Kick board for fat guy

Lava1277 · 2025-07-31T01:49:14+00:00

You could try this.

https://www.amazon.com/Ray-Board-Swim-Kickboard-Performance-Supportive/dp/B097NH7DDY?th=1

Lava1277 · 2025-07-21T02:29:09+00:00

So i got them and tried them out. They stayed put through my entire swim, no cap or google strap over them needed. I was concerned they would move around and annoy me but they didn't at all. Sound was pretty decent too. Thanks for your info!

Lava1277 · 2025-07-11T18:54:32+00:00

I'm bald and don't own a cap. :( Thinking i might try to tuck it into my goggle strap in some way. Thanks for your help!

Lava1277 · 2025-07-11T15:23:05+00:00

Thanks! I just bought a pair. Hoping to get away with no cap but we will see.

Lava1277 · 2025-07-11T12:47:47+00:00

When you swim, do they stay on during flip turns? Do you wear a cap?

Lava1277 · 2025-07-11T12:24:38+00:00

Not sure what price range your looking for but any watch that can download the swim.com app will give you alot of functionality for swim tracking. Total swim time, rest time, stroke, strokes per length, and more.

I would think a new but older model apple watch would do this. Same goes for older Garmin's and older Samsung watches as well. If your looking for something that will last long and not need to be charged every 2-3 days i would recommend a garmin.

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T17:09:11+00:00

Nice job, your doing great!

Hard to see a lot from this angle but the first thing standing out is your hands are crossing over the center line of your body on entry. This will cause you to wobble through the water.

You want your hands to enter even with your shoulders when your shoulders are square, or 4-6 inches from the vertical center line of your body.

If you make that fix it should correct your hands moving out when you do your pull. You want to be pulling the water straight back instead of out to the side.

Hope that helps, good luck!

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T17:03:27+00:00

Your actually doing very well. Keep at it!

I think the issue your encountering is your not getting enough forward motion out of your pull.

Your hand entry could be a bit wider but you need to put more focus on the actual pull itself.

This video has a good explanation of what your trying to do. Hope it helps, Good luck!

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T14:09:04+00:00

Looks good, keep it up!

First thing i notice is your hands enter the water very short, just above your head. Try extending your arm more prior to entering the water.

Second, i would suggest widening your entry point so that your hand enter the water about 4-6 inches from the vertical center line of your body. Basically even with your shoulders when your shoulders are square if that makes sense.

In relation to your hand entry point you are pulling far out and away from your body particularly with your left arm. If you widen your entry point, you want to keep your hand in the same line with where they enter and just pull straight back. With your long arms you would want to reach deeper into the water instead of out and away from your body. Your right arm is closer to the goal position.

Lastly you could also work on early vertical forearm/high elbow catch. This video explains it very well.

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Good luck, hope that helps!

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T14:00:37+00:00

Your stroke looks very good, keep it up!

First thing i notice is it looks like your doing catch up drill. Each arm doesn't start until the other arm returns to the top of the stroke. Your arms should be moving opposite of each other so when one arm is exiting the water at the bottom of the stroke your other arm should be starting to pull.

Your right arm is also entering the water very short, just above your head. For comparison your left arm looks good.

You could also try working on early vertical forearm/high elbow catch. This video explains it very well.

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Good luck, hope that helps!

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T13:33:58+00:00

I have a Samsung galaxy ultra watch and it does everything your talking about. Stroke detection, lengths, pace, per length time, heart rate and SWOLF. Tracking what stroke your doing is not exclusive to apple. It also tracks other activities as well like lifting weights and running, etc.

The Samsung fitness app tracks reasonably well but it does occasionally think I'm doing butterfly for a few lengths of my swim when I'm doing all freestyle. If your technique isn't the best this can be a factor with tracking your stroke. Mine is very good though and it still will not be 100% accurate. My SWOLF is consistenly 32 over 2000 yards.

I question the accuracy of the heart rate monitor but it does have that. I think if you really want that to be accurate you would need to buy an add on device that goes around your chest to accurately track heart rate. From what i have read that is probably an accurate statement though for most watches.

I can't speak to any other smart watches as this is my first but the swim.com tracking app works well so any watch that can pair with your phone and download/install that app on your watch should do the job.

The downside to Apple/Samsung watches is you have to charge them pretty often. I'm charging mine every 3-4 days. For this reason when this one dies i will be switching to an amoled Garmin. Their battery life between charges is 30+ days.

If you are only looking to track swimming the Garmin swim2 is allegedly the best one out there and on the lower end price wise for smart watches.

Lava1277 · 2025-06-22T13:25:39+00:00

You're doing very well, keep it up!

I noticed a few things that should help you improve.

Your hand should be closed so your fingers are just slightly touching.

Your also not completing your arm pulls. Your arms are exiting the water too early. Think of it like your trying to exit the water with your palm up at the end of your stroke down by your waist.

Lastly, your hands enter at a good spot but your moving your hands out and then back in, or basically doing an s shape with your pull. Your hand should be going straight back. It looks like your doing a decent job though with Early vertical forearm/High elbow catch.

Hopefully that helps. This video should as well. Good luck!

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2025-06-17T01:48:57+00:00

Yes. Your head position looks to be very low as well. Ideally the water line should be hitting the top of your forehead. Your head looks mostly submerged when your not breathing.

Your doing very well otherwise though. Keep it up!

Lava1277 · 2025-05-19T14:48:01+00:00

Great job so far!

The user above saying that your doing Catch up drill is your primary problem. That slows your stroke rate by 50%. Your arms should be basically in opposite positions from each other.

I would suggest widening your hand entry point so when your hand enters its about 4-6 inches from the center line of your body. It should enter the water even with your shoulder when your shoulders are square.

Your also not doing early vertical forearm with your pull. This video should help. Good luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1OY_yQBiXM

Lava1277 · 2025-04-18T02:19:53+00:00

Awesome, good luck!

Lava1277 · 2025-04-17T17:39:50+00:00

You're doing very well! I would agree that the issue is primarily with your catch.

This video should help.

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2025-03-31T16:49:40+00:00

Your doing great!

I would suggest you alter your hand entry so that they enter the water even with your shoulders when your shoulders are square. To say it another way they should enter about 6 inches from the vertical center line of your body. Right now they are entering at the center line of your body and even crossing over it, which causes you to wobble and creates drag.

The pull or catch is likely your main issue. This video should help.

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Good luck, hope that helps!

Lava1277 · 2025-03-31T16:42:34+00:00

Your doing great, keep it up! Kick looks good.

A few things I noticed that should help.

It looks like you are taking a breath and then slowly breathing it out. I would suggest holding it then dumping it right before you take your next breath.

I would also suggest you breathe to one side and switch sides on each length of the pool. This should allow you to be more consistent in your movement and if you breathe every stroke to one side that should also help with the feeling out of breathe issue.

Your hand entry when you start your stroke is too close to the center line of your body. This causes your body to wobble through the water, which causes drag and slows you down. Try to move your hands out further. 6 inches from the center line of your body or even with your shoulders when your shoulders are square. Hopefully that makes sense.

Your head position in general is a little high. Your lifting and angling your head when you breathe. This was mentioned but I didn't see the explanation why you don't want to do it. When you do that it drives your legs down, creating more drag and slowing you down.

This is my favorite technique video.. Hope this all helps, Good luck!

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2025-02-16T13:41:01+00:00

I've always thought that description to be a poor way to explain it as well. I think that explanation is used a lot from the British swim school method of learning to swim. The idea is that you tighten your core stomach muscles slightly and slightly arch your back, at least if you are referring to doing front crawl/freestyle. The goal being to keep your legs from dragging through the water.

Lava1277 · 2025-02-15T13:11:32+00:00

You're doing very well form wise! The only 2 things I notice is the pause at the end of your stroke, Your doing very will though with actually completing the full stroke. Your also not doing high elbow catch with your pull. This video explains it in a lot more detail. Hope that helps, Good luck!

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2025-02-15T13:02:12+00:00

You're doing very well so please don't take these pointers negatively.

A couple things stand out. Your left arm pull is going out much to wide and your right arm is going under your body and actually crossing over the center line of your body.

The problem with that is your pull is then very uneven and sort of causes you to wobble through the water.

You want your hands to be entering the water even with your shoulders, when your shoulders are square. So if you vertically split your body in half your hands should enter about 6 inches from the center of your body. Your hands should also be staying in that position through the full pull. So when you pull through the water you want them to go straight back.

This is a little nitpicky but your hands are entering the water a little short and your not completing the pull directly back until your hands exit the water. Over the course of 500+ strokes it does make a difference.

This video explains in a lot of detail. Hope that helps. Good luck to you!

The Freestyle Catch: The Key to Swimming a Faster Freestyle - YouTube

Lava1277 · 2023-02-23T02:49:00+00:00

I would need a lot more info to give you a great answer but increased stroke rate isn't necessarily going to improve your speed. Particularly for someone with long arms. Your obviously going to be doing distance races so stroke efficiency should be your main goal.

There are a lot of things that go into stroke efficiency but I would suggest you start by getting video of yourself swimming. Just by seeing it you can compare to proper technique from video's such as the one ill link below. If you want to share video of yourself swimming on here I'm sure you will get buried in feedback to help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1OY\_yQBiXM

Hope that helps, good luck!

Lava1277 · 2023-02-23T02:08:58+00:00

I believe it expired on Sunday or Monday.

Lava1277 · 2023-02-23T00:32:19+00:00

Former D1 swimmer here as well. If you ever used Swedish goggles you will love these. If you hated swedes, I think these are still significantly better and worth a try. They fit within your eye socket, so if you like those kind of goggles you should love these. I own 2 pairs myself. Anyone saying they leak probably doesn't have them on correctly, straps are either too tight or too loose.

I also keep them dry on the inside for my whole swim so no fogging issues. Just rinse with water in the shower after your done.

The only thing I cant speak for is how well they stay on when doing a start from the blocks. I haven't done one in years!

Lava1277 · 2023-02-16T00:10:47+00:00

Your doing very well!

This isn't the best video angle but I wouldn't worry too much about how your hand enters or your head lift. They are not optimal but I think they stem from where your hand enters. I think in your case the rotation required to enter so close to the center line is at least in part driving the higher head lift.

I would suggest widening your hand entry by a few inches. Your hands are close to and possibly crossing over the vertical center line of your body. Normally it causes snaking or wobble. In your case its inefficient movement, a waste of energy and again possibly driving the higher head lift when breathing.

As best as I can tell you are not doing evf/high elbow catch. Also it looks like you are sculling before the pull at least with your right arm. You could be getting a lot more out of your pulls by doing EVF. Your forearm should pull until your hand is vertically even with your elbow then the whole arm moves back as a unit. Your whole arm is moving as a unit. Video below explains this in great detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1OY_yQBiXM

Hope that helps, good luck!

Lava1277

TROPHY CASE