Our coach shared this article and is encouraging swimmers to wear fins at Masters practice, for ankle flexibility, shoulder stability, preventing fatigue and lessening stroke deterioration.
www.usms.org/tpvrwxvrv.aspx
But I'm against fins at practice unless everyone in the lane has them and we're all using them at the same time. Otherwise, if just one person has them and no-one else does, it's disruptive and I think it's not good for team spirit. One thing I love about Masters is that when you're tired, chances are EVERYONE's tired and you get through it together as a group.
I'm all for fins to warm up with, if you're working on a specific drill and outside of practice, but if everyone's working hard during the main set, and then someone in your lane sails by with fins on, that's bad for the morale of the people not wearing fins because they are working harder and getting fatigued faster.
Am I on my own on this? (If yes, I will meekly go back to my coach in a groveling fashion. With an offering of baked goods.)
I usually warm up without fins and put them on to hang with faster intervals and faster and younger swimmers. Warming up with them on is an interesting idea. When I swim the better part of a workout with fins, I'm definitely less tired at the end of a practice (usually 1.5 hours and 4k). The fins helps with recovery and getting through the day without my head hitting the desk.
We're usually swimming one per lane scy, but when we change to LCM there are fewer lanes and we are sharing with the AGers and lap swimmers, so we're three or four per lane. Who is and isn't wearing fins matters more, but it's easy to readjust the order, and sometimes if I stick fins on when others aren't wearing them, I get to go first - woohoo.
I usually warm up without fins and put them on to hang with faster intervals and faster and younger swimmers. Warming up with them on is an interesting idea. When I swim the better part of a workout with fins, I'm definitely less tired at the end of a practice (usually 1.5 hours and 4k). The fins helps with recovery and getting through the day without my head hitting the desk.
We're usually swimming one per lane scy, but when we change to LCM there are fewer lanes and we are sharing with the AGers and lap swimmers, so we're three or four per lane. Who is and isn't wearing fins matters more, but it's easy to readjust the order, and sometimes if I stick fins on when others aren't wearing them, I get to go first - woohoo.
