How to use a pull buoy for maximum improvement

Pullbuoys are powerful swimming tools because they can make a huge difference in how you move through the water. For those who have trouble swimming effectively and keeping their legs on the surface, buoys can be wonderful.

The problem is that when you use a buoy to hold your legs up, you never really learn how to handle it your position in the water. In that regard, using a buoy is not a good use of your time. You’re better off tackling the real problem.

However, that doesn’t mean buoys are useless. In fact, they can be very effective if used correctly. In this article, I’ll show you two great strategies for implementing a pull buoy to improve your swimming.

How to improve your traction

Using a pull buoy will help isolate the arms. It gives you a great environment to focus on your upper body, which is especially important in triathlon swimming as you try to save your legs for later.

However, simply taking the legs away is not enough. You must take advantage of the isolated environment to maximize the benefit.

A simple way to do this is to focus on your speed and your score while you draw When you can hit fewer strokes and move faster through the water, you’ll improve your pulling power. This is how it looks in practice:

Swim faster with the same number of strokes

Perform a series of reps, taking the same number of pulls on each rep. However, you should swim faster with each rep. For example:

6 x 50m, performed in 46 strokes, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35 seconds per 50m.

Make fewer strokes at the same speed

Now the goal is to keep the time the same and take fewer shots every 50. For example:

6 x 50m in 40 seconds with 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37 strokes per 50m.

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Add up your number of moves and your time. Try to decrease this number with each repetition. For example:

6 x 50m #1 – 90 (45 strokes + 45 seconds); #2 – 88 (43 beats + 45 seconds); #3 – 86 (44 bars + 42 seconds) etc.

Generate speed with your arms

In all of the above examples, you can do as many reps as you want, and you can use whatever rep distance you want.

The great thing about using these pull strategies is that you need to learn how to be more effective with your arm movements to achieve the goals of the set.

The key is learning to work at a higher level, moving more water and creating speed with your arms. Because you quantify your skills specifically, you’ll get clear feedback with every repetition.

How to set up your stroke

When you’re struggling, it can be really helpful to have a good feel for how you’re setting the shot:

Top Photo Credit: Paul Whitfield