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.

The problem is, they can numb the feel for the water. And when you take them off, if feels as if you're swimming with shrunken hands. People over-using them tend to focus on their hands for power rather than also becoming aware of a vertical forearm. Better to build your strength out of the pool if that's the main reason for using them. They can be the number one cause of shoulder strain if used excessively or with poor stroke mechanics. Your hands (and forearms) are your natural paddles. And learning how to hang onto the water naturally is the way to go.

The forearm trainers are about 26.95 but that doesn't include shipping and handling. You only use them at the beginning, middle and end of your practice for only 50 yards. You also practice ultra-slow with them. I use a Finis snorkel and examine my stroke when I use them. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." The other says, "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

I got shoulder problems from my first (conventional) pair of paddles. Now I have a pair that are shaped like the hull of a boat and sort of work the opposite way to the conventional flat ones - slippery. They actually do seem to improve my catch, mainly because I'm forced to keep my hand relaxed and anchor my whole forearm. (The difference is apparent when I take them off - my hands feel bigger, similar to the Fistglove effect. NAYY.) I don't use them very often - they weigh a ton and I have a fear of whacking a lane mate on the head with them and putting him or her into a coma. I have some light weight "PT" paddles that are like plastic pebbles with plastic tubes to put your fingers through. They are very good for getting SPL down. Ypu swim 100 with paddles, 100 without on frontcrawl. I Don't use them that often now that the novelty has worn off. Tried them with other strokes but they didn't seem to do much good for some reason.

I love them. If you're using fairly big paddles I'd suggest using them for longer swims. You just can't turnover very fast with paddles so I personally don't think they are good for sprints. I primarily use paddles in conjunction with a pull buoy. Very rarely I'll do something with both paddles and fins. That's pretty interesting! I use the blue Stroke Masters paddles, by the way.

Re: Paddles! Hooah! What are they good for? Absolutely Nuthin! Say it again! I haven't worn them since I was about 12. Stopped due to shoulder pain and never started again. They scare me. Seriously, aside from hurting your shoulders, in a pool with narrow lanes paddles are also good for whacking your lane mates in the forehead or for breaking a teammate's finger in the next lane. Watch your surroundings.

"Paddles! Hooah! What are they good for?" Shoulder pain, for one... :cane: I've found that they are also good for scraping ice/snow off your windshield if you don't have an ice scraper. :p

As anything else, in moderation they can be good and effective. If you use them all the time, you'll either get used to them, or have problems as everyone else describes. I've had paddles as long as I've been doing masters swimming. I've had the TYR Catalyst, the XL or whatever the big size is. I wear them maybe 1-2 times a month on the rare occasion we do a mega pull set, and I actually feel like pulling. They are great for sets when we do breath control (for those of you who believe in those). Thankfully, I've not had an issue with paddles and swimming yet. But like I said, I use them sparingly, and also do weights to build up my shoulders.

They are good for building strength and power in your stroke, but beware - they can destroy your shoulders. NEVER wear them during warm-up, get your body nice and loose before you put those on. I really don't like them for sprints because I have shoulder problems (paddles did not create my shoulder probs, BTW). Feel the water... if you have any pain or clicking in the shoulder... take them off! Listen to your body. I am currently using the TYR Mentor paddles (yellow) - they are just the right size, if they were a hair smaller I'd have to move up a size - IMHO, paddles that are way too big can create shoulder issues as well. Have fun Stud! They're fun to wear to work on the breastroke pull.

I use them for fast 25 sprints. I sprint as fast as I can but without compromising good form. I focus on the catch, EVF and release (essentially the whole pull from beginning to end). These are always NO BREATHERS so I can focus all my attention on the pull. These are EXTREMELY tiring if done properly and you should feel your triceps aching. I don't have shoulder issues with paddles, but if you do have shoulder problems this set won't be a good idea.