| There are a lot of different kinds of equipment in swimming. This is a picture of a leg float or a pull buoy. This piece of equipment is simply used for the arms and not to let the legs kick. They are mostly used for isolating the pull and it also strengthens the upper body and arms while keeping the lower body elevated in the water to keep good posture. |
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| There are many reasons why pull buoys are good. For example one is that they allow the swimmers' legs rest while still training or swimming. Another reason would be that they allow the swimmer to maintain good streamlined position and good posture. Also, there is a suit called the wetsuit which provide extra buoyancy and pull buoys allow you to practice or stimulate the feeling of a wetsuit. |
| This is another kind of equipment. It is called the kick board. Like the cap and goggles there are many different brands of boards and they can be used for many different reasons. But the main reason that it is used is to make you use your legs. If you are a beginner it is great to improve strokes and kicking but if you are an experienced swimmer then it is great to improve your leg strength a lot. For instance, since there are many different brands and they all have different uses here are a few for you to pick from. The Aqua Sphere is hydrodynamic for less drag, the Innovative board reduces the stress on the back and shoulders, the Stealth board flows through water easily and insures proper body position in the water, and those are only a few of the many different brands of kick boards. Now that you have a variety of brands to choose from all with excellent qualities which will you choose? |
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There are a couple more different kinds of equipment. One of the most important ones is the starting block. This helps you get a better start and a farther push off the wall then just pushing off the wall. |
| This is also a very important piece of equipment in swimming. You guessed it... the lane ropes or lane lines. Lane lines mean a lot of different things just by their color. They alternate between two colors and then there is normally a third color which indicates that the pool ends in at least sixteen feet away. Lane lines are made of plastic disks and are threaded over a very thick, heavy wire. Some people call them anti-wave lines because the plastic disks stop waves and backwash from going into another swimmers' lane. |
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| During a meet there are many rules that you must follow, but most of them are the basic ones (NO running, horseplay, etc). Also, there is no flash photography and no talking during the start. They do this so that the swimmers don't get distracted while they do there dive. There are some other more complex ones to like you can't break stroke in butterfly or you must touch the wall with two hands in butterfly and breaststroke. Another one is that you must breathe every stroke in breaststroke. If you fail to follow all these rules then you will get disqualified and you won't get a time. There are always judges and officials on deck at all times. They are the ones that are always watching you and they are the ones that disqualify you so you better watch out and follow the rules. Also your coaches, teammates, and timers are always on deck also. The timers are the ones that stand behind your block and start the clock when your feet leave the block and stop it when you finish the race and touch the wall.
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