Hello Fellow Swimmers,
I have been back in the pool for about 11 months after a 35 year absence and have steadily made progress and now want to start working on my stroke. I have noticed that when we do pull sets, I can move at a pretty reasonable speed (10 x 100M free on 1:40 with me consistently hitting the wall at about 1:30) without killing myself. I do not use paddles but do use a buoy during pull sets. In my lane, I notice that I can keep up with those who use the paddles except for a few of the faster ones. ( I characterize myself as an average speed swimmer)
I have noticed that many of the folks in the fast lane were pulling out their paddles when working on a 1:25 interval for the 100 free sets. That is a pretty quick interval and I do not think I could make a full set of ten at this time.
So, I have been toying with the idea of using paddles during pull sets. I am an "upper body" swimmer with a pretty good pull technique and I wonder if it would help me increase my strength or just be a crutch. I say that because I ditched my fins about six months ago and it made me a much better kicker.
What are everyone's experiences out there? Is shoulder injury a worry? I have never used these things and would love to have input on their strengths and weaknesses.
Thanks
I swear at paddles and refuse to wear them. Back in Age Group and High School days (mid-80's) they were popular with my coaches. My doctor thought they were a contributing factor to an injury I had, I tend to agree with him. After that, I reduced my paddle use and did not experience any additional problems.
In college, we did not use paddles at all. We were a Top-10 Division III program and my coaches were top-notch. They tended to use a lot of kick sets and pulling along with TONS of IM. No paddles needed, we all swam pretty good.
My person opinion is that paddles put too much stress on your arms and shoulders. I also think that the feel you get from them is unnatural and distorts your training. My preference is to use different stroke drills (fists, fingertip drag, etc.) to work on attaining good "feel" whilst swimming. YMMV so don't take what I have to say as Gospel.
...oh and not using paddles saves space in my bag :)
I swear at paddles and refuse to wear them. Back in Age Group and High School days (mid-80's) they were popular with my coaches. My doctor thought they were a contributing factor to an injury I had, I tend to agree with him. After that, I reduced my paddle use and did not experience any additional problems.
In college, we did not use paddles at all. We were a Top-10 Division III program and my coaches were top-notch. They tended to use a lot of kick sets and pulling along with TONS of IM. No paddles needed, we all swam pretty good.
My person opinion is that paddles put too much stress on your arms and shoulders. I also think that the feel you get from them is unnatural and distorts your training. My preference is to use different stroke drills (fists, fingertip drag, etc.) to work on attaining good "feel" whilst swimming. YMMV so don't take what I have to say as Gospel.
...oh and not using paddles saves space in my bag :)
