Should You Get Swimming Fins?

Anyone who has a hefty amount of swimming experience knows the kind of work involved with training – human beings aren’t naturally fit with a lot of webbing to catch and displace water, so we have to use plenty of muscles to propel us forward. One way people have found to “correct” some of these natural disadvantages is to attach swimming fins on your feet – these fins make swimming feel more natural and increase your speed.

But do these fins really help you train? When you’re training, do you really want to make things easier on yourself, or do you need challenge to improve yourself?

How can fins help you?

Many people choose to wear swimming fins in order to make their swimming experience more enjoyable – they can move faster, more confidently, and feel like they have greater control through the water. But these people aren’t using fins for swimming training, so this leaves a single question: can swimming fins help you become a better swimmer?

Many people feel that this is the case. Swimming fins help you to use other muscles and techniques in order to propel yourself forward – some argue that this improves ankle flexibility and strength in specific muscles you wouldn’t be able to work otherwise. Swimming fins can also serve as training wheels to help you learn some techniques like how to properly align your arms through the water. This is accomplished because the fins are often all you need to propel yourself forward, leaving your arms free: when you become more accomplished, you can try this without the fins.

How can fins hurt you?

There’s a good chance that the fins won’t literally hurt you, but there is a potential problem when using fins: when they become a crutch. When they stop becoming a tool and start becoming a piece of equipment you lean on, you lose much of the benefits these fins can offer you.

Fins do get in the way of the “handicap principle” when you’re training: if you’re aware of the handicap principle, you know that many athletes try to make their training difficult in creative and challenging ways. Fins don’t help you with this – in fact, they do just the opposite – and you’ll have to keep that in mind if you plan on swimming competitively.

Are fins right for you? It will depend on how you use them – remember that any given training tool can work for or against you: avoid complacency and keep challenging yourself to improve your abilities as a swimmer.

Photo Credits: jayhem

Originally posted 2009-06-09 05:36:58.

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Posted by Bike Swim Run on December 8, 2009 in Swimming. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.