Can I use my pull buoy for the tri???

I was a swimming coach about a billion years ago so take this for what it's worth.  It sounds to me like you may be over kicking.(way over). Try almost no kicking at all, just like using the pull buoy. Your legs will sink a bit at first. Try to get into the same pace that lets you swim for 45 minutes. Then add just enough kicking to keep your feet up.

I used to be overly reliant on a pullbuoy too.  I finally realized that I was just cheating myself by using it so I stopped completely (except for the odd time during a warmup).   Do lots of swimming without it and you will adjust with time.  Also make sure you aren't kicking too much when you don't use it - just relax like it's there and maybe have a light kick for balance.

keep in mind that your wetsuit will add floatation to help you in the water. 

Yeah, never, ever swim with it again. Then you get used to not having it and you don't cheat yourself in the pool

The Tri I am doing is in August.  Won't it be a bit warm for a wetsuit?


Edited by JC5066 2009-06-20 8:37 AM

That will depend on where you are doing the tri.  Here in Colorado many people still use wetsuits in August. 

I agree though, stop swimming with the pull buoy so that you can make the adjustment. 

no more pull buoy.

I had the same problem, my kick was causing me to be out of breath after 25y. I never got into the pull buoy (I always felt like it was making me zip zag through the water), but I significantly changed my kick. Now I just barely wave my feet past each other, very slowly, there is no splash at my feet, just a slight ripple from a slow tight kick. The only reason I have a kick (if you can even call it that) is to keep my feet up, I don't use my legs for propulsion at all. Slow your kick down so that your feet are just barely moving and it should help a lot.

Toss the pull bouy, serious, its only making your stroke worse. The best thing you can do is balance and rotation drills until you get stronger . A pull bouy will mask a balance issue and not allow you to strengthen all of the core muscles that you need for proper balance and rotation.

I have no idea how good/bad a swimmer you are, but racing with a pull buoy will be superfluous. The wetsuit provides even more buoyancy than the pull buoy for your entire body - a common problem with transitioning to wetsuit is that your kick comes out of the water since your legs float so well - I've got dead dragging quads, and I barely even kick with the wetsuit due to the buoyancy.

I know that Total Immersion and others preach minimal training aids, but I found the pull buoy extraordinarily helpful as a training aide to reduce over-rotation. You obviously still need to not use it from time to time, but in my local Bally's (read: few to no strong swimmers), I'd bet that virtually every single person I see there would greatly benefit from the effect that a pull buoy has on streamlining your body and pull. That pull buoy helped me way more than any explanation, video, or coach did, and I'm very good at following instructions.

Train both with and without it, but race without it.

 

As far as the actual rules, we'll have to wait for some officials to chime in. If I'm remembering correctly, the only stipulation in the swim portion is that you can't use anything that assists in propulsion. I suppose you could make a case that it assists you upward, but then you'd have to ban wetsuits as well... I think it MIGHT be legal in a tri. Goofy as all getout, but maybe legal. Check with The Bear or some of the other USAT brains on the site.

The rules do only mention propulsion, but, also says that "floating devices of any kind" are prohibited.  Pull buoys float.  So, I don't think they're legal.

99% certain that pull buoys are illegal in races.

Have a knowlegable coach evaluate your swimming without a pull buoy.  Are your legs sinking? Are you kicking so hard to compensate for that?  It could be the result of poor body position in the water - High head/shoulders & low legs rather than your whole body flat to the water surface.  Both pull buoys and kick boards negate the effects of poor positioning, so using them allows you to go farther faster, and may not be doing you any favors regarding regular swimming at all at this point.  If that's the case, a coach will see it right away, and have you work on drills to correct it.

My legs sink like anchors!

Article 4.9 in USAT Competitive Rules (although I don't know why I have this as I am far from competitive):

"Any swimmer wearing any artificial propulsion device, including but not limited to fins, gloves, paddles, or floating devices of any kind shall be disqualified".

I would never dream of using a bouy for an event.  I would like to, but would never do it.

By their own definition they could easily disqualify the use of a wetsuit!  Everyone that I have ever talked to about wetsuits love them because of the buoyancy factor, not the warmth factor.



Edited by JC5066 2009-06-21 12:35 PM

I don't think the OP was really asking if he could use a pull buoy ... more asking how how he swim without one as well as he swims w one !

That is just incorrect... A pull bouy used correctly as a training aid is not cheating yourself or using it as a crutch. just like, fins, paddles, a snorkle, bands, and bungees... Used correctly a bouy is a valuable training aid and can help you develope a more focused and powerful pull in the water.

Edited by trigods 2009-06-21 3:32 PM

x2

Try the drill shown here:
http://www.ehow.com/video_2287728_using-rotation-drills-triathlon-s...

Do the first drill for 4x25, think about the front/back balance using your chest as the fulcrum; 'pushing' your extended arm's armpit down to adjust the height of your hips and legs. Revisit this drill at least once a week, think about balance during warmup too.

Thanks for all the info.

I'm headed to the pool in a couple of hours.  I'll have to work on some of the drills suggested. 

Only somewhat incorrect. It's only a good tool if you use it properly. The OP suggested that he can swim with it for 45 mins, which is an incorrect use. He needs to learn to swim properly without it before he can use it as it is intended.

John

What a frustrating swim!  I don't know if I was over thinking things or what.

I've decided to open up the wallet here.  What do you think would be a better investment; swim lessons or a wetsuit?

(I have two months before my first tri.)