Equipment

You will need to provide your own equipment to participate fully in these sessions. If in doubt about what equipment to buy or if you have any doubts please ask.

In addition to a swimsuit and goggles you will require the following equipment - additional information can be found on the Swim Smooth website by clicking on the image of each piece of equipment.

Finis Tempo Trainer Pro

The tempo trainer is a small waterproof device that fits under your swim cap and emits an audible beep - the timing of which depends on which mode it is in. One mode will help develop your pace awareness and enable you to train at the correct intensity the other will help you develop your stroke rate.

A pull buoy is put between the legs to lift the legs and isolate the movement of the upper body. There are many variations of pull buoy but all do the same job. Generally the larger the pull buoy the more buoyancy it provides.

The benefits of using swim fins are:

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Pull Buoy

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Fins

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  • Increase ankle flexibility

  • Improve body position and technique

  • Improve leg strength

  • Increase fitness and cardiovascular conditioning

Finis Freestyler Paddles

These fins need to be the long style flexible fins (e.g. Finis Floating Fin, Kiefer Thrust Fin) which does not put as much stress on the ankle and leg as the shorter zoomer style fins and also provides more propulsion.

There are many different types of paddles: some designed for strength by providing resistance and others designed to work on technique - the range seems to be endless.

The paddles we recommend are the Finis Freestyler Paddle which are a technique paddle that works on your hand placement and alignment in the water.

When buying paddles, especially strength ones there are many different sizes. Make sure you purchase the appropriate size otherwise you may cause yourself an injury - bigger isn't always better.

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