green or yellow stroke makers and you can’t go wrong. i have the green and that gives me plenty of added resistance. i don’t use them much at the moment but I can do backstroke sets with them as well which backstroke pull sets are real good
the stroke makers are a classic and simple product - the shape is not as weird as other paddles
i used the finnis smart agility paddle or whatever it is and didn’t like it. for me i had to squeeze the thumb thing and that just made my hand really uncomortable and cramp quite a bit. pretty sure i was only 1 or 2 seconds faster on cruise using it, so not really adding too much resistance. i was just curious to try a friends pair and he likes them but i didn’t like them at all. i have also used that freestyle finnis paddle that is shaped like a triangle and i had no idea what i was supposed to do with that.
green or yellow stroke makers and you can’t go wrong. i have the green and that gives me plenty of added resistance. i don’t use them much at the moment but I can do backstroke sets with them as well which backstroke pull sets are real good
the stroke makers are a classic and simple product - the shape is not as weird as other paddles
i used the finnis smart agility paddle or whatever it is and didn’t like it. for me i had to squeeze the thumb thing and that just made my hand really uncomortable and cramp quite a bit. pretty sure i was only 1 or 2 seconds faster on cruise using it, so not really adding too much resistance. i was just curious to try a friends pair and he likes them but i didn’t like them at all. i have also used that freestyle finnis paddle that is shaped like a triangle and i had no idea what i was supposed to do with that.
How much faster are you with the green stroke makers?
Prob 3 seconds or so. Haven’t swam with them in a set for ages but I could go pretty well with them. You reckon they too small? I don’t swim with much gear other than a snorkel the last year or so, just been nice to work on body position cues
They’re good fun to use. I like to swim backstroke with them as well. I would just say use them at the end of your main sets or for a longer cool down rather than in the main set
They’re good fun to use. I like to swim backstroke with them as well. I would just say use them at the end of your main sets or for a longer cool down rather than in the main set
Different people can need different paddles and I guess with the stroke master you can’t really go wrong .
But never the spedo padles they are the worst
Sorry I have no clue. Just started using paddles last month. Trying to learn as much as possible
Personally my goal is go as fast without paddles as I did with the paddles. I have to pull really hard and I def take more strokes per length w/o the paddles but, if I really push I can get the times pretty close. After all, the paddles don’t make you any stronger per se but rather you just pull more water with each stroke. I have the yellow Strokemakers and use them pretty much every day.
Has really helped me feel the early vertical forearm position.
I have also tried the Finis Freestyler paddles, but haven’t found them nearly as beneficial. Not sure why… Maybe the elements of the stroke that the Freestyler focuses on aren’t my biggest weaknesses.
I have had the Speedo swim paddles with latex bands for a while, and one of the latex straps just broke again. They have always been a little uncomfortable, so I am thinking of ditching them for something else.
What are the current favorite swim paddles on the market?
As you mentioned “best swim paddles” I will share my alternate view. Best swim paddles for me is swimming with fist shut for 15m and then and open for 10m. It is amazing how much additional work my lats do when hand opens up!!!
Has really helped me feel the early vertical forearm position.
I have also tried the Finis Freestyler paddles, but haven’t found them nearly as beneficial. Not sure why… Maybe the elements of the stroke that the Freestyler focuses on aren’t my biggest weaknesses.
The Freestyler paddles are meant to correct hand entry crossover, that’s why they’re shaped like a sufboard with a little keel under them, if you try to force them to enter the water in an oblique angle, they’ll align themselves. Once that’s not a problem in your technique, they be pretty useless. I haven’t used mine for a long time.
Has really helped me feel the early vertical forearm position.
I have also tried the Finis Freestyler paddles, but haven’t found them nearly as beneficial. Not sure why… Maybe the elements of the stroke that the Freestyler focuses on aren’t my biggest weaknesses.
One of my swim coach really detests the Finis Agility paddles because they put your hand in a tight narrow configuration which reduces catch area of a more spread out hand. She’s OK with them used sparingly for hand entry and set up catch but then take them off, because you start swimming with your hand all tight and barely bigger than swimming “fist” (just with fingers out). All that webbing between fingers and forefinger to thumb add up to pulling area. That’s free paddle surface we are a born with !!!
Any idea why the Freestyler sometimes skips out sideways as my hand exits the water around my hip/thigh? Not focusing enough on pushing all the way through in this position?
Any idea why the Freestyler sometimes skips out sideways as my hand exits the water around my hip/thigh? Not focusing enough on pushing all the way through in this position?
Yes, maybe it’s because of that. I’d check the straps on the paddles as well, because if they are a bit loose, the paddles will hold your hand even if you finish your stroke perfectly.
Yeah, I never really liked the agility paddles, always felt it was super unnatural how I had to hold them on the recovery. Preferred some old set of speedo paddles I got in high school, fairly similar to the strokemaker ones.
