Swim finadvice

Hello all, I am 23 years old and just got back into swimming. I was primarily a butterfly and middle distance swimmer in high school. I am looking as getting a pair a fins to aid in my training but not sure whathe style to get. I was mainly arms in high school with very little kick and I want to change that. Any and all help will be very much appreciated. Thank you Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

I've used and continue to use 4 or 5 different sets of fins. They come in different lengths and have different foot boxes. You want to get a pair that fit well and don't ding (cut or abrade) your toes or ankle area. Since feet come in different sizes and shapes, fins that work for one person might not work for another. The material that they are made of influences their fit, and that impacts abrasive tendencies. If you buy a pair of fins and they begin to abrade your feet, you can buy swim socks to prevent the abrasion. Fins need to be a little bigger to where socks, so don't buy fins that are too small. I prefer silicone fins and an open heel, but I have a pair of rubber EBP ones too - TYR ultra-short Burners, I think. They have a closed heel. I really like them and they are a very popular ultra short fin, comfortable, and they float. My "go to" fin for most everyday use is an Australian fin by DMC - the DMC elite Fin. They are silicone and have an open heel, but are not inexpensive ($60.00). They are heavy, medium to short length, do not float, and provide a great workout. They were a little harder to track down, and look a bit like the fins that people use for body and boogey board surfing. They fit great and I've used them for over 3000 yards in a practice with out abrasions. I like to use them for sets with fly and breaststroke. I also have a pair of longer fins (but shorter than dive fin length), I think by Finis and they are rubber with a closed heel. These fins will abrade my toes and heel if I use them without swim sox. In general swimmers use ultra-short or short fins to work on high intensity kicking over short distances with a kick board or swimming. The long fins are good for longer length kick sets to gain ankle flexibility and are especially useful for beginners. You can swim faster wearing longer fins, which encourages stroke turn over and get the swimmer up on top of the water, I think. there was good article in swimmer magazine 6-12 months back reviewing various fins and designs. I think this is it: www.usmsswimmer.com/.../swimbagfins2015.pdf

I did a bunch of reading and ended up getting these: www.amazon.com/.../ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00 They are the Zoomers Fit and I love them. I feel like they really helped me figure out how a kick should feel without fins. For sizing, I got an F. I wear a women's size 10-11, mostly because I have really really wide feet. These are fine in length but snug in width - even a tiny bit smaller would have been too small for me.

If you are of the sprinting persuasion stick to the shorter fins... Although the added surface area of the long fins is enticing (more surface area = more fast) it makes it much harder to maintain a decent tempo with your feet.