So I have small paddles I use for *** drill (pressing the water).
I've swam a little front crawl with them too but I don't really know what I ought to be doing.
What is the use of paddles going to do for me?
Are there various types of target goals (speed or sttrength) that require different uses?
Will it create shoulder issues?
Any set ideas for an average swimmer?
Should I swim or just pull with them on?
Thanks...
A fellow lap swimmer uses paddles with holes throughout the surface. It seems that they would put less effort on the shoulders...? I don't know what they are called. Maybe they are the TYR ones that have been commented on this thread.
I have a pair with holes that I really like a lot, called Stingray paddles. They are contoured too. (I have no affiliation with the company.) But I don't believe that the holes make it more shoulder-friendly; the paddle shape might do so, however.
I have been blessed to be almost completely free of shoulder problems (knock on wood) through 35 years of competitive swimming. The major lone exception was one summer in college when using paddles with backstroke; I actually felt the "snap" in my shoulder during the backstroke pull and I was done for the summer.
I now use them only in freestyle for long, low-intensity swims, DPS work, to emphasize/feel the "catch," and to keep up power once off the weights during taper. Maybe 2X a week during the season and almost every day during taper time, until the last week.
A fellow lap swimmer uses paddles with holes throughout the surface. It seems that they would put less effort on the shoulders...? I don't know what they are called. Maybe they are the TYR ones that have been commented on this thread.
I have a pair with holes that I really like a lot, called Stingray paddles. They are contoured too. (I have no affiliation with the company.) But I don't believe that the holes make it more shoulder-friendly; the paddle shape might do so, however.
I have been blessed to be almost completely free of shoulder problems (knock on wood) through 35 years of competitive swimming. The major lone exception was one summer in college when using paddles with backstroke; I actually felt the "snap" in my shoulder during the backstroke pull and I was done for the summer.
I now use them only in freestyle for long, low-intensity swims, DPS work, to emphasize/feel the "catch," and to keep up power once off the weights during taper. Maybe 2X a week during the season and almost every day during taper time, until the last week.
