Over the years swim training for race & water survival evolved with tech & sports science.  

Every time when I called out “Fins & paddles on!”, there will always be a chorus of smiles & cheers.

Fins & Paddles training has been proven to increase overall strength & endurance in legs & arms.

When it comes to building general endurance, fins are awesome as they increase metabolic demand in swimmer legs & will also reduce the demand on the shoulders. 

Swim paddles are one of the staple in just about every swimmer’s training & are one of those pieces of equipment that are found in just about every swim bag across the world.

The training combination of both dip! Swim Fins & Paddles program aid muscle development, building stamina, strength & motivate learners when achieving faster speed & longer distance.  

Improved kick/pull techniques

Kicking & Pulling - the most difficult part of swim technique. 

It is not uncommon to see learners seem to go absolutely nowhere during kick/pull sets, even after extended period of private coaching. Especially in children swim, some parts of the body muscle may yet to develop & there are millions of permutations to reason. Another common scenario is nothing to do with strength but more to do with techniques. This is where the role of a swim coach comes in, to spot, assess, curate training programs to compensate the shortfalls & make appropriate recommendations to the learners & parents. 

Swimming is experiential, thus, learners with good swim mechanics will tend to grasp the pull/kick techniques faster.

A proper flutter kick technique is narrow & compact. The best kick is small but fast. Legs are essentially straight & the power is generated from the hips. Toes should be pointed, & should strive to kick both up/down — the “up-kick” is usually weak in learners.

The up-kick engages the hamstrings, glutes & lower back muscles. Swim fins can help build strength by adding resistance to this range of motion. 

Hand paddles on the other hand, aid to develop upper body strength as they work the muscles in the back, chest, arms & shoulders.  

Using hand paddles allow learners to be more aware of their arm pulls & swim strokes. Stroke lengthens when wearing hand paddles, which means the "reach" is further with the leading arm & pulls more water. A longer stroke means a better distance per stroke, so each arm pull becomes more efficient while providing the positive muscle reinforcement & propulsion.

Improve ankle/shoulder flexibility

The fins & paddles help create a gentle “pull” on the ankles & shoulder when kicking/pulling, creating a stretch & improving range of motion. Improved flexibility is a ticket to stronger kicks/strokes. The more range of motion the ankle/shoulder have, the more water it can kick/pull, the faster to traverse through water. 

As mentioned in above para, an efficient kick has a small amplitude. To do this, a great ankle flexibility is needed. Applying fins to kick training will dramatically increase ankles’ adaptation to efficient flutter & dolphin kicks. 

Strokes however requires bigger amplitude & demands a burden on the shoulders primarily. Elbows, forearms, wrists, palms also comes into a play.  

The added resistance of the fins & paddles will reinforce proper kick/pull mechanics & help increase flexibility.

Improved body position

dip! Swim Fins & Paddles hurtle the swimmers through the water fast which has the benefit of putting the body into a more efficient position.

They are a great corrective tool for swim posture in the water. Most swimmers do not hold this body line, but fins & paddles can help. Swimming with dip! fins & paddles add velocity to the stroke & also teaches the body to swim faster on surface of the water. They help improve swim mechanics in every stroke & the added propulsion in turn provides stability which allow learners to focus on specific muscle components of the stroke.

Completing drills with fins & paddles gives a realistic feeling of speed while isolating one part of the stroke. They also allow more advanced drills which otherwise may not be able to do without. For example, single arm freestyle or backstroke is very difficult without the added propulsion for most learners. This is a fantastic drill to work on balance & the arm pull for both freestyle & backstroke. 

Develop strength & endurance

Swimming with fins & paddles, especially higher intensity efforts, develop holistic power & endurance.

When doing extended kick sets or short-and-sweet bursts of raw power, swim fins & paddles are an excellent tool for increased conditioning & strength. They also allow learners to swim & kick for longer periods of time, building endurance. Muscle recruitment is at an all time high when wearing fins & paddles, so they’re a great way to challenge the body & build endurance for longer races or water survival training. 

dip! Swim Fins & Paddles are tools of resistance. Especially for the legs which contain the biggest muscles in body. Added work to the limbs means that they are getting a harder workout, that is perfect for increasing overall power &  conditioning. 

It’s More Fun!

Finally, without saying, swimming fast is fun! 

When it is fun, it motivates & challenge learners to work harder to beat their personal best.

By & by

Adding fins & paddles can push the body into a higher heart rate zone for longer in a shorter period of time. 

dip! Fins & Paddles training is curated to be fun, gets the arms & legs in shape, allows an opportunity to a proper & work out the body wholesomely. 

Having said, It can be hard for some learners to take the fins & paddles off after experiencing them. It’s important not to over-rely on the fins & paddles, or any piece of equipment, too much. My philosophy on swim aids remains. 

For experienced swimmers looking to get faster, I would suggest equipment usage to be objective focused & targeted. Use the equipment as a correction tool or to experience new drills. 

dip! Swim Fins & Paddles training will allow learners to don & doff the equipment to experience the achievements.

Not fret to use multiple pieces of equipment together in sets. Use dip! swim kickboard, fins & paddles to help improve targeted strength, limbs flexibility, develop balanced kicks/strokes, correct body positioning in the water, & drown the swimmers in the next lane with massive wakes! 

We provide 20 mins free online consultancy on swim development. Feel free to contact for more information on swim behaviour and progression.