A swimming float, commonly known as pool float or floaty, is a device used for

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

s or other very young children who are beginning to learn how to swim, or during exercise for therapeutic or training purposes. These devices, which come in many shapes and types, are used to aid them with

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the p ...

, or for floating on for fun. The most common floats for children and adults are inflatable rings (in the middle of which the user swims) and

inflatable armbands Inflatable armbands, usually referred to as simply armbands, water wings, swimmies, or floaties, are swim aids designed to help a wearer float in water and learn to swim. Inflatable armbands are typically cylindrical, inflatable plastic bands ...

(placed around the user's arms). After being inflated through a

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

, they are much less dense than water because they are composed mainly of air, surrounded by a thin layer of synthetic material. Float-assisted swimming can be more difficult than free swimming, because if the float is held in front of the swimmer a more vigorous workout for the legs is given as the swimmer's weight is propelled solely by the legs, and vice versa for the arms.

Swimming board

Swimming boards (often referred to as kickboards or flutter boards) are a flotation aid used for fun or to develop a swimmer's kicking action. They can be used on all strokes but are primarily used on Freestyle,

Butterfly stroke The butterfly (colloquially shortened to fly) is a List of swimming styles, swimming stroke swum on the chest, with both arms moving symmetrically, accompanied by the butterfly kick (also known as the "dolphin kick"). While other styles like ...

and

Breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...

. Swimmers of all ability can use them. Young swimmers can develop their kicking action while elite swimmers can refine their kick. They are also used to strengthen a swimmers' legs.BBC Sport Academy - Swimming equipment guide
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Construction

Kickboards are usually made from

EVA foam Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), also known as poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate) (PEVA), is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent of vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the remainder being ethylene. There are thr ...

. Some are made of more durable

HDPE High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density ratio, ...

. The EVA foam boards can break easily and become very worn after long use. So it causes the board to slowly disintegrate over time.

Variations

There are some variations of kickboards from the traditional form with two hand grips. Some can be used as a kickboard and a

pull buoy A pull buoy or leg float is a figure-eight shaped piece of closed-cell foam used in swim workouts. Swimmers place the buoy between their thighs or their ankles to provide support to the body without kicking their legs; this allows the swimmer to ...

. These are often oddly shaped so they can be used for both of the training aspects.

Other floats

Especially-large floats can be used as seats to float or sit on top of a pool for the user to stand on top in the manner of a

raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrel ...

. A variation known as the "

pool noodle A pool noodle is a cylindrical piece of flexible, buoyant polyethylene foam. Pool noodles are used by people of all ages while swimming. Pool noodles are useful when learning to Human swimming, swim, for floating, for rescue reaching, in variou ...

" is a long, thin cylinder, measuring long and in diameter, sometimes with a hollow core. It can be used to aid in floating or stretching exercises. A

or "leg float" is used to focus exercise on the arms. Pool dumbbells are used for strength training where muscles push down against

. This is the opposite of conventional

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting w ...

s, which are used to force muscles to pull up, against gravity.

References

Swimming equipment Buoyancy devices {{Tool-stub

Swimming board

Construction

Variations

Other floats

See also

References