I've always found pulling to be a very good way to build base for longer swims. If you have good stroke mechanics, then the paddles are going to give you more power per stroke without worrying about bouyancy (because of the pull buoy). For me, I usually have a lower HR and longer stroke--which is good in the base training/strength building phase. Pulling for me is kind of like LSD running, but with the added benefit of additional strength training.

I tend to pull a lot less when the season actually kicks in. When I'm actually in season, I prefer to feel in the water the way I'm gonna feel in races. And once the base is built, you have to start sharpening your form to get faster.

I'm not a big fan of paddle/buoy drills. I'll do them occasionally in the off season, but I've seen too many people end up (1) injuring their shoulder, or (2) losing focus on good stroke mechanics as they tire and just developing bad stroke habits.

I don't know how efficient you are at this point, but I'm a big believer in focusing on stroke mechanics, and most everything else then takes care of itself.

Hello there. There is some good info up there regarding paddles and buoys, but allow me to share a few things. I see a lot of concern above about possibly hurting your shoulders, and this is a very real concern. I like to compare this idea to weight lifting because most people get it. If I have never lifted a weight before in my life and I try to throw up as much on a bench press as a NFL running back, whats going to happen? I'm going to get hurt, very hurt. So in regard to swimming, start with small paddles. Classic paddles are color coded (yellow, red, and green) I believe green are the smallest ones, but you could also start by using just your pull buoy. There are a few very positive results from wearing paddles. Obviously, the ability focus your strength training on a specific muscle group, but also the over exaggeration in the pull should allow you to feel minor glitches in your stroke. It was mentioned above that a person may lose concentration on their stroke when they become tired from swimming with paddles....but that characteristic is associated with swimming in general, right? I am a BIG fan of the above mentioned snorkel it will allow you to focus on your stroke without having to worry about breaking the stroke to breath.
Kpollock - Im not sure why you can not rotate your hips with a pull buoy in. If i had to guess it would be because you rotate only your hips and do not rotate your shoulders in sync with your hips. Why do I think that? An easy way to feel like your rotating your hips is do it through your kick. Effective hip rotation starts in the core abdominal and oblique area. If your hips rotate with your shoulders like they should then as long as your arms are moving your hips should be rotating as well. If you have back issues while swimming a great exercise for you are wall sits. Pretend you are sitting in a chair, on a wall, make sure every part of your back is touching the wall from the lowest part all the way up through your neck. This position will increase the strength in the back abs and legs required to hold perfect swimming posture.

TriAu- thanks for the tip! I definitely need to fix this back issue. Now that I am back to riding my road bike instead of my tri, I have extreme lower back pain after about 2 hours maybe the wall exercise will help.

Take a tennis ball to the pool with you and swim with it under your chin (also recommend a snorkel while doing this). Ideally the water should hit on the top of your head, and you should be looking straight down at the bottom of the pool.

I agree with everything that TriAu has said in both postings. Except for the above statement (No offense TriAu)because in a race we do have to spot buoys and for the distance that you said you want to stick to Oly and HIM, the constant head down and head up will use way to much energy and slow you down. I would suggest keeping your head in an upright position in practice to make it easier to spot buoys and to manuever around others that are slower than you in a race. Regardless you will still have to lift your head up and it would be good practice to keep your hips from going down. The ocean/bay/lake/river whatever you race in does not have a straight line to keep you in the right direction. In the pool use the pull buoy to keep your hips from dropping while keeping your head upright. I have read numberous articles about swim toys and I think it should only consist of %10 of your swim workout. I honestly don't use toys bc swim drills (fist pulls, zipper, side kick,etc) I believe are better in the long run.

954 - Which takes up more energy? lifting your head in rhythm with your stroke to spot? or swimming a whole mile with your hips 6 inches below the water?

Not everyone's hip drops when they swim with thier head looking straight. Here is a quick Pro and Con list for why you should keep your head up for open water swimming.

PRO's: Easy to keep your arms right in front of your shoulders, so you dont cross the center line. Easy to spot buoys, Avoid collisions, Easier to focus on the who to draft and who to go around.

CON's: Hips may drop, but thats why we practice in the pool. Can't see the sea floor and enjoy watching the fishes lol.

It took me about six months of practice to get my hips not to drop and that is with little to no kicking. Honestly the best thing anyone can invest in to make their swim better is a digital underwater camera. If you have a lot of friends who swim, they would gladly pay $10 to see what their stroke looks like. That will point out everything you do wrong. TriAu does have great points, but different strokes for different folks ;)