Why you should use Paddles for Lap Swimming

Build Upper Body Strength

Similarly to how fins are used to focus on your lower body, paddles are used to focus on your upper body.

There are few cardio exercises that can work the upper body like swimming. Adding a pair of paddles will only help focus more on building arm, back, and chest strength.

Swimmers should be careful not to overdo it with paddles. The most common injury in swimming are shoulder injuries. If you have a flaw in your technique or previous injury, wearing paddles too much could further that injury. Our advice is to listen to your body if something is not feeling right.

Perfect Technique

Adding a pair of paddles will help exaggerate what you are doing correctly. It will also exploit what you are doing incorrectly.

When you are pulling, it is important to anchor your hand on the water and pull your body past your hand. Swimmers with the best pull actually keep their hand in the same place when they enter. It is the body that is moving forward past their hand.

Many paddles will twist or even fall off when pulling incorrectly. Notice which phase of the pull this happens to you, so you know where you need to focus on correcting your pull technique.

The most efficient freestyle pull is a straight-line. The underwater “s-curve” pull may feel like you are pulling more water. With that method you are just pushing more water back and forth, instead of pushing your body forward.

Athlete Approved Tip: Try removing the bottom wrist strap, using only the finger strap. If you pull straight through, the paddle will stay on. If you pull using the outdated “s-curve” technique or lose a hold on the water at any point in your pull pattern, the paddle will fall off.

Add Variation to Training

Going fast is fun. There is nothing wrong with adding a pair of paddles to go faster. Doing so will make training more exciting and add another variation to your workouts.

Paddles are a must have for any pull set. A well rounded workout includes working all fours strokes, kicking, and pulling.

The answer to this is all swimmers.

Beginner and advanced level swimmers use paddles to work on technique and build upper body strength. Paddles are a staple to swim workouts. With all the different types of paddles used for varying goals, it is hard to go to a pool and not find these on deck.

Beginners learning how to swim should use technique paddles like the Agility Paddles, Freestyler Paddles, and Iso Paddles. Advanced swimmers powering through training sets should use TYR Catalyst Stroke or Catalyst 2, or Arena Vortex Evolution Paddles.

It is becoming more and more common for swimmers to have multiple pairs of paddles, so there is nothing wrong with bringing more than one set to the pool.

It is best to warm up with a few laps prior to wearing paddles.

If the paddles have straps, be sure to place them in a position most comfortable for you. If they do not have straps, take a moment to ensure you are putting them on your hands properly.

Most warmups consist of swimming, kicking and pulling. To maximize the pull portion, use your paddles. You can also work paddles in and out of the main set of your workout.

Breath control sets are popular to do during pulling sets. Try breathing on every 3, 5, 7, or 9 strokes with paddles. Many swimmers use an odd stroke number to breathe on, so they breathe to both the left and right side. This bilateral breathing technique will balance out your stroke.

You can also use paddles if you are a weaker swimmer looking to keep up with a group (fins work even better for this). Just be careful not to overdo it on your shoulders if you are not conditioned.

THE BEST TECHNIQUE PADDLES FOR LAP SWIMMING: FINIS AGILITY PADDLES

Finis is known as the leading innovator in the swimming community. The Finis Agility Paddles are unique because they are strapless! The ergonomically advanced design makes these paddles second to none when using paddles for technical feedback.

The Finis Team won the prestigious Red Dot Award for these paddles.

(The “Red Dot” is a coveted recognition for high design quality. The international jury only awards this sought-after seal of quality to products that set themselves apart significantly from comparable products because of excellent design. The jury members received 4,662 entries in 19 different categories in this year’s competition, and the Agility Paddles came out an award winner.)

Agility Paddles promote the correct pull pattern, which makes them our top choice for learning technique. The strapless design gives you instant feedback on all four strokes. If the paddle slips off, then there is a flaw in your stroke.

Place your thumb through the streamlined hole. It is best to apply pressure with your hand vs gripping with your thumb.

Try taking a few strokes of your best technique with them, letting them go mid-pool, then holding that technique for a few strokes without them. This is made possible since they are strapless. And an extra bonus feature is that they float!

Any swimmer knows that the first part of a paddle that breaks over time is the strap. Since these do not have a strap, they are built to last.

Finis makes these paddles in small, medium, and large.

THE BEST FREESTYLE PADDLES FOR LAP SWIMMING: FINIS FREESTYLER PADDLES

The Finis Freestyler Paddles have been perfected specifically for freestyle. They have a pointed edge and surf-board-like fin on the bottom that helps provide instant feedback on your stroke. These paddles are truly one of a kind and our top pick for freestyle.

The Freestyler Paddles do two things for freestylers:

• They prevent crossover
• They teach you to guide out on each stroke

When you swim freestyle, it is best to extend straight over your shoulder. Eliminating crossover from your mid-line will reduce shoulder stress and increase your distance per stroke. The paddles will automatically correct should you crossover. Since there is no wrist strap, the paddles will easily redirect your hand forward.

The second feature you will love about these paddles is that they will improve your glide. When swimming long freestyle (what we refer to as Hip Driven Freestyle), you will immediately feel how these paddles promote a longer distance per stroke. The less strokes you take in a lap, the less energy you need to use.

These paddles are made in yellow for adults and white for children.

THE BEST SPECIALTY PADDLES FOR LAP SWIMMING: FINIS ISO PADDLES

The Finis Iso Paddles are yet another amazing design by Finis. Like the Agility Paddles, they are strapless. They are the 3rd Finis paddle on our Athlete Approved list and our top pick for speciality paddles.

The Iso Paddles isolate specific muscle groups during the pull. They can be worn two ways:

• Black Paddle on Left + Yellow Paddle on Right: Isolates the lat, triceps, and trap muscles
• Yellow Paddle on Left + Black Paddle on Right: Isolates the chest, bicep, and deltoid muscles

Freestylers and backstrokers should go with the first method (Black Paddle on Left + Yellow Paddle on Right). This will put more pressure on the outside of your hands. As you pull, you will engage your lat, triceps, and trap muscles.

Breaststrokers and butterfliers should go with the second method (Yellow Paddle on Left + Black Paddle on Right). This will put more pressure on the inside of your hands. As you pull, you will engage your chest, bicep and deltoid muscles.

We also love these paddles for sculling. Sculling is when you move your hands in a figure 8 motion. Doing this will strengthen the little muscles in your shoulders. It is great to do this during warm up and when getting back into swimming shape.

Being strapless, they are super durable and one of the coolest training tools out there.

Finis makes these paddles in small, medium, and large.