Courtesy of Aqua Knuckles, a SwimSwam partner.
Can you imagine how fast we’d be in the water if we had webbed hands and feet?? We’d pull so much water and would surely win all our races! Maybe someday those of us who spend so much time in the water will evolve and develop webbing like ducks and polar bears. Until then, we can train with Aqua Knuckles. Aqua Knuckles are innovative, unique training aids for competitive swimmers (or anyone who wants to be faster in the water). Aqua Knuckles are double silicone bands you slip over the ring and middle fingers of each hand. Aqua Knuckles utilized during training help swimmers develop muscle memory to slightly spread their fingers. Slightly spread fingers create a webbing of water (the “boundary layer”) between the fingers that allows swimmers to catch more water and move through the water very fast, with a more powerful pull. This boundary layer of water becomes almost like large gloves on our hands, sticking to the fingers and making our hands seem much larger.
- Is training with Aqua Knuckles better than training with paddles?
Yes. Because Aqua Knuckles are intentionally minimalist, all your fingers and hands are exposed to the water. In fact, spreading your fingers increases your nerves exposed to the water by 35%. Coaches talk about how the best swimmers in the world have that great “feel for the water”. This concept seems intangible – but Aqua Knuckles helps train swimmers to slightly spread their fingers and therefore will help swimmers improve their own “feel for the water”. Swimmers with a better feel for the water will be able to make those micro adjustments to their pull, helping them swim faster. Also, paddles are tough on swimmers’ shoulders. Aqua Knuckles are lightweight and efficient with space. They are not unwieldy pieces of equipment putting unnecessary strain on other parts of your upper body. Many swimmers have reported training with Aqua Knuckles strengthens the muscles in their forearms! Bonus benefit!!
- I am interested in trying Aqua Knuckles but my coach doesn’t know about them. What should I do?
Please email your coach a link to this information or other Aqua Knuckles info that’s out there on the internet – like our FAQ page: https://aquaknuckles.com/pages/faqs or this video on our home page: https://aquaknuckles.com.
- It is too hard for me to incorporate Aqua Knuckles into my workouts. How can I get over this hurdle?
It can be challenging to incorporate new training aids into your workouts. Innovative and open-minded swimmers know that utilizing Aqua Knuckles has made them faster and was well worth the time it took for them to develop the habit of incorporating Aqua Knuckles into some of their sets. Developing the effective habit of training with Aqua Knuckles will take about a week. Your Aqua Knuckles will arrive in a colorful mesh bag that easily fits into your existing gear bag. You should utilize Aqua Knuckles on one of your main sets. An example of an Aqua Knuckles workout is below:
- Example of incorporating Aqua Knuckles into a workout:
300 w/ Aqua Knuckles
-25 Scull / 25 Power Catch / 50 Distance per stroke
200 Choice Kick
3x w/fins
50 @ 1:10 25 Left side kick / 25 Right side kick
-straight body line
50 @ 1:00 10 kick switch
4×50 @ :50 Descend to fast, find easy speed
-round 1 with Paddles
-round 2 with Aqua Knuckles
-round 3 fins only
3x
3×50 @ 1:20 best average kick
3×100 @ 1:30
-breathing pattern 3/5/7/9 by 25’s
1:00 reset
5x
2×50 @ 1:30 all out!!
50 @ 1:30 easy
-odd rounds with Aqua Knuckles
-even rounds with no equipment
Aqua Knuckles make swimmers faster. Our customer feedback from coaches and swimmers all over the world is very exciting and we are thrilled!
Use Code SWIMSWAM15 to get 15% off your next purchase.
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John O’Grady – Founder, Aqua Knuckles
John has been a competitive swimmer for more than 40 years and continues to learn and innovate. His love of the water has seen him through age-group swimming, high school teams, Divisions I and II college teams and masters swimming. He has competed in open water competitions in the Atlantic Ocean and has practiced in the English Channel. It is hard to find this guy out of the water! John resides in Southern California and coaches the Spartans of La Canada club swim team in La Canada, California: www.spartanswim.com. When he is not in the water or on a pool deck, John runs a boutique media services company focused on creative projects of all kinds for both large and small entities. He enjoys cooking, surfing, travel, photography and spending time with his wife and children, all of whom are competitive swimmers.