This is the #1 most use item in a swimmers' kit bag. They're made of foam and come in various sizes. They are used for isolating the legs and practicing kicking technique.
Training Kit List
When swimmers move up from Learn to Swim and into the Junior Squad, they will start to need training kit above and beyond a hat and goggles. While the club can provide some items during training sessions at Bradford pool, not all items are available in all sizes.
Below is a list of kit in order of (roughly) how often they are used. You don't need to spend extortionate amounts to get good kit that will last, but you do need to make sure it's an appropriate size for the swimmer using it or they will float/sink more than they should!
We suggest writing names on all pieces of kit as there tends to be several people with the same thing at any session.
These aren't the long flippers you'll have seen deep sea divers wearing, they are much shorter. Kids being kids, they tend to grow out of these as fast as school shoes, so it's worth asking around to see if anyone has an old pair they've grown out of. It has been suggested that we start a flipper exchange program…
As with the flippers, this is not the same thing you'd use to observe tropical fish on your summer holiday. These are slightly crazy looking things that come straight up and over the head. They don't have a mask as swimmers always wear goggles.
In the water they look like this: 
Out of the water they look like this: 
No, not the guy who cleans the leaves out of the pool, that's the Pool Boy. This is a pull buoy; an egg timer(ish) shaped piece of foam that swimmers grip between their legs to aid floatation and practice their arm technique.
Size is important; if you buy too large a pull buoy it will cause your head to point downwards. Too small, and it won't be big enough to help your legs float.
These are slightly curious looking devices that swimmers use to develop their upper body strength. They work by stopping the water flowing between the fingers. As the name suggest, they are paddles for hands.
As with most of the kit, size is important. Hand Paddles are not used by the younger swimmers as they can be harmful for development until they get stronger.
Once you've got all your kit, you need a bag to carry it all in. Most swimmers carry theirs in a mesh bag that allows the water to drain off. If you've ever found wet swim kit in a non-mesh bag, you will quickly realise the wisdom of this.
If you have any questions relating to kit, give one of our parent reps a shout via email or find one poolside and they'll be more than happy to help.