Do You Swim Smart?

by The Professionals at FINIS Inc

October 28, 2020

With a new year on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to set goals

Do you plan to swim more yardage in 2021? Get in better shape? Improve your technique? Beat your teammate or old swim friend? Do all of the above?

With limited pool time due to coronavirus restrictions and some swimmers practicing without the real-time feedback from a coach, getting the most out of each swim has never been more important. Increasingly, swimmers are looking for ways to track their training, connect with swim friends around the world, and share training tips.

The popularity of fitness tracking wearables has exploded over the past decade. Runners and cyclists have endless gadgets and apps to track their every move and provide them with instant feedback while they’re moving. Swimmers deserve a swim-specific solution, but sometimes get left out when it comes to cutting-edge sports technology.

There are watches that can track your workouts, even record what stroke you’re doing and detect your rest intervals and heart rate. But those don’t provide instant feedback while you’re swimming because you can’t stop mid-stroke to look at your watch.

For 27 years, FINIS has worked closely with swimmers and coaches to innovate the sport and pioneer training gear. Our latest contribution solves a fundamental problem in swimming: It’s hard to get feedback on your swim without a hands-on coach.

The FINIS Smart Goggle powered by Ciye, which looks just like a normal pair of goggles, provides a heads-up display in the corner of your eye, so you can see your splits, count your laps, record your stroke and rest time, and stay motivated. Because the display is in your peripheral vision, you can easily ignore it when you don’t need your real-time data. This breakthrough technology is completely within the goggles—there’s no need for a watch!

Your workout data is recorded by your goggles as you swim, and once you finish your workout, the Ciye app analyzes and displays your swim data in an intuitive and easy-to-digest way, and suggests improvements and provides motivation.

The removable module allows you to swap between smoke-colored and mirrored goggles for indoor and outdoor use. And if your goggles wear out, you can easily replace them without having to buy a new module.

What are Masters Swimmers Saying?

San Ramon Valley Aquatics Masters member Patti Lim has been swimming with the Smart Goggle for three months as a beta tester. We recently caught up with her and asked for her feedback.

FINIS: What do you like about the Smart Goggle?

Patti: So many things! But to start, it has become my most valuable swim accessory.

FINIS: Why is that?

Patti: Without disrupting my line of sight, I get instant feedback from one lap to the next. So when I work on my hip rotation and distance per stroke, I get positive reinforcement when I see the split with a quick glance off every wall.

FINIS: What information do you find most valuable?

Patti: It helps me count my laps and track how much rest I’m taking, but the big thing is lap splits down to the tenth of a second. I can get more out of each workout because I am motivated to go faster on the next lap.

FINIS: How do you use the app?

Patti: I use it to figure out where I’m progressing and where I still need to improve. After each practice, I know how well did. Did I keep the interval? How much time did I drop in a descending set of 100s? What are my weaker strokes in IM sets and are those improving throughout the season?

FINIS: Would you recommend the Smart Goggle to other Masters swimmers?

Patti: Absolutely! Being able to access real-time data and coaching at a glance is going to be a game-changer for Masters swimmers.