Any experienced swimmer recommendations for hand paddles?
http://www.swimandtri.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=283
don’t get anything bigger than yellow,unless you really want to push it or you have some massive upper body strength
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Get tyr catalyst. I like the largest sized ones but I’m a former competitive swimmer.
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1238.htm
These let you keep the feel of the water and give you a reasonably good hand positioning due to their shape.
These aren’t a bad alternative:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/2453.htm
If you really want to be hardcore like a real swimmer, use a band around your feet instead of a pull buoy.
heard a lot of good things about the finnis ones.
I like those too. Started with the small and am currently using the mediums.
jaretj
Get tyr catalyst. I like the largest sized ones but I’m a former competitive swimmer.
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1238.htm
These let you keep the feel of the water and give you a reasonably good hand positioning due to their shape.
These aren’t a bad alternative:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/2453.htm
If you really want to be hardcore like a real swimmer, use a band around your feet instead of a pull buoy.
I like those too, but I like their photo. Six colors, 5 descriptions. Guess you only get to buy #6 if you are an Olympian. 
John
Actually, it’s the XXS they don’t give a description for. Check the pull-down.
Steve
I like the Speedo Contoured Paddles as they dont place much stress on the shoulder yet really allow you to feel the water.
What do people think of the relative merits of paddles versus gloves… I find my paddles seem to encourage a weak catch
I use a finis freestyle paddle junior size.
For people with no competitive swimming experience and no coach, I’d stay away from paddles completely. There are just too many ways to do it wrong and end up with shoulder problems.
If you have either a coach or swimmin experience you can use them and make the appropriate corrections. But even then…I’ve seen people end up with a lot of problems that required massive amounts of time off.
+1 on that.
Shredded my shoulders with too much paddle time growing up (distance swimmer). I won’t go near the things now - my shoulders instantly hate me. They become a crutch to many people and there are too many ways to use them wrong.
Paddles vs. gloves - Gloves? Really? I suppose you’d have a better “feel” for where the water is and not slip or wrench your shoulders, but why not just put your fingers together and actually swim?
Learn to swim right without paddles or fins and then learn to swim faster without paddles and fins and you can possibly be a good swimmer, with good form, that swims fast without pain. Even better: get a coach.
Damnit, you know what, I almost agree with this. I’ve noticed that non-swimmers on here have no clue on stroke technique and they don’t even listen when I try to tell them how to do it properly. If they’d listen they’d probably beat me, though, so I guess I have that going for me 
Here is the thing with paddles: you need to have the proper catch and the proper pull through. I think the paddles are FAR SUPERIOR to gloves, which are only useful for surfing.
The paddles actually force you to have the proper catch. The Tyr catalyst paddles allow you to perfect your entry into the water–any improper entry and the paddles are jarred off, while the shape of the paddle essentially mimics your hands. The proper catch is when you put your hand in the water and extend in front of you, you must then bend at the elbow (keeping your elbow high in the water) until you get to about a 90 degree angle. You must complete this motion before extending your shoulders down and pulling thorugh–the paddles help you focus on this motion. After completing this motion, you pull through by keeping your hand just to the side of the middle line. You never want to cross the middle line because then you’ll dip your shoulders too much. The paddle will keep you honest on this part of the stroke as well by keeping your hand in the right position. The paddles will build muscle and improve your stroke technique, if you use them properly. If you don’t understand the elbow motion, it’s almost like using a Vasa trainer. So seek out one of those and you’ll understand.
Once you are pulling through to your midsection, the next major part of push that you need for max stroke efficiency is the push at the end. This is commonly called “finishing your stroke.” You need to push through this last bit so that you are reaching for your knees. You don’t actually touch your knees unless you have abnormally long arms, but you get pretty close. The paddles should help you stay honest about hand positioning as you pull through to finish your stroke. A strong finish is absolutely essential for distance swimming. At the pinnacle of your reach down to your knee, you need high elbows on the recovery. The paddles will help you develop swimming muscle to really get a solid push out of each stroke.
The biggest mistake I can see someone making with paddles is buying the wrong size. It’s the same as using too much weight in the weights room. You need to be able to handle the paddles. If you don’t know what size you need, then buy multiple sizes. The bigger sizes are only appropriate for former swimmers or people with some serious shoulder strength.
I hope this is understandable; I’m kinda busy but I just wanted to encourage novice swimmers to make the right purchases. If you have any questions, I’ll check back later. Recently there was a discussion about whether finishing your stroke hard is a good idea. If you lack triceps muscle then maybe you shouldn’t do it so that you can conserve some energy. If the water is choppy you might also want to put more effort into the front part of your pull. But for peak performance absent mitigating circumstances (ie big chop), proper stroke finish is required.
Here is the problem with what you are saying…although you do correct it to a point.
The paddles are designed to build strength in the shoulder (if used properly). BUT…
If you do things incorrectly you put too much pressure on muscles that are NOT designed to take the pressure. Specifically the rotator cuff is not designed for heavy loads. Putting too much pressure on that leads to shoulder impingements/tendonitis. That is why the best way to strengthen the shoulder (IMO) is rubberband workouts. Especially for the rotator cuff. But even then I don’t go to the heaviest bands. And I do have strong shoulders.
I was a distance swimmer…I swam the 1650, 1000, 500, 200 fly. I never touch paddles today. Ever. The obvious reason is that there is no point. I am top 10 out of the water in almost every race I enter. But the other reason is shoulder problems. Why risk that? Plus I never thought they were that effective.
While I agree a paddle can help keep you honest…that is only if you:
#1 know what you are doing to begin with. (You can’t correct yourself if you can’t recognize when you do something wrong.)
#2 Have someone watching and correcting you.
x3 on the TYR catalysts. I use the L size with only the finger band attached. I swim with the wrist band removed…helps me to focus on keeping a nice straight pull. If my hand turns at all, the paddle will catch and come off.
I still think paddles are a good way to build shoulder strength, but I much prefer using the vasa trainer for that.
If you want more power, you are going to have to use something …or you can swim 8000+ yard workouts like distance swimmers (and I’m sure you know how great that is for your shoulders.) I really don’t think someone will actually injure themselves using paddles. Avoiding paddles is EXTREMELY cautious. But doing those rotator cuff exercises with bands or weights might be a better use of your time than paddles if a person lacks shoulder strength.
I think the paddles are really helpful for technique. I mean, if you have your hand out of position, the paddles will fall off/you can feel your hand suddenly slice through the water.
I have the tyr paddles and i use them once every 2 weeks just for the hell of it. Why not just disclaim that people shouldn’t overuse the paddles, just like they shouldn’t run too hard, etc.
God I miss the good old days where I could just kill myself in any workout and feel fine an hour later…
I like the Strokemasters. They come in a bunch of sizes, up to XXL, and work really well with only one strap over your middle finger.
Personally, I think paddles are good when used in moderation. They let you slow down your stroke and think about what your doing right and wrong, and also get your speed up without a ton of effort. Combined with a freestyle snorkel, they’re awesome.
I’m in agreement here.
I have some competitive swimming background and I use the medium Catalysts. The advice I was given was to not use them for shorter faster sets and when I use them for my longer sets (200’s+) I won’t use them for every interval. So if I’m doing 10x200 I will maybe use the paddles for 2 and then go without for 1. For me, it gives my shoulders a little rest and allows me to mimic the good habits I am building by using the paddles when I’m swimming without them.
i agree. I don’t do any fast sets with the paddles on…I just do easy to moderate effort and focus on technique. If there is a fast pull set in a workout, I’ll take the paddles off…
Here is the thing with paddles: you need to have the proper catch and the proper pull through. I think the paddles are FAR SUPERIOR to gloves, which are only useful for surfing.
The paddles actually force you to have the proper catch. The Tyr catalyst paddles allow you to perfect your entry into the water–any improper entry and the paddles are jarred off, while the shape of the paddle essentially mimics your hands. The proper catch is when you put your hand in the water and extend in front of you, you must then bend at the elbow (keeping your elbow high in the water) until you get to about a 90 degree angle.
Good feedback… however, the reason I asked the question was that for me at least paddles don’t seem to punish missing the catch with your forearm… as you’ve still pulling a big piece of plastic through the water, you’ll still get up a decent lick even without 90 degree elbow. Mind you there’s no logical reason why this should be any better with webbed gloves.