PoolMate watches offer functionality and features that can really help you improve your training effort in the pool and reap the rewards. Whether you swim a couple of times a week for fitness, or train extensively for competition, benefits can be had in a short time. PoolMates can help you achieve a greater understanding of your training progress over time in order to get the most out of each session and improve going forward. These watches contain miniature accelerometers which are also found in footpods for running. The accelerometers sense the motions of your arm in the pool and the watch translates this into your lap and stroke count.

Here’s all you need to know in our A-Z guide to the Poolmate

A - all you need to count your laps, strokes,
B - best value of any swimming watch
C - counting, let’s face it we all forget how many laps we swim. The PoolMate will count for you so you dont have to.
D - distance, in metres or yards it’s recorded for you
E - efficiency, the time for 25m plus the number of strokes, see how this number changes are your technique improves
F - frees you up to concentrate on your stroke
G - grey, just one of the colours the PoolMate and PoolMatePro is available in.
H - heartrate, the PoolMateHR will sense your heartrate in the water and count your laps (most heartrate monitors do not work in water at all)
I-  innovative, from idea to product
J - Jim Irlam, the technical brain behind the PoolMate and reluctant swimmer
K - United Kingdom, designed and developed here and proud of it
L - Lisa Irlam, the business brain and CEO, she likes being a faster swimmer than Jim!
M - models, with 4 different models it’s easy to pick the one for you.
N- norseman, Lisa completed the “hardest triathlon in the world” in 2013
O- Olympics, Swimovate cover girl Ellie Faulkner competed in the 2012 Olympics
P - PoolMate is the name, swimming is our game.
Q - quality product and support, they believe in offering the best
R - rest times, PoolMates record each set you swim as well as rest times between them
S - strokes per lap, stroke length, stroke rate, PoolMates record it all
T - timing, never need to struggle with the pace clock again, it’s all on your wrist.
U - upload your swim data to a computer and study all your stats
V - volume, download to a computer to see graphs including your monthly volumes.
W - water resistant of course, it’s for swimming after all
X - Xmas, the idea present of any swimmer
Y - yards or metres, no problem at all
Z - zzzz, the PoolMateLive and PoolMateHR have vibration alarms that will buzz after a set number of laps or time interval