Back when I was swimming competitively, we never used fins. No one I knew even owned a pair.
Now, they seem to be popular. The local masters team uses them. Today I was in the gym pool and a young fellow -- looked to be maybe a high school team swimmer -- got in and started doing kick sets with fins.
Seems to me, if you want to get good at kicking with your bare legs, you practice kicking with your bare legs. In many sports, training is done with added weights, but since the fins make kicking easier, I don't see the benefit.
But then again, why would a training method be popular if it didn't work?
So what's the rationale?
Check out "The Fortress" workouts on her USMS blog. She uses them and they work, she's a rocket!
I know lots of master's swimmers who wear them so they can keep up (or be faster than)with everyone on their team. Other people say they take the pressure off their pained shoulders.
I personally feel like they mess my timing up. I feel awkward doing anything except plain kicking with them.
IMHO
1. Develop leg strength. It's easier to go fast with fins but if you think kicking with fins is easier, do it longer and harder.
2. Can go full speed untapered to "feel" the water and perfect catch/breathing posture at race speeds.
3. Maitain body position for longer fly sets.
4. Overspeed training. In track overspeed training i.e. towing or running down hill is used. This is a swimming version.
5. Bend those ankles! It promotes flexibility.
6. Fun. It's fun to cheat once and a while. Should not be a total substitute for naked kicking.
Seems to me, if you want to get good at kicking with your bare legs, you practice kicking with your bare legs. In many sports, training is done with added weights, but since the fins make kicking easier, I don't see the benefit.
That's pretty old school.
Here's an excerpt from Salo's book on the importance of kicking and kicking with fins: books.google.com/books
Fins are especially great for lactate kicking sets; kicking slow with fins is worthless. You should also kick without fins, of course.
Apart from kicking, I swim a lot with fins. They build leg strength, are great for speed work and streamlining, and save my shoulders. Since I spend much of my fly-back races dolphin kicking, fins are quite invaluable to me.
3. Maitain body position for longer fly sets.
That is a big one for me. My butterfly wanes rapidly after about a 50 so fins help get needed yardage in.
I'm torn on this topic. On kick sets regular kicking works me harder. But, the point of fin sets is not the same as regular kick set and the focus should be different. I will say that a long swim set of longer distances wearing fins will slap wear me out much moreso than the same distance of regular swimming.
I don't think fin sets should replace kick sets but each type of kicking has a place in a good workout.
D2 - give it a rest on the suit and fin aided thing, that's been brought up a billion times, no one is interested in it anymore. This is a legit training discussion. If you have a training matter to add, add it.
Agree with most of above BUT about 90% of the swimmers on our team simply use the fins to keep up with the people in their lane, swim in a lane they do not belong any more or to avoid regular kicking (because their regular kick is terrible). It's either fins or paddles or a pullbouy or all of the above ...
I love fins and a pull buoy.
So what's the rationale?
Here's mine.
1. We always used them when I was a younger swimmer, I know this doesn't make it right, but I feel like our year-round program knew what it was doing.
2. Strength training. I can get more yardage done in less time, working my legs harder. For example, 15 100s, alternating free and fly, on the 1:20. I feel like this is better cardio for me as well.
3. I get a better feel for how to properly kick when using fins. To explain this, picture riding a bicycle with shoes clipped into the pedals. With this approach, you get a full revolution of cycling, meaning, your leg pushes down on the pedal while your other pulls up on it. With fins on, I feel like I can feel how my feet push down on the water, as well as pull up on the water. I then think about that when I swim. This could be totally bogus, but I have convinced myself of it.
4. Speed training. Swim sprint sets with fins and notice how your body should be positioned to take advantage of streamlining. You can feel it. The more you kick, the faster you are. I think about this when I swim as well.
Just my $0.02.
