Swimming snorkels continue to be one of the best innovations for the competitive swimmer to date. They are a must have tool for any swimmer looking to improve their technique and cardio!
Front-mounted snorkels allow swimmers to swim continuously without needing to move their head to breathe every few strokes. From a technique standpoint, there is no better solution at this time to help swimmers focus on head & body position. Head & body position in the water is one of the most important and fundamental technical aspects of swimming – specifically your head position. Your head position will have an impact on your entire body position in the water. Commonly swimmer’s swim with their heads too high or look forward while they swim. This has a negative impact on your body positioning in the water as it causes your hips to sink lower and makes it harder for swimmers to engage their core muscles; not to mention it adds a lot of drag and slows you down! So not only is your technique not as efficient as it could be, you are also working harder than you need to with the added resistance!
Swimming is all about efficiency! Since water has so much drag and resistance, being as streamline and efficient means you flow through the water easier and use less energy!
A point at which a swimmer’s head and body position can go out of alignment is during the breath, and it can be challenging to get your head back in the correct position after your breath causing a bit of a lag time where your body is out of position. Since most swimmers breathe every few strokes, this adds up to quite a bit of time where your head is out of alignment!
Front mounted snorkels will enable swimmers to swim continuously without the need to move their head to breathe, which will allow swimmers to focus on finding that proper head position and get used to how that feels. The idea is that when you take off the snorkel, you are more easily able to find the proper head position after each breathe. The real challenge is keeping a good head & body alignment during each breath! Typically you’ll notice that distance swimmers are experts at this as it is in their best interest to conserve as much energy as possible!
Our Swim Experts have extensive experience using snorkels and we have found that the FINIS Stability Snorkel is the best snorkel on the market. It’s unique design of having the forehead bracket attached to the snorkel tube provides unmatched stability of the snorkel while swimming at speed or during push-offs! The goggle strap design also provides familiarity and comfort around your head!
