Finis Tempo Trainer

The Finis Tempo Trainer is like a metronome for swimming. I love the tempo trainer. It’s used to set a specific pace at which you want your student or child to kick or pull in the case of arm strokes. This teaching tool is mainly used at the competitive swimming level for pacing, mapping out a race, sprinting and so much more. But it also has tremendous benefits for the young beginner swimmer too.

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Before I invested in this little gem…

I would try to encourage faster kicking or arm stroking with my words that would mostly fall on deaf ears. The tempo trainer works like magic. I set the pace, place it under my students swim cap, and they actually kick or stroke at that speed. I was so excited the first time I saw it in action that I almost cried.

And here’s one great example of how fantastically well this works

I used it on my student, Peter. He was having a hard time staying afloat when kicking on his back. He didn’t seem to grasp the pace at which to kick for the backstroke. Then I placed the tempo trainer in his swim cap and away he went. No more sinking issues. Just like that, he was speeding along the surface on his back like a pro.

I love the Finis Tempo Trainer! It adds an element of competition too

Kids love to compete, and the Finis Tempo Trainer does not disappoint in this department. Peter had a blast trying to keep up with the pace. It made practicing the backstroke so much more enjoyable than he ever could’ve imagined.

Promotes: Perfect pace for formal swimming strokes

Swim Mirror

The swim mirror (AKA swim teaching mirror, swimming pool mirror, underwater swim training pool mirror), made of reinforced polished aluminum is one of the best investments that I’ve ever made for my swim school. If I could, I would line the entire bottom of my pool with mirrors.

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Best way to teach the front float is with a swim mirror

When floating on your front, your head needs to be in a neutral position, in other words, eyes on the bottom. When the swim mirror is in place, it makes it so much easier for young swimmers to float, since all they have to do is look at themselves in the mirror. And for most kids, this is their favorite pastime. So, it’s a win-win.

Great for gliding and kicking too

The only problem is when they glide past the mirror, up goes the chin. Hence the need for a mirror bottom pool or at the least multiple swim mirrors.

See it in action

And last but not least, the swim mirror is an essential tool for formal swimming strokes

The swim mirror gives instant visual feedback. One of my very young students, Jolie is currently learning the arm stroke for the front crawl. She was a little over eager at first with the arm action; her whole body was flipping around in all directions; flailing like a fish of water.

So, I held her in place over the mirror and had her look at herself while she practiced the arm stroke. Jolie was instantly able to self-correct once she could see what her arms were doing. The improvement of her arm action was immediate.

Not having a swim mirror is like having a dance studio without mirrors. That would be insane.

Side note

I would recommend that you cushion the corners of the mirror with this waterproof tape to avoid scratching the bottom of your pool. I tried duct tape at first, but it ends up falling off since it’s not waterproof.

Promotes: Front float, front glide, kicking and formal swimming strokes