Oversized Paddles

Is there a school of thought that states that all these "toys" (paddles, flippers, buoys, etc) are unnecessary, and perhaps even detrimental? Absolutely. You've probably read about Brent Rushall's "Ultra Short Race Pace Training" or USRPT. If you could sum up his training philosophy in a short phrase it would be "train for racing." He believes any training that is not simulating racing is suboptimal, so that would include using toys. Personally I would say use toys in moderation. They help mix things up if nothing else. Just make sure they don't become a crutch. I used to use oversized paddles quite a bit and didn't had any shoulder problems. Interestingly, when I was training with a group that never used paddles is when I started having shoulder problems, but I think that was just a coincidence. I won't use big paddles anymore. I have a pair of Finis Agility paddles that I use infrequently, but never anything bigger than that.

Her shoulders have been hurting, but feels the paddles can't be causing the pain. She has a weak kick due to a knee injury, so she mostly uses her arms and puts a pull buoy between her legs to keep her legs up.I would strongly recommend she use neither the paddles nor the buoy. The buoy flattens out your body, so you lose the power and connection from your hips and kick. Paddles are just downright murder on your shoulders. Better off getting some good technique work, focus on connecting the hips / kick / core / shoulders and work on good rotation.

I've had some shoulder issues in the past and try to be careful when using paddles. I've gone back to primarily using only small Speedo paddles. Personally, I like doing pull sets without paddles, using only a pull buoy and an ankle band. IMHO, using oversize paddles overemphasizes the use of the hand, as opposed to using the hand & forearm together on the catch.

I think the key thing in all this is to listen to your body. People that use gargantuan paddles aren't inherently doing anything wrong. If their shoulders tolerate it, and they enjoy it, then so be it. But if you are using even small paddles and you get should pains, you might want to dial back the paddle usage.

I recently read in a Facebook swimming group how someone used paddles to swim a 10k. I don't know the specifics, if it was in a pool, open-water, continuous, or anything else. After people posted concern, he had to re-post and defend how he felt fine (the next day), etc. I believe I was on the forum you mentioned. I tried to caution the swimmer about over using paddles and my advice was not well received. I can't figure out what he was trying to do by swimming this much with paddles. I doubt any coach or any experienced swimmer would think this is a good idea. Moderation is the key as mentioned by others is the way to go. Who knows what the limit for any one individual is, but I believe swimming 10K yards with paddles is well beyond the safe limit for most.:)

I recently read in a Facebook swimming group how someone used paddles to swim a 10k. I don't know the specifics, if it was in a pool, open-water, continuous, or anything else. After people posted concern, he had to re-post and defend how he felt fine (the next day), etc. For years I keep paddles as part of my, "bag of toys." Depending on the day, I might use them for a few hundred, mostly just to mix things up and add some variety. The past few Sundays I did some long swims at Barton Springs (kind of a pool/open-water place in Austin); I did a few loops swim with fins, and 2 swim with Agility paddles. So out of 4.75 miles, about .5 mile was with paddles (.75 with fins). To me that combination seems to work to mix things up, and get some of the positive benefits of the toys (both fins and paddles can help technique). I also have TYR Catalyst paddles, in a rather large size. I used to sometimes use them for 1/4 (or more) of my workout. I last used them back in March. I was training for some open water swims, did a 12,000+ yard training swim in a pool, and I did at least 1000 with those. The next day I had shoulder problems. It might have been the paddles, might have been the volume, or probably a combination of the two. I took things easier for a week, did more stroke (I was fine doing back and ***), and re-built back up the following week with another 12k+ swim and I was fine. But no paddles at all in that time. So to echo nearly everyone else here...these toys are usually ok when used in moderation. Of course some people may be able to handle more, and some less. I think I am one of the people who expressed concern about swimming 10k in a go with hand paddles. I am not quite sure what the individual involved was trying to accomplish. I can't think of any circumstances where this would be a good idea. Everything in moderation as others have suggested is the best course. As I recall my advice was not well received. In the future I will not offer advice unless asked.:)

Generally, the size of your paddles should correspond to your ability and strength in the water, and the distance and amount of swimming completed with paddles should be carefully monitored. Swimming long distances with paddles, especially if those distances constitute the majority of your training, is usually not advised, but again, it depends upon the swimmer. Paddles are often blamed for shoulder injuries, and it's true that the large amount of resistance that some paddles generate can put pressure on the shoulder joints if they do not correspond with the swimmer's ability, but many times it may actually be the swimmer's stroke mechanics that is to blame. This is why it is so important to have a coach evaluate the swimmer's level and technique in order to best determine what type of paddles to choose, and how often. Hopefully your friend can do this. This article might be helpful for exploring the use of training aids such as paddles and pullbuoys and how they should be used! www.swimspire.com/.../

Thanks everyone for all the comments. I've learned a lot. For me right now, I use the Finis Agility paddles, three dots/size large, as when I came back to swimming my coach at the time recommenced to use paddles that were slightly larger than your hand but not larger so no to big ones. I've been able to maintain technique with these & build strength in all four strokes though minimal use with fly. Since everyone has different ideas about paddles I was able to borrow others for test runs & found that all the large paddles I tested distorted my hands and made a mess of my technique. I find the buoy comments really interesting. It took me a while to find one of the single-piece buoys that kept my hips at the normal level + allowed rotation. For me using a buoy is the only way to isolate my legs for certain parts of practice, especially drills. But I completely agree ones that seem to float the body up too much or don't allow rotation probably aren't good except in certain circumstances.