How A Swim Snorkel Helps For A Faster Swim
Like a range of swimming equipment, the snorkel has become an essential piece of kit in a swimmers bag. It provides many benefits to your breathing, technique and overall time of your swim.We’re not surprised snorkels are claimed mostly by competitive swimmers.
What does a snorkel do?
A snorkel allows you to breathe air from above when your face is planted underwater. It reduces the amount of times you have to lift your head out of the water, and it also allows you to conserve energy. This is crucial when it comes to competitive races.
If you haven’t used a snorkel before, it can take some getting used to. It’s an extremely versatile and effective training aid that is able to develop and enhance your body positioning, kicking, and stroke technique which ultimately develops your speed and stamina. It’s no doubt that your swimming performance comes down to the rotation of your core, efficient breathing, co-ordination and flutter kick.
You can take a quick look at this video that shows how to use a swim snorkel.
Ways A Swim Snorkel Will Help You Swim Faster
Head Position & Body Alignment
By wearing a training snorkel, they are designed to keep you head in the correct neutral position when you’re swimming. It doesn’t necessarily correct or interfere with your current technique, but it does enhance it in ways you will be able to see and feel when you’re in the water. A snorkel can help you with your bad habits of looking sideways or ahead!
Training snorkels offer benefits to all swimmers, however for those who specialise in freestyle will see a great impact on performance. By encouraging neutral head positions and a horizontal body position, you’re teaching your body that it is the correct shape for swimming.
Kicking Technique
You can significantly improve your kicking technique with a training snorkel. How, you say? By using a snorkel as an alternative to a kickboard, you can combine your kicking technique with your arm and shoulder movements. It allows your head, neck and spine to be in a more natural swimming position.
With the swim snorkel, you can kick in a streamlined position in order to focus on speed. Alternatively, you can swim with your arms by your sides as you simulate your shoulders and hips rolling motions.
Cardiovascular Strength
Looking to improve your cardiovascular strength with swimming? You’re definitely on the right track, and snorkels can help you even more. There are many swim coaches all over the world that introduce the ‘cardio cap’ to their snorkel training program. Essentially, this fixes onto the top of the snorkel’s tube and therefore limits the amount of air that is let in, resulting in the lungs receiving a very intense workout.
It’s otherwise known as hypoxic training which forces stronger inhaling and exhaling. It is able to develop a more efficient and effective breathing technique that will come in handy when it comes to the competitive season. The right breathing technique is absolutely crucial in swimming, which makes it a must to practice and perfect if you’re a competitive swimmer.
Balanced Stroke
Training snorkels ultimately fine tune your stroke technique. It’s possibly the biggest benefit to using the training aid which sprinters take full advantage of. It provides a smoother, more cleaner stroke turnover. The supply of air reduces the need to incorporate breathing techniques into your training, especially when you’re trying to perfect and enhance your stroke. If you’re hoping to achieve a perfect, balanced stroke, use a snorkel in your training session to get the most out of it.
The Top Training Snorkels For Swimmers
We have put together a few of what we think are the best swim training snorkels to kickstart your journey in the pool when it comes to enhancing breathing techniques, and overall swim techniques for performance. They are affordable, high quality and from the best brands in the world, including Arena, Finis and Michael Phelps.
Michael Phelps Focus Snorkel
• Low profile design for comfort
• Hydrodynamic tube reduces drag
• Increases cardiovascular strength
• Adjustable head bracket
TYR Ultralite Snorkel 2.0
• Designed for body alignment training
• Hydrodynamic tube shape for quick movement
• Durafit silicone padding for comfort
Arena Swim Snorkel II
• No water inhalation with one way purge valve
• Fixed headband for maximum stability
• 2 mouthpieces and 2 small holes for different levels of resistance