What are pull buoys?

Yes, it’s a foam that’s shaped pretty much like the number 8! Now, you might be wondering how in the world this can help you swim better. You might even be wondering where this goes. Are you supposed to hold it in your hands? With your feet? Hold up with the thoughts, allow me to explain it to you!

As seen in the picture above, that’s one of the places the pull buoy can go: in between your thighs! Or you could also fit it anywhere in between your knees or ankles, depending on which positioning provides you the most comfort. Pull buoys help swimmers work on stroke techniques, by helping your lower body balance well in the water so that you can focus on the top half of your body.

Benefit #1: Proper Body Positioning

Nagashima Spa Land is actually a huge amusement park which consists of all the usual waterpark shenanigans AND a whole water park! The water park, called Joy Waterpark, has a world record-breaking 18 slides and 10 pools for its size. If you’re wondering how the Japanese enjoy such facilities in cold months, it’s because the pools are temperature controlled! What’s more interesting is that all the pools have different temperatures, so you can take your pick.

Benefit #2: Targets Upper Body

Since your lower body’s balance in the water is pretty much being taken care of by the pull buoy, you’re now able to switch your full focus to your arms! So even if you’ve had an intense workout which left your legs sore, there’s no excuse for you to miss an upper body workout session in the pool!

Benefit #3: Focus on Stroke Techniques

The different strokes such as the breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle require different stroke techniques and sometimes it gets hard to focus on the movement or even the efficiency of your arms. With your legs out of the picture, you can now test out your front crawl or backstroke to check if your arms have been doing at least some of the work during your swims! If you find yourself barely moving, don’t get too upset. The first step to improvement is realising your mistakes! You may then continue using the pull buoy to practice and improve your arm movements. Say hello to nice, long freestyle pull sets!

Benefit #4: Core Conditioning

A pull buoy can help with achieving that dream beach bod! Yes, you heard that right. Use the pull buoy correctly and you can strengthen not only your abs but your whole core. Here’s how. Start with the pull buoy between your legs. Then, do the freestyle. BUT, keep your feet together and resist kicking! Also, don’t forget to keep your core fully engaged while you’re training. This ensures that your lower body doesn’t sink in. Doesn’t sound like a challenge? Try 2 laps and think again.

While the pull buoy presents a vast set of benefits, here are some cautions to take note of!

Caution #1: Avoid Over-reliance

While a pull buoy is a handy tool to bring up your skill level or to challenge yourself with, make sure you’re not using it during every practice session or for every set! After every set with the pull buoy, it would be wise to try out swimming without it just so you can translate the skills learnt onto your normal swimming techniques!

Caution #2: Remember Core Engagement!

A pull buoy causes your hips to float, hence reducing the need for you to engage your core to keep your legs upright. This in itself can actually lead to stressing your lower back as your body might be in a static extension instead of a neutral, straight position. So, with a pull buoy or not, ALWAYS remember to get your core involved when you swim!

Conclusion

Well, that was a load of information about the usage of pull buoys, wasn’t it? Did it pique your interest? Then why not grab a pull buoy the next time you head to a pool. It’ll make for a great workout and a good opportunity to reflect on your techniques!

Master Swimming with SwimRay Swimming Lessons and visit one of the water parks in the near future!

Hello everyone! I'm a gym enthusiast who gets very excited at the sight of dogs. Drinking teh tarik is my form of relaxation. I hope you share my passion for anything fitness-related through my writing!