WHO SHOULD USE A SNORKEL

The answer is all swimmers. Over the past two decades, snorkels for lap swimming are commonplace at the pool. Everyone from beginner to advanced swimmers should be use a snorkel. They are also helpful for swimmers with injuries.

Freestyle side breathing can be tough for a brand new swimmer! Beginner swimmers who have yet to master breathing find comfort in knowing they can breathe freely with a snorkel.

Beginner swimmers should use it to learn their optimal body line and work on elevating their hips. This piece of equipment is awesome for drills, because you can clearly see your arms’ entry point, catch, and finish uninterrupted.

Hundredths of a second can decide if you will win or lose a swim race. Advanced swimmers use snorkels to eliminate the breathing motion and perfect other areas of their technique.

Advanced swimmers should place additional emphasis on their body rotation. For hip-driven freestyle, swimmers should focus on extending with their catch arm while rotating from their core. Sprinters looking to develop shoulder-driven and body-driven freestyle should use this equipment in conjunction with fins and paddles to accentuate hip elevation and explosive shoulder connectivity. Using a snorkel allows you to keep your head still while working on these finer technical points.

Snorkels are also a great tool for lap swimmers who have neck and back injuries. They allow you to keep your head and neck still. The good news is there is no shame in using a snorkel 100% of the time when lap swimming.

WHY USE A SNORKEL

The top 3 Athlete Approved reasons you should use a snorkel to improve your swimming:

1. Uninterrupted technique for added focus.
2. Improves body positioning.
3. Builds aerobic capacity.

A snorkel allows swimmers to focus on their technique uninterrupted by breathing motions. That is one less thing to worry about!

Primarily used during freestyle training, snorkels help in correcting head position while heightening hand awareness on the entry and catch phases of the stroke. In addition, its center construction allows swimmers to maintain a full range of motion across a variety of different strokes and drills.

The restrictive airflow is beneficial for building lung capacity, and building VO2 Max, a crucial component of swimming efficiently. VO2 Max is an individual’s maximum oxygen capacity during exercises of increasing intensity.

Snorkels can also be used to increase lung capacity.

HOW TO USE A SNORKEL

Place the snorkel over your head. Secure it by pulling on the ends of the rubber straps to ensure a snug fit around your head with the head padding centered on your forehead and the snorkel mounted center.

Insert the mouthpiece into your mouth and make a closed seal around the rubber gasket. Breathe through your mouth, and refrain from breathing through your nostrils! Start by practicing using the snorkel on land, then in the water without submerging the entire snorkel.

SNORKEL PRO TIPS

When a snorkel fills with water, expel the water by blowing out in a rapid burst. This will clear it and allow you to breath through it again.

Beginners should begin with a snorkel with a purge valve like the Finis Original Swimmer’s Snorkel for easier water clearance. Once you master the technique, you can build up to one without, such as the Finis Stability Snorkel or MP Michael Phelps Focus Swim Snorkel.

Mastering a flipturn with a snorkel takes practice. Beginner swimmers can start with a nose clip to plug their nose when using a snorkel during a flipturn. This will help save enough air in your lungs to purge the water.

More competitive swimmers can make snorkel training more challenging by restricting airflow further with a snorkel cardio cap.

Athlete Approved Tip: Be mindful of how many inches of the snorkel extends out of the water. Olympic Coach Mike Bottom teaches that 2+ inches of snorkel showing above water is too high when using a snorkel. When only a couple of inches break the surface of the water, your head is in the correct down position.

So there you have it, snorkels are for everybody, even the young ones!