News

Around mid January I got to see first hand the two new Speedo racing suits in full action before they were officially released. Prior to seeing them being tried on, my biggest concern was sizing. But most importantly, how much it differs from the LZR Elite and LZR X.

Upon seeing the racing suits being tried on at the High Performance Centre in Vancouver, I was excited to be there and listen to all the positive feedback swimmers had about both suits.

Here are some of the insights from my visit that day...

The Pure Valor is a 'light' suit. It is geared towards distance and IM swimmers. The best part was that all swimmers agreed the fit is exactly like the LZR Elite. This is great news for swimmers that are nervous about having to transition to a new suit after having the LZR Elite around for 6+ years. Transitioning to the Valor will not be a problem!

The Pure Intent is a sexy suit and certainly says POWERFUL. Feedback from the swimmers also confirmed this. This suit also fits like the LZR Elite but the main difference is that it is more rigid. The swimmers had a tougher time putting on the suit, but once it was on, the suit felt great, especially in water. Since the suit offers more compression than the Valor, I would definitely recommend this suit to sprinters and mid distance swimmers. This does not mean IMers and distance swimmers should stay away from the suit, however. I would be conscious of how much compression the swimmer prefers and from there pick the right suit. Another great aspect that comes from being more rigid, is less accidental finger tears! Huge relief! This does not mean that swimmers should not be careful while putting it on, of course. Always exercise when putting on racing suits!

Read more

TAS 12 Month Challenge for February: Underwater Work!

Good underwater work can be one of the most critical skills that swimmer can develop to improve their times! Races are often won and lost because of this very skill. Our February Challenge for you is a 50m Timed Underwater Dolphin Kick with Fins!
We also encourage swimmers to set an underwater kick goal for themselves for the month of February! A certain number of dolphin kicks off every wall – whether that is every practice for the month, or just on specific sets during your practice. Whatever is best for you!

Contest Details:

Swimmers can submit a video of a 50m underwater dolphin kick for time. The start and stop of the stopwatch must be visible in the video. The entry can be done in a 25m or 50m pool. You are not limited in the number of entries you can submit, so if you feel you can do a faster time later in the month you can absolutely send us a new entry!

Contest entries must be submitted before 11:59:59 PM PST on February 28^th.

The prize is a Speedo Teamster 2.0 Backpack!

Submit your video entry to info@team-aquatic.com or on social media by tagging us in the video!

There will be one male and one female winner – winners will be announced on social media after the contest closes and contacted by email or social media via the email/account they used to submit the video.

Read more

Here at Team Aquatic Supplies we love all forms of aquatic exercise! Many of our customers are competitive swimmers, but for those who are not swimmers or those who are maybe looking to add something new to their exercise routine – try Aquatic Fitness!!
There are so many benefits to doing exercises in the water for people of all ages, abilities, and interests! It doesn’t always have to be swimming laps and we are here to share some reasons why you should add some aquatic exercise into your routine in 2022!

Aquatic Fitness can be done on your own or in classes at your local pool! Many municipalities offer aquatic fitness group classes which are led by qualified instructors, check your local pool for more information on what classes they may be offering. These classes can go by many names: aqua aerobics, waterobics, aquafitness, aquacise, etc. But most classes will involve exercises that you’d expect in a “dry” class but have the benefit of being in the water!

Exercising in the water has loads of benefits! Being in the water reduces the impacts of gravity on your body, which alleviates some of the stress that is put on your muscles and joints that is typical with land exercises (which is great if you experience joint issues or are doing rehab for an injury). The resistance of the water will also help build your strength when you move your body through the water!
You don’t need any special equipment to get started with aquatic fitness, just a swimsuit and access to a pool and you are all set to try your first class! However, there are also some tools that you can use to increase or decrease this resistance so you can make your aquafitness class as challenging as you like!

Here are a few tools that our Swim Experts at Team Aquatic Supplies recommends:

• Aquafitness Belts:
  • These belts wrap around your waist and offer buoyancy to the swimmer! This allows swimmers to participate in deep water exercises without needing to focus on keeping your head above the water at all times. The belts come in varying sizes which correspond to the amount of buoyancy each provide. More buoyancy offers comfort and security to those who may not be as strong in the water or require a bit more floatation, while the belts with less buoyancy might be better for those who are looking for a bit more of a challenge or for swimmers who may not need as much buoyancy!
• Resistance Gloves:
  • These gloves are designed to simulate webbed hands which add surface area to your hands which increases the resistance when you move your hand through the water! This extra resistance will help build strength in your arms and shoulders.
• Hand Bars & Dumbbells
  • Contrary to the dumbbells you’d find at the gym, these dumbbells are very lightweight! This is because they add resistance through buoyancy! Aquafitness instructors have many creative exercises they use these dumbbells for and are a great addition for any person looking to add a bit of an extra challenge to their aquafitness classes!

Aquafitness is a challenging, low-impact form of exercise – and best of all, it’s fun!

Read more

Team Aquatic Supplies is now offering two new tech suit styles from Dolfin Swimwear! The Dolfin Titanium and the Dolfin Lightstrike.

As these are new products to most Canadians, your Swim Experts at Team Aquatic Supplies are here to help guide you on the features and fit of these new race suits.

Dolfin Swimwear is a brand we’ve been offering for many years, and they are well known for their high-quality training suits that are built to last. However, more recently they have been investing and developing their technical fabrics and race products. These two suits are a result of years of research and development and offer technical features to meet the needs of all competitive swimmers!

We’ve put together this useful guide to help guide you to the correct suit and size!

Dolfin Lightstrike

The fabric is woven in an intricate design – while being aesthetically pleasing, it also serves to provide the suit with increased strength, durability, and compression qualities. Stormlight shell fabric and hyperlight lining gives this suit ones of the highest strength to weight ratio of any race suit fabric on the market.
The seam design on the suits provides targeted compression – with zones to provide more compression where you want it, and less compression where you don’t. This tech suit offers more flexibility and freedom of movement than the Dolfin Titanium counterpart.
So this suit would be perfect for those swimmers looking for the ultimate in technical features while still offering flexibility and lightweight fabric. Though do not underestimate the targeted compression zones, they do offer quite a bit of compression and give this suit a very snug fit.

This suit would be a great option for swimmers racing in all strokes and distances!

Downsize one size from training suit.

Please note, we only brought in the jammer style in regular waist and tight legs.

Dolfin Titanium

Read more

Fins are an essential tool for developing swimmers and are a must have for anyone looking to improve their speed and technique. Fins also help to relieve stress on the shoulders and are a great aid in helping you find the ideal body position!

But with so many options available on the market, how do you know which fins are right for you?

Depending on your current swimming goals and areas of focus, one style may be more beneficial for you than another. There are two categories of training fins: short blade fins and long blade fins.

To help you figure out which fin may be best for you, we’ve summarized the key benefits of each and the differences between them!

Long Blade Fins

Long blade fins are a great option for those who are beginner or intermediate swimmers looking to focus on technique. Unlike short blade fins, long blade fins extend several inches past the toes. Because they cover more surface area, they create more water resistance which helps to activate leg muscles, elevate the legs and hips, and propel you through the water quicker. This allows swimmers to slow their strokes down to focus on specific aspects of their technique while still maintaining a high body position in the water.

Long fins have less range of motion when compared to short blade fins, so they are less likely to replicate a natural kicking style that is short and quick; instead, they create a longer, wider kick.

Long fins also help with improving posture and alignment, learning how to kick from your hips instead of your knees, and building ankle strength and flexibility.

Best for

• Beginner and intermediate swimmers
• Swimmers looking to improve stroke and kick technique
• Develop key fundamental skills such as undulation and body positioning

Benefits

• Longer, wider kick
• Buoyancy and propulsion
• Improves posture and alignment
• More water resistance and kick flexibility
• Help teach you to kick from the hips instead of the knees
• Muscle activation
• Leg and hip elevation

Styles

TAS Colour-Keyed Fins

TAS colour-keyed fins are 100% rubber and are our best-selling long fin! The added surface area offers water resistance that helps activate muscles, raise the hips, and propels you quicker.

Finis Long Floating Fins 

The Finis Long Floating Fins are great starter fins for children. They can be used both for training and recreationally. The long blade provides buoyancy and propulsion, and the buoyancy helps with learning proper body alignment.

Short Blade Fins

Short blade fins are great for experienced swimmers who are wanting to build more speed and strength. They only extend a couple inches past the toes and encourage a wider range of swimming styles. Short blade fins are stiffer and less flexible on the foot which is designed to target different muscle groups and strokes.

Short blade fins allow for a faster kicking rate over a longer period and engage the muscles more quickly which helps to build strength. 

Short blade fins allow swimmers to mimic a natural race tempo with a normal stroke rate allowing swimmers to train at race pace - feel fast.  Short blade fins also add resistance and load, resulting in specific leg strength, flexibility, and endurance training.  Fins are also a great tool to relieve shoulder fatigue/stress, and can be a great aid in finding that ideal body position

The added propulsion, speed, and power make short fins a popular piece among swimmers and coaches.

There are two distinct styles of short blade fins that TAS carries – fins with a more traditional boot style design and fins that have an open-heel ankle strap design. 
The advantages of the open-heel ankle strap design are that they allow for greater range of motion and flexibility in the swimmer’s ankle which will enable the swimmer to kick more naturally with the fins on. The traditional boot style design does not offer quite the same flexibility, but does offer a bit more support and structure to the fins.

Because of the lack of flexibility in the heel and blade, short blade fins are less likely to stretch out and tend to have a longer lifespan when compared to long blade fins.

Best for:

• Experienced swimmers
• Swimmers who want to build more strength

Benefits

• Wider range of swimming styles
• Targets different muscle groups and strokes
• Engages muscles quicker
• Increased speed – train at race pace
• Faster kick rate over a shorter time
• Builds strength
• Longer lifespan

Styles

TAS Short Blade Fins 

TAS Short fins are rubber training fins that allow for powerful flutter kicks. They help to maintain proper stroke tempo with ideal propulsion through the water. They are essential for strengthening and speeding up your kick for a better overall performance.  They help with correcting technique and help build stroke-specific strength in the leg muscles.

Speedo Switchblade Fins

Speedo Switchblade fins are 100% rubber and allow for the uninterrupted natural flow of a flutter kick. The 10-degree blade angle provides maximum stability for a dramatic increase in kick cadence. The extended foot pocket helps the fin not cut into the foot and helps to alleviate cramping.

Arena Powerfin Pro Fins 

Arena Powerfin Pro fins are 100% silicone with superior comfort and reduced chance of blisters. With customized left and right feet, the open heels provide maximum flexibility. The inclined short blade ensures maximum forward thrust and a high frequency kick. The special notches on the bottom allows for faster kicks and the side rails offer better control.

TYR Crossblade 2.0 Fins

Engineered with an intermediate blade to promote increased tempo and speed through the legs when moving through the water, LFCROSS2 fins help swimmers to maintain the resistance necessary to build leg power and improve technique. With a 100% Natural Rubber construction and new thickened foot pockets, the Crossblade Fin 2.0 prevents athletes from feeling discomfort as they move. In addition to an innovative rounded edge design, each fin is also created with a universal, no-slip grip on the heel base.

Read more