this is probably up there with how to flatten coke, but how do you measure your hand for swim paddles?
What paddles are you getting?
I was looking at speedo contoured swim paddles, but open to suggestions.
Not a big fan of those, prefer Strokemakers or TYR Catalyst.
If I currently swim 1:4X for 100s
green or yellow strokemakers
or
small or medium tyr catalysts?
On the Strokemakers, I’d go with the XS (red) or the SM (green) if you’re a taller guy with bigger hands.
On the Catalysts the same, either the Small or the Medium.
What you want is a paddle that has a surface area slightly bigger than your hand. Paddles much bigger than your hands are for accomplished swimmers (collegiate level and higher).
I absolutely would not buy hand paddles based solely on hand size. The size paddles you wear should be dictated by your experience–swimmers who are more practiced in their technique are less likely to have their stroke adversely affected by using too large of a paddle, and other factors like how susceptible you are to letting your technique go to crap due to fatigue play into this as well. The distance of the event you plan on training for also dictates how large of a paddle you’d need. Por ejemplo, giving a paddle that is of similar size to one’s hand to a guy like Chrabot would do a lot more good for him than it would for a guy like Cullen Jones, who only trains for the 50/100m free. Not saying this size is ideal, but just emphasizing that smaller paddles generally should be used for longer distances, whereas larger paddles should be used in training for shorter distances. Different brands have different surface areas and generally behave differently, so it’s hard to compare one to another. In high school I kept 2 different sizes in my bag–some that were roughly the size of my hand with my fingers extended, and some that were one size larger (would be hand-sized if my fingers were 1/2-3/4 inch longer). Smaller ones were for distance free with buoy to maintain better technique over distance, larger ones were for power-oriented sets like sprints or just shorter interval work.
If you have some friends who have a range of sizes, I’d try them on and see what works best for you. There isn’t really a science to this.** Honestly, I’d recommend going without. **This may be a poor assumption, but if you’re asking how to size paddles you’re probably new-ish to swimming and should steer clear of paddles anyway until you’ve trained up your stroke more. Used incorrectly they can lead to worsened stroke mechanics (i.e. un-necessary resting pauses in your stroke, as well as dropped elbow due to fatigue/muscle substitution), and even shoulder injury. They put a lot more stress on your shoulder than your hand and forearm alone do. If you have any shoulder injury issues at all I wouldn’t bother. (I’ve been swimming 15 years, coaching 5, and racing tri for 10, and haven’t seen the improvement using paddles needed to justify risking/sustaining the injuries I have)
this is probably up there with how to flatten coke, but how do you measure your hand for swim paddles?
Far more important than the size is what paddle you get and how you set them up. Paddles set up with a strap or tubing around your wrist should be avoided at all costs.
I absolutely would not buy hand paddles based solely on hand size. The size paddles you wear should be dictated by your experience–swimmers who are more practiced in their technique are less likely to have their stroke adversely affected by using too large of a paddle, and other factors like how susceptible you are to letting your technique go to crap due to fatigue play into this as well. The distance of the event you plan on training for also dictates how large of a paddle you’d need. Por ejemplo, giving a paddle that is of similar size to one’s hand to a guy like Chrabot would do a lot more good for him than it would for a guy like Cullen Jones, who only trains for the 50/100m free. Not saying this size is ideal, but just emphasizing that smaller paddles generally should be used for longer distances, whereas larger paddles should be used in training for shorter distances. Different brands have different surface areas and generally behave differently, so it’s hard to compare one to another. In high school I kept 2 different sizes in my bag–some that were roughly the size of my hand with my fingers extended, and some that were one size larger (would be hand-sized if my fingers were 1/2-3/4 inch longer). Smaller ones were for distance free with buoy to maintain better technique over distance, larger ones were for power-oriented sets like sprints or just shorter interval work.
If you have some friends who have a range of sizes, I’d try them on and see what works best for you. There isn’t really a science to this.** Honestly, I’d recommend going without. **This may be a poor assumption, but if you’re asking how to size paddles you’re probably new-ish to swimming and should steer clear of paddles anyway until you’ve trained up your stroke more. Used incorrectly they can lead to worsened stroke mechanics (i.e. un-necessary resting pauses in your stroke, as well as dropped elbow due to fatigue/muscle substitution), and even shoulder injury. They put a lot more stress on your shoulder than your hand and forearm alone do. If you have any shoulder injury issues at all I wouldn’t bother. (I’ve been swimming 15 years, coaching 5, and racing tri for 10, and haven’t seen the improvement using paddles needed to justify risking/sustaining the injuries I have)
x2 to all of this. Paddles do put a lot of stress on the shoulder, especially if your stroke is not that great.
If you do want to do paddles, then you want to start with ones barely larger than your hand. The larger the paddle, the more your stroke and strength better be pretty good. I rarely used anything more than the smallest two sizes.
John
Going without wrist tubing can be just as bad as using the wrist tubing if you don’t use them correctly (to your point arguably if you need the tubing you’re using them incorrectly). I think we’re on the same page here, but the point is that if you use paddles, you have to use them correctly, otherwise you shouldn’t be using them. To tube/not to tube is probably a secondary decision here to get paddles/not get paddles.
I used the strokemakers in high school and I don’t like them very much. They flex too much for me and eventually cracked in the middle and eventually broke. They probably won’t brake for you though.
I got the blue ones and the are really comfortable and stiff. Mine came with different straps than what is shown in the picture.
The ones you have now are pretty much what I had before, the speedo contoured, it makes sense to me that they are shaped to your hands vs being flat, but then again, what do I know.
Thanks, I was reading that thread, your post in particular last night.
I’m going to go check out the local swim store, we have everything in san diego, a store dedicated just to swimming on Friday.
I think I should actually go, so I don’t end up with ones that are too big to start.
Personally, I like the strokemakers or the TYR catalysts as well. Start with something just barely bigger than your hand. Or, likely it will be the green strokemaker or the yellow catalyst as already pointed out. Amy wears both of those and she’s a really accomplished swimmer. I wear either the yellow or red catalysts. You know…big hands…big paddles.
As for using the wrist strap, there are arguments for with and without. But, not using the wrist strap can help make sure that you finish your stroke all the way because the paddle may tend to come off of your hand if you shorten your stroke and pull your hand out of the water too early. On the other hand, I personally think that leaving the wrist strap on the paddle can help you keep your hand in line with your forearm, which is one possible way to make sure you are pulling at least somewhat correctly. So for that one…6 to one and 1/2 dozen to the other.
To tube/not to tube is probably a secondary decision here to get paddles/not get paddles.
I would disagree with this. The right paddles set up right (no wrist tubing) and used for technique improvement can do wonders for fixing many small but important defects in an athlete’s stroke, often fixing defects that are invisible to even a good coach. The wrist tubing is no small issue, it can hide (and reinforce) major stroke problems.
Going without wrist tubing can be just as bad as using the wrist tubing if you don’t use them correctly (to your point arguably if you need the tubing you’re using them incorrectly).
But there is always more to learn. How do you define using paddles, say, without wrist tubing incorrectly?