What is the current thinking on flippers / fins? (ie, professional coaching recommendations). It seems like their use is very pervasive these days but when I was a swimmer growing up (US Swimming) we did not use them...and I swam with some kids that went to Olympic trials...so it was a good team.
My masters team uses them ALL the time. They don't do kick sets without them. They even use the flippers for main sets at times, and some swimmers sneak them on to keep up with their lane, which messes up the lane order (and in fact they should swim in a slower lane if they cannot make the workout in the faster lane without flippers - IMO). And they use them when they are slow in other strokes (ie, IM's, back, butterfly). Some of these swimmers have mastered kicking with fins (esp those that use huge scuba fins), but they can't kick worth beans without the fins.
Is there any research/articles on fin usage? What do the top swimmers do?
Thanks!
Even if you are going somewhat fast with scuba fins, thye are doing too much of the work.
What does that even mean? Too much of what work? Is the point of practice to just do whatever you can as fast as you can, without traing aids till you're too tired? Or is the point to focus on certain aspects at certain points? If it's the latter, then it makes no sense to complain that fins "make things too easy." Fins make some things easier so you can focus on other things.
I can assure you that the fins sets we do are just as exhausting as non-fins sets, either because the interval is altered or because of the distance.
Even if you are going somewhat fast with scuba fins, thye are doing too much of the work.
What does that even mean? Too much of what work? Is the point of practice to just do whatever you can as fast as you can, without traing aids till you're too tired? Or is the point to focus on certain aspects at certain points? If it's the latter, then it makes no sense to complain that fins "make things too easy." Fins make some things easier so you can focus on other things.
I can assure you that the fins sets we do are just as exhausting as non-fins sets, either because the interval is altered or because of the distance.
