There are two common types of tether, a swim belt or foot tether. A swim belt is a strap that fits around your waist and has an elastic cord attached to a plastic ring at the back. The belt can easily be attached around your waist by an adjustable clip component at each end. Another form of tether is one that attaches to your feet via booties or ankle straps.

I have tried both types and I personally prefer the ones that tether to your feet. They give you great feedback from your feet and whether your legs are splitting during your stroke and causing extra drag. You can also get a sense of your body rotation. Tethered swimming is great to really tune in to what your entire body is doing.

The tethers that go around your waist are also great for all swimming strokes so, if you can, try both. However, the belt types of tether may need attaching higher up to avoid impeding your feet and aiding rotation.

I use a Swimovate Poolmate watch to record my swims when using a tether as other watches may only use GPS – during tethered swimming your GPS watch won’t show good data as you won’t be swimming very far!