Swimming improves cardiovascular fitness and tones the entire body. Overcoming water's resistance on a body requires strength, and minimizing that resistance takes good technique. Swim paddles help swimmers build both. The United States Masters Swimming magazine Swimmer states that swim paddles focus workouts on the upper body. Swim paddles are usually flat or contoured pieces of perforated plastic held in place on the hand by adjustable loops of surgical tubing. Ideally, swim paddles do not stress the shoulder joint by overloading it. The larger the paddles, the greater the effort needed to push it past the water.
Step 1
Get in the pool and leave swim gear including swim fins, pull buoy and hand paddles on deck. Swim an easy 400m warm-up without any equipment. Put on swim paddles by slipping the fingers and hands through the surgical tubing straps and pull on the tubing ends to secure them. Read over the instructions that come with the paddles if you are uncertain about how to put them on.
Step 2
Slip the pull buoy, which is a streamlined dumbbell-shaped foam flotation device, between the thighs. The pull buoy prevents the legs from kicking while assisting in keeping legs elevated in the water. Pull 600m at a moderate pace. Pulling means swimming with the legs trailing.
Step 3
Perform 1 X 100m one-arm freestyle drill, in which the swimmer pulls with only one arm, the other fully extended in front. Alternate arms at the 50m mark. Take off the pull buoy and pull a 1 X 100 breaststroke, concentrating on the catch, or initial phase of the arm movement.
Step 4
Put back the buoy between the thighs and pull a 2 X 100 backstroke set. Concentrate on the angle the hand enters and leaves the water, trying to grab and push past the water with every stroke.
Pull another 6 X 100 freestyle breathing every three strokes, then every five strokes and then back to every three strokes for the entire set.
Step 5
Remove the pull buoy and put on the swim fins. Remove the paddles temporarily if it is difficult handling the fins while the paddles remain on. Put the paddles back on. Swim with paddles and fins, focusing on reducing the number of strokes taken in one lap. Kick rhythmically and glide before engaging the next stroke.
Tips and Warnings
- Different types of swim paddles suit different strokes better. Freestyle paddles usually have rounded or star shapes and flat profiles. In a United States Masters Swimming product survey, backstroke swimmers preferred curved paddles that more closely followed the lines of the hand, narrowing near the wrist.
- Using paddles increases resistance and pressure on shoulder joints. Improper technique combined with overtraining results in weakened muscles and shoulder injury. If an injury occurs, leave paddles out of the workout until the shoulder fully recovers its strength and stability.
Things You'll Need
- Long swim fins
- pull buoy
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