Winter swimming gadget thingy...

I have used one. It takes a bit of getting used to and I would recommend using a snorkel with one. I just think that helped me stay more stable in the water... because your balance will be a bit off when you first get started. I didn't see any detrimental effects to my swimming, as a matter of fact, I think it helped make me a more efficient swimmer.

There are several threads on them with mostly positive comments. I went even more simple and just used a tow rope designed for pulling boats. Subdivision and back yard pool at a friends house were both a bit short for lap swimming, but this approach eliminated that barrier.

Results for me were:

- worked pretty good in general
- got in many more swims than I would have otherwise
- made the water a bit choppy, but was closer to OWS that way
- also like an OWS, no turns to interupt stroke/breathing, no cheats holding side of the pool
- my legs tend to drop a bit, might look into using floats of some sort
- takes some major mental discipline to overcome the boredom

Two words...

"Flip Turn"

You can even do them without hitting off of the walls to make it more challenging. My swim teacher suggested that to help with deep water starts. Or you could just build a swimming flume in your living room.