Kit
Swimwear To enable swimmers to perform at their best, competitive swimwear has been developed to improve upon bare skin for a speed advantage. A properly fitting swimsuit should fit closely against your body. Bunching at the seams or tightness and pulling at the straps and openings usually indicates an incorrect size. A properly fitting swimsuit should still allow full mobility to allow swimmers to gain the maximum advantage of wearing it. It is worth saying that while training it is not necessary to wear a high performance costume and to reserve the use of the special performance costume for competitions.
In 2009, FINA rules and regulations were altered and suits made with polyurethane were banned because they made athletes more buoyant. These rules also banned suits which go above the navel or below the knee for men and suits which extend past the shoulders or cover the neck for women.
Swim cap (a.k.a. cap) keeps the swimmer's hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of latex, silicone, spandex or lycra.
Goggles keep water and chlorine out of swimmers' eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract glare at outdoor pools. Prescription goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective lenses.
Swim Fins Rubber fins are used to help kick faster and build strength and technique, but are illegal in a race. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking.
Hand paddles Swimmers use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulder strength while refining hand-pulling technique.Hand paddles attach to the hand with rubber tubing or elastic material. They come in many different shapes and sizes, depending on swimmer preference and hand size.
Kick-board or float A kick-board is a foam board that swimmers use to support the weight of the upper body while they focus on kicking. Kicking is the movement of the legs only which helps to increase leg muscle for future strength.
Pull buoy Often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers' legs (and prevent them from kicking) while they focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they float in the water. Swimmers hold them in between the thighs.They can also be used as a kickboard to make kicking a little harder.
Snorkel A snorkel is a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while swimming. This piece of equipment helps the swimmer practice keeping their head in one position, along with training them for the proper breathing technique of breathing in through the mouth and out the nose. This technique is the opposite of a common runner's breathing pattern, which is in the nose and out the mouth.
