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!
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by swimsb
To answer the yardage question:
The fin sets are part of a 2500-3500 yd workout, depending on the lane (say 2800 in my lane). One of 3 workouts per week.
I personally find it excessive. I think fins for ONE kick set (of say 500 yds) is enough per workout of 3000ishyds. But it bothers me that this team NEVER kicks without fins...and many of the fast fin-kickers cannot kick worth beans without the fins (literally, their legs are sinking). Plus many of them have scuba fins (not just swim fins like Speedo or TYR).
The reason I find it annoying (use of fins for SWIM sets) is because I am good at IM's -- it is the one thing where I can (relatively) excel vs. other swimmers in my lane and the next lane...but if they all put their fins on, it changes the field to a who-is-better-with-the-fins competition, versus giving swimmers who are good at the strokes a chance to lead the lane.
And it's virtually impossible to NOT use them when the rest of the swimmers in the pool and lane have them on for a whole swim set, because fins are so much faster.
Originally posted by swimsb
To answer the yardage question:
The fin sets are part of a 2500-3500 yd workout, depending on the lane (say 2800 in my lane). One of 3 workouts per week.
I personally find it excessive. I think fins for ONE kick set (of say 500 yds) is enough per workout of 3000ishyds. But it bothers me that this team NEVER kicks without fins...and many of the fast fin-kickers cannot kick worth beans without the fins (literally, their legs are sinking). Plus many of them have scuba fins (not just swim fins like Speedo or TYR).
The reason I find it annoying (use of fins for SWIM sets) is because I am good at IM's -- it is the one thing where I can (relatively) excel vs. other swimmers in my lane and the next lane...but if they all put their fins on, it changes the field to a who-is-better-with-the-fins competition, versus giving swimmers who are good at the strokes a chance to lead the lane.
And it's virtually impossible to NOT use them when the rest of the swimmers in the pool and lane have them on for a whole swim set, because fins are so much faster.
