Swimming existed in many areas over the centuries. Images in Greece more than 2,000 years old show swimmers and divers enjoying aquatic sports. Native people in North America and island dwellers in Tahiti developed swimming strokes and techniques of their own, separate from the European continent.
Early Swimming Techniques
The British ushered in the modern era of swimming, building and using artificial indoor swimming pools as early as 1844. Swimmers used sidestroke and breaststroke. In the late 1800s, English native Fred Cavill observed native swimmers in the South Seas doing a freestyle or crawl stroke and used it in competition. He described the stroke as crawl-like, and the term stuck. Because Cavill then lived in Australia, people called it the Australian crawl. Racers kicked without the benefit of added propulsion from fins.
Origins of Fins
Owen Churchill was an expert yachtsman from Los Angeles who won a gold medal for yachting at the 1932 Olympics. Even though he excelled in boating, he did not swim well. In the 1930s, he visited Tahiti and noticed Tahitian native swimmers using woven palm fronds on their feet to help them swim faster. Owen developed a rubber version of the Tahitian flippers and patented his design in 1940. The fins had channels running down the sides that helped reduce drag in the water, and open sling backs.
Uses
The Military adopted long rubber fins so that commandos could perform underwater maneuvers fast and efficiently. Scuba divers and swimmers used in the fins in open water. Pool swimmers started training with fins soon after Churchill patented them. Former 1936 Olympic gold medal swimming champion Adolph Kiefer was one of the first to test the then new fins. Today, competitive and casual lap swimmer use fins to build leg strength and vary workouts.
Considerations
All fins add stress onto legs, knees and ankles. Wearing them can strain weak knee or ankle joints, so leave them in your swim bag or on deck if you experience and pain or stiffness after using them. Fins are good tools to supplement a swimming workout, but using them every time you get in the water might make your rely on them for speed, instead of your own fitness and technique.
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