a week this drill may be superfluous. In my circumstance it has been an incredibly efficient means to improve my stroke and direct my neuromuscular training to a very specific task. I have found it to be a tool for mere mortals.
Well
Did you get one?
Well
Did you get one?
I did, I got the blue (mid size one) from swim outlet. First workout calling for it is Tuesday. I was going to try it after my 3300 yesterday but since I was fatigued from having to negative split, I thought back
To the warnings in this thread and decided to wait until it was part of a prescribed workout…which is Tuesday. Will report back after!