Swim Fins Helpfull or a Crutch?

I think they are helpful for improving the kick. When I first used them I learned to relax my legs more or I would soon suffer cramp. On the other hand, they do offer enormously greater propulsion. If I could wear them in competitions etc I would and I'ld have a very different stroke. I can't so I limit my use.

And what is your justification for not counting yards swam with fins? Do you count yards swam with a paddles? Snorkel? Buoys? I don't see any justification either. It seems so old school purist. Using gear is part of enhancing technique and speed. If X person uses fins frequently and Y person does not, but X person trounces Y person at meets (assuming comparable abilities), why are fins bad exactly? I agree with Thrashing Slug and Ann -- fins help me go faster at meets and they have helped me develop a great SDK and leg strength. They aren't absolutely necessary; you can get it done (super fast kicking) without fins (example: Chris and Ande), but it's a lot more likely to happen mindfully using fins for speed and conditioning.

I think they're ok if used sparingly. 1. To improve the finesse of your stroke or stroke and feeling in the water 2. To extend the distance you swim that you would not be able to swim w/o fins (i.e. you swam x,xxx yards and are exhausted but want to keep going) I agree with someone above, distance swam with fins should not be counted in your total yardage. It does those things, but it also is good as a conditioning tool. I remember reading an interview with David Berkhoff where he talked about training with fins as a way to increase kick-specific strength. And he was not half bad at that kicking thing. Water doesn't provide much resistance, but there are a number of devices that can increase the stress on muscles and so help develop swim-specific strength. Fins are one of these. I can also see using fins or zoomers to make sure you engage and integrate your kick more in a given stroke (esp freestyle) instead of just letting them hang there.

I will be the first to admit that I love my fins. :bouncing: That being said, my kicking without fins has improved dramatically (mostly through fin-aided kick sets) than when I first started swimming about 1 1/2 years ago. I saw another great improvement in my kicking without fins ability (distance and speed) when I switched from long fins to short fins. One of the best uses of fins for me, however, had nothing to do with my kicking per se. When I started swimming, I had never done a flip turn and just couldn't get the hang of them - at all (really, really ugly turns). While my coach tried - and tried - to explain how a flip turn works, it wasn't until another swimmer suggested putting on my fins to generate speed going into the wall that the entire process began to make sense to me. Now, I can flip turn with the best of them (well, maybe not the best, but my turns aren't a hindrance to my races anymore). :banana: I needed to generate a speed that I wasn't capable - at that point - of generating on my own in order to feel what a flip turns should be like. Call fins toys, call them training aids - either way, they can be a great help.

I think they're ok if used sparingly. 1. To improve the finesse of your stroke or stroke and feeling in the water 2. To extend the distance you swim that you would not be able to swim w/o fins (i.e. you swam x,xxx yards and are exhausted but want to keep going) I agree with someone above, distance swam with fins should not be counted in your total yardage.

I agree with someone above, distance swam with fins should not be counted in your total yardage. And what is your justification for not counting yards swam with fins? Do you count yards swam with a paddles? Snorkel? Buoys?

Leslie, I too love my fins, and use them as a tool for training (rather than a crutch). Could you provide a typical AFAP fin set that you do? I would love to try one out. Thanks in advance! Wow, I do so many different ones. You can check my blog to get an idea. But ones I do frequently are: lactate sets: 8 x 100 @ 2:00, hold best average 10 x 50 @ 1:00, hold best average -- I frequently kick these w/fins or monofin. speed sets: 6-8 x 50 AFAP @ 3-4:00 4-5 x 100 broken AFAP 100s (broken for 15 seconds at 50, 15 seconds at 75, last 25 kick) @ 7-8:00 3-5 x 100 @ 8-9:00 8-10 x 25 AFAP shooters -- 25s, 50s, 75s 10 x 30 seconds strong vertical dolphin kicking with fins + right into fast 25 UW shooter + 25 EZ 9 x 100 @ 2:00, every 3rd one fast -- I'll kick or swim these sets or do some of both. I do recovery swimming between the fast efforts. Sometimes I don't even bother with an interval. The key thing is that you are going at absolutely max effort on these sets with ample rest between each effort.

And I always do! "Cheating" seems like a harsh word. People here even say one is cheating if one wears a legal tech suit. If you are using less energy with fins, you're not swimming hard or fast enough with them. My AFAP fin sets leave me absolutely exhausted. I think I should get double credit in the GTD for them. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the use of fins instead of a pull buoy with paddles and a snorkel for lower speed/technique focused pull sets...fantastic use of all the gear!

This forum has the oddest definition of "cheating." "Cheating" with regard to the use of equipment in swimming = "The opinion of those resistant to change and critical of others using said devices and who often times are not seeing the progression in their own development...unlike the accused"

My AFAP fin sets leave me absolutely exhausted. I think I should get double credit in the GTD for them. Leslie, I too love my fins, and use them as a tool for training (rather than a crutch). Could you provide a typical AFAP fin set that you do? I would love to try one out. Thanks in advance!