advice on Vasa Pro Swim Trainer?

the Vasa swimbench was designed for use by developed senior
swimmers to emulate the swimming strokes on dryland. I do
not know of anyone who has used one for an age grouper,
especially one with only 2 years of competitive experience.

My thinking is that right now, development of technique
should be his priority, not conditioning. To really develop
technique he should be under supervision of his coach, and
more importantly, in the water.

Development of actually manipulating the water through
stroke technique done properly is fundamental, and the
absolute base for a successful swimming career. My own
opinion is that this, while it seems like a viable option,
may only serve to work against him...as well as your wallet.

If there really is no way of getting around it, there are
easier ways of emulating the swimbench....cheaper too. using
a bench similar to the trainer, and using anchored surgical
tubing you simulate the device. However, to reiterate, the
best way to swim faster is to swim.

maybe others have other opinions, but thats mine.

steve

"Love Gina" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:16155-404CC6E4-360@storefull-
3195.bay.webtv.net...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone used one of these? Would you recommend it? I
have a 10 year old who has been swimming competitively for
two years. The nearest pool to our area is 60 miles away,
that combined with a limited income make it difficult for
him to get the workouts he wants. He's currently swimming
in 30 minute sessions three times a week. Not ideal at
all. I'm looking to purchase one of these trainers but
want to be sure it's worth the large chunk of money it's
going to take! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

[email hidden] (Love Gina) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone used one of these? Would you recommend it? I
have a 10 year old who has been swimming competitively for
two years. The nearest pool to our area is 60 miles away,
that combined with a limited income make it difficult for
him to get the workouts he wants. He's currently swimming
in 30 minute sessions three times a week. Not ideal at
all. I'm looking to purchase one of these trainers but
want to be sure it's worth the large chunk of money it's
going to take! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

I would recommend first increasing his workout time from 30
minutes to an hour for each session. That would double his
swimming per week without changing that long commute at all.

Also, unless he's showing extreme talent or is crazy about
swimming, you might also consider getting him involved in an
activity closer to your home. Soccer, hockey, running,
basketball, and flag-football might be much closer to your
house and provide him a good aerobic activity to enjoy.

I'm sure the vasa trainer would help. But may not be worth
the money at this point given the other options.

Eric

Thank you both for your advice, its greatly appreciated. I
really don't know anything about swimming, and I'm having a
heck of a time trying to find a private coach. I've seen the
trainers in the magazines, but I wanted advice on them from
people who know swimming.

During the Summer season, my son swims on a local team and
they practice an hour every day. During the Winter season,
he swims on a U.S. swim team and they practice an hour and a
half three nights a week. So the problem we have now is
trying to find a way for him to continue the amount of
practice he's used to during the three month stretch between
the two seasons (he does play basketball and soccer during
that time). The 30 minute sessions he is swimming now are
private lessons he's taking at the YMCA, and that's been the
only thing I could come up with. (just wanted to explain a
little better.. lol)

Thanks again!

[email hidden] (Love Gina) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone used one of these? Would you recommend it? I
have a 10 year old who has been swimming competitively for
two years. The nearest pool to our area is 60 miles away,
that combined with a limited income make it difficult for
him to get the workouts he wants. He's currently swimming
in 30 minute sessions three times a week. Not ideal at
all. I'm looking to purchase one of these trainers but
want to be sure it's worth the large chunk of money it's
going to take! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

I'm not sure if you're still reading messages, but I know
that won't be lost!

I'm a 16 year old competitive swimmer and I sometimes use
the Swimbench, at the gym. My feeling about it is that it
must not be taken as a priority for training.

Positive: a few weeks ago, I was trying without succes to
improve my breast pull, wich is my best style. My coach
explained me what to do precisely when I was in the water,
but I just couldn't get it. One morning at the gym, I spent
about 15min on the swimbench with my coach beside me,
placing my arms correctly while explaining me how to do it.
Back in the water, I have kept that feeling, and now I know
precisely what my breast arm pull must look like, and I can
correct it by myself when it's goinig wrong. The swimbench's
greatest advantage is that it lets you interact directly
with the coach to improve your style.

Negative: I don't know if all swimbenches are like that, but
the one I use has handles that don't allow any "horizontal"
move, like "S-pattern". The way it's made keeps the hand
flat and horizontal, and when you move it from side to side,
your hand is always working to go back in the center. Look
at that .gif animation, you can see really well that the
hand stays flat and centered, wich is not the case in a
normal butterfly pull, that goes outside-inside, and then
pushes straight at the end. weba-weba-Open ↗
sport.com/anim_davefree.gif

It is true that the Swimbench is great to train specific
muscle groups like triceps, but to have the results hoped I
think a qualified coach is needed, to make a solid training
pattern and correct mistakes and bad habits when they
appear. If your son spends time on the Swimbench alone in
the house basement, he has good chances to develop bad
swimming habits and not even realize it! And don't forget
that swimming is also about legs!