How the Center-Mount Snorkel Can Improve Your Swimming

The swim leg in a triathlon is often what keeps beginners from joining in on the fun. Part of this is due to the difficulty of gaining comfort in the water when surrounded by other swimmers and confidence in your own abilities.

So where do you begin?

The center-mount snorkel could be a training tool that could help to solve some of your problems in the water.

So why is the center-mount snorkel so different? Snorkels have been around for quite some time, but there are plenty of advantages to having the tube fixed towards the center of the face as opposed to the sides. The traditional side snorkel was designed to be used primarily with just your legs kicking, and at slower speeds.

More: Swimming Tips for Beginners

The center-mount snorkel is designed to be used at swimming speeds and allows you to maintain proper body alignment throughout. The ability to swim at all speeds with both arms and legs is very significant to the learning process, especially when you are not having to turn or lift the head to breathe. I'm sure when you woke up today, breathing was not on your list of top-20 things to get done, but when you jump into a body of water breathing goes from not even being on your list, to priority number one.

If you took a poll of people in the United States about what the best form of exercise is, swimming would be right up there near the top, if not the very top. Then why don't more people swim? Quite simply because they can't breathe, or they breathe incorrectly or inefficiently.

A person of any ability can learn to breathe correctly through a snorkel. Once breathing becomes natural, a person will then relax, and eventually will not have to consciously think about breathing. Imagine getting up in the morning to go for a run or bike and having to think about every inhale and exhale. It may seem silly, but this is how many people's trip to the pool plays out. The snorkel will allow a person to remove breathing from their mental equation,  which allows you to focus completely on your stroke technique.

More: 8 Items for Your Triathlon Gear Bag

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About the Author

LAVA Magazine

Founded in 2010 and named after the iconic volcanic rock fields found at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, LAVA Magazine is the world's premier triathlon magazine. Along with the magazine's stunning photography and design, every issue is full of the newest gear debuts and reviews, training advice from the world's best coaches, and in-depth athlete profiles. Go to Lavamagazine.com for up-to-the-minute training, racing and triathlon news, and follow them at @LavaMagazine.
Founded in 2010 and named after the iconic volcanic rock fields found at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, LAVA Magazine is the world's premier triathlon magazine. Along with the magazine's stunning photography and design, every issue is full of the newest gear debuts and reviews, training advice from the world's best coaches, and in-depth athlete profiles. Go to Lavamagazine.com for up-to-the-minute training, racing and triathlon news, and follow them at @LavaMagazine.

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