Hi all
Just wondering if someone does use fins while swim training ...if so, how and when do you use them?
I keep reading articles and swim training books where they recommend fins to promote leg kick strength and mechanics and also for drills so you can take your mind of kicking while doing upper body drills...
Anyone?
Comments
I don't see how they could help your kick strength, and I don't find they're very good for my ankles.
Yes I use them - when the man at the side of the pool tells me to them on. Then I do whatever he tells me next. FC kick, fly kick, front, back, side and combinations there of.
What benefit it is I don't know. What I can tell you is after 300m of it my legs are shattered. So it must use muscles more than not kicking which is my usual stroke.
They also allow me to just about get away with fly (using a double leg kick), I just don't have the worm like wiggle.
Meface
I don't use them for normal swimming as that feels like cheating
There are number of benefits from using fins.
Firstly, an increase in the flex of you ankles which in time will mean a more effective swim position, as there is more resistance placed on you ankles.
Secondly, they are also very good to use when you practising body position, upper body and breathing drills as you will travel at a great speed than you would normal (without fins) and therefore you tend 'float' better due to increase in speed (less drag) allowing you to concentrate on what you are trying to develop rather than actually staying on 'top' of the water as you do when swimming normally.
I'm sure there are others but off the top of my head these are the one that sprang to mind.
There you go - clear as mud, defo worth the use they can really help in developing your swimming technique.