Paddles! Hooah! What are they good for?

I use TYR Catalyst paddles (red). I think they CAN contribute to swimming performance. I find that they: - are unforgiving of hand entry errors so they reinforce good hand entry - the extra resistance forces me to have a higher elbow, more vertical forearm, and pull with hands shallower. All good things. - can strain my shoulders so I am careful with their use. I use them mostly on moderate effort, longer sets. In a set of 4x400 I may use the paddles for half the set. I rarely swim hard with them. I also use them occasionally for heads up breaststroke (very tiring) to work on fast hands. Agreed hofffam, I find when I put on my paddles (red TYR) my mechanics improve, and I get an "ah yes, this is what it should feel like." Any tweaks in my catch and pull are amplified so I can concentrate on them and correct them easily, and I am better able to time my core rotation with the pull. I feel what it's like to "stabilize" my body with my hand and arm as I pull, so I can recover with the other arm and enter my next stroke properly, rather than "swing" each arms forward into the water relying more on my shoulder muscles. After the paddles, I have to concentrate to replicate the feeling, but my body "knows" what it should feel like so it's doable. Without paddles, it is easier for me to NOT notice when I'm dropping my elbows and sliding my hands, crossing over my mid-line, and/or not finishing my stroke by my hip. This makes my shoulders hurt more than the paddles. That said, I don't push too hard with the paddles on--usually a set of 4-8 75s with 15 or so seconds rest or the equivalent interval, breathing every 3 strokes, sometimes a moderate build on the 3rd length. Freestyle only (maybe a length or two one-arm fly). 2 - 4 25s sculling after using the paddles is all I need to get rid of the "tiny hands" feeling.

I use TYR Catalyst paddles (red). I think they CAN contribute to swimming performance. I find that they: - are unforgiving of hand entry errors so they reinforce good hand entry - the extra resistance forces me to have a higher elbow, more vertical forearm, and pull with hands shallower. All good things. - can strain my shoulders so I am careful with their use. I use them mostly on moderate effort, longer sets. In a set of 4x400 I may use the paddles for half the set. I rarely swim hard with them. I also use them occasionally for heads up breaststroke (very tiring) to work on fast hands. Agreed hofffam, I find when I put on my paddles (red TYR) my mechanics improve, and I get an "ah yes, this is what it should feel like." Any tweaks in my catch and pull are amplified so I can concentrate on them and correct them easily, and I am better able to time my core rotation with the pull. I feel what it's like to "stabilize" my body with my hand and arm as I pull, so I can recover with the other arm and enter my next stroke properly, rather than "swing" each arms forward into the water relying more on my shoulder muscles. After the paddles, I have to concentrate to replicate the feeling, but my body "knows" what it should feel like so it's doable. Without paddles, it is easier for me to NOT notice when I'm dropping my elbows and sliding my hands, crossing over my mid-line, and/or not finishing my stroke by my hip. This makes my shoulders hurt more than the paddles. That said, I don't push too hard with the paddles on--usually a set of 4-8 75s with 15 or so seconds rest or the equivalent interval, breathing every 3 strokes, sometimes a moderate build on the 3rd length. Freestyle only (maybe a length or two one-arm fly). 2 - 4 25s sculling after using the paddles is all I need to get rid of the "tiny hands" feeling.