Like a kickboard for your feet, "it keeps your lower body up and lets you focus without overdoing your arm motion," says Jane Katz, Ed.D., swimming expert and author of The All-American Aquatic Handbook: Your Passport to Lifetime Fitness (Allyn & Bacon).

Pull buoys come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common design consists of two foam cylinders strapped together. To use one, hold it vertically between your thighs so that one cylinder is in front, the other behind. With it, you can learn a new stroke, improve your technique, build upper-body strength and vary your workouts.

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written by kb, April 23, 2007

Actually, the pull buoy helped me a lot when I was learning to swim by showing what the correct body position felt like. Once I understood what position my body should be in, I was able to try and achieve that without the help of the buoy.

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written by Fred, December 14, 2006

actually the pull buoy is one of the worst pieces of equipment. The pull buoy artificially puts you in a better body position with your hips and butt on top of the water. One needs to learn this position by better balance including pressing in with the chest. Many coaches do not use pull buoys anymore. Fred