3 Swim Workouts with Drag Chutes

Looking for swim workouts with a drag chute to bolster swim speed and hone technique? You’ve come to the right place. Let’s “chute” for improvement and faster swimming.

Swimmers spend a lot of time hitting the pool, developing their skills, and pushing themselves to the limit (and sometimes beyond) with a variety of swim workouts, sets, and swim gear.

And one of the best ways to get faster is with the use of resisted swimming tools like a drag chute.

Drag chutes have been shown to improve swimming performance in a variety of ways, including improving velocity, stroke rate, and index of coordination (Valkoumas and Gourgoulis, 2024, Valkoumas et al., 2020, Matus, 2018, etcetera).

But what’s the best way to train with a drag chute?

In this collection of sets and workouts, we look at some evidence-based ways to improve swimming speed and technique with the use of a drag chute.

Let’s dive in.

Swim Workouts with Drag Chutes

The swim workouts include:

• The Stroke Balance Chute Set
• The PAP Power Pack
• Chute to Thrill

Next, we will look at each individual swim workout, offer some background on why it will help you swim faster, and offer suggestions to get the most from your time with a drag chute.

The Stroke Balance Chute Set

Resisted swimming is typically done at maximum intensity for power development. (Don’t worry, we will do plenty of that later.) But it’s also an excellent way to promote better technique, body position, core activation, and a stronger early vertical forearm.

Swimming with a drag chute can also be used to reduce the gallop or hitch in your freestyle, creating a more balanced stroke. The added “pull” of the chute reduces the dead spots in the stroke as your body smartly self-organizes to create more consistent propulsion.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research titled “Effect of velocity and added resistance on selected coordination and force parameters in front crawl” showed that sub-maximal swimming (70-80% effort) with a drag chute eliminated catch-up.

As velocity and resistance went up, so too did superposition (overlapping propulsive phases of the arms and stroke).

The workout below will spend a lot of time in that “high coordination” zone without going all-out or maximal.

The Workout:

• 600 swim/kick by 100 with swim fins
• 8×25 freestyle with fins: ODDS: Kick build with arms at side, EVEN: Swim build to fast
• 10×25 freestyle swim with chute – 75% effort
• 300 kick cruise
• 10×25 freestyle swim with chute – 80% effort
• 200 kick cruise
• 10×25 freestyle swim with chute – 85% effort
• 100 kick cruise
• 10×25 free swim (no chute) – 90% effort
• 300 warm down

The PAP Power Pack

Post-activation potentiation is a training concept that pairs a high-intensity exercise of muscle contraction and a subsequent sprint or explosive activity.

There is a large body of research indicating the effectiveness of post-activation potentiation in swimmers.

One study, titled “Postactivation potentiation enhances swim performance in collegiate swimmers” paired 4x10m all out sprints on a power rack, and several minutes later, a timed 100m off the blocks.

Average time improved by a whopping 0.54 seconds (an eternity in a 100). Interestingly, the improvement was spread out across both 50s, indicating that PAP “potentially” (ha!) has power and endurance benefits.

Swimmers can use this intel to create a power and speed set with their drag chutes. Here is a sample of what this could look like:

The Workout

• 600 swim/kick by 100 with fins (desc the 100s kick 1-3)
• 16×25 freestyle with fins as four rounds of: scull, kick build, long dog drill, swim fast
• 100 easy to reset
• 4x10m swim all out with large drag chute – 60s rest
• 5 minutes extra rest
• 100 freestyle fast off the blocks
• 100 swim easy to reset
• 4x10m swim all out with large drag chute – 60s rest
• 5 minutes extra rest
• 75 freestyle fast off the blocks
• 125 swim easy to reset
• 4x10m swim all out with large drag chute – 60s rest
• 5 minutes extra rest
• 50 freestyle fast off the blocks
• 500 swim/kick warm-down

Chute to Thrill

Feel the need for speed? Me too! This swim workout is all about building blinding speed in the water with the use of a drag chute.

The main set was lifted from a study published in the Journal of Biomechanics titled “Sprint resisted swimming training effect on the swimmer’s hand orientation angles.”

In it, a group of competitive swimmers did an 11-week swim parachute training program, and at the end saw significant increases in swimming velocity (3.76% faster) and stroke rate (3.09%). In the post-training time trials, swimmers also used a much smaller pitch of the hand during the entry and catch, significantly reducing frontal drag.

The set is deceptively simple, but as with all peak power sets, using the proper amount of rest to reload phosphagen stores and maintain maximal effort and output is crucial.

The Workouts:

• 800 warm-up as 200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull, 200 drill choice
• 8×25 freestyle swim desc 1-4 (x2)
• 100 easy to reset for the main set
• 6x15m swim all out with drag chute – 60s rest between repetitions
• 5 minutes rest
• 6x15m swim all out with drag chute – 60s rest between repetitions
• 5 minutes rest
• 6x15m swim all out with drag chute – 60s rest between repetitions
• 500 warm-down choice

What is the best drag parachute for swimmers?

The best drag chute for competitive swimmers is the FINIS Swim Parachute.

The chute is available in two different sizes (12” is the “hard” one and 8” is the less draggy chute size), has an adjustable belt to secure the chute, and a long nylon strap that extends beyond kicking feet.  

FINIS Swim Parachute

$36.48

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03/01/2025 05:10 am GMT

The Bottom Line

Swimming with a drag chute is one of the best ways to improve in the water.

Whether doing sub-maximal sets or workouts that build top-end speed, drag chutes add an element of novelty and a new stimulus to what can otherwise be boring swim training.

Grab yourself a drag chute, give the swim workouts above a try, and “chute” towards faster swimming and PB’s!

The post 3 Swim Workouts with Drag Chutes appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Drills with a swim snorkel are one of the best ways to maximize engagement and skill development. Here are five swim snorkel drills to try for faster swimming.

One of my favorite ways to use a swim snorkel is for drill work!

Swim snorkels remove the need to turn or pick up the head to breathe, allowing swimmers to completely focus on the technical elements of drills.

Below are five swim snorkel drills to try that will increase feel for the water, improve shoulder and hip rotation, and get better at coordinating the kick and pull when swimming fast.

Let’s hop in.

Swim Snorkel Drills

Effective swim snorkel drills to improve technique and speed in the water include:

• Front sculling
• Long dog drill
• Arms at side kick drill
• Kick/Swim transition drill
• Freestyle with butterfly kick drill

Next, we will examine each drill in more detail and offer some tips for doing it properly as well as a set to get you started.

Front Sculling

Sculling is my favorite drill to do when using a swim snorkel. It checks a lot of boxes when it comes to technique-focused drill work.

Typically, when swimmers scull—a drill where swimmers scull the hands with small, controlled hand movements to grab and manipulate the water, increasing feel for the water—they have to pick their head up repeatedly to breathe.

Taking breaths mid-scull interrupts body position and the sculling you are doing.

By using a swim snorkel for this drill, swimmers can stay in a relaxed, horizontal body position with their head and neck neutral.

The sculling positions you can use are only limited by your imagination, but the best for a sharper catch is with both arms extended in front of you, sculling tight light figure-eights where the catch happens.

8×25 front scull with swim snorkel – 20s rest between repetitions

Long Dog Drill

Long Dog drill is a variation of doggie paddle and one of the best freestyle drills in the pool.

Instead of using the short pull cycle of doggie paddles, in Long Dog drill, swimmers perform the full pull and push of the freestyle stroke, recovering the arms under the water. As swimmers don’t recover over the water, they can be far more intentional about the catch and pull of each stroke.

Using a swim snorkel with this drill allows you to really hone the hand placement at the beginning of the catch, sinking the hand vertically quickly so that the fingers are pointing at the bottom of the pool, and accelerating the hands under the body.  

8×50 freestyle with swim snorkel – 25 long dog drill, 25 freestyle build to fast

Arms at Side Kick Drill

Arms at side kick drill with a snorkel is a fundamental drill that works proper hip and shoulder rotation, balance, and kick timing.

Swimmers position themselves horizontally in the water, arms at the side, and kick at a high intensity while rotating the shoulders and hips normally (but without performing the arm recovery and pull).

Done with a swim snorkel, swimmers can focus on a clean, horizontal body line and not worry about having to twist the head and neck to breathe, throwing swimmers out of alignment.

Sprinters love this drill as you can really practice on aggressive shoulder rotations, utilizing the drill as a form of Spin Drill but for the shoulders. Mid and distance swimmers can use it to get better at kicking properly while rotating the hips and shoulders.

16×25 freestyle with snorkel alternating Arms at Side Kick Drill and fast swimming

Kick/Swim Transition Drill

Kick/Swim Transition is a drill in the sense that you are working on connecting a strong, powerful kick to the arm stroke.

Swimmers often struggle to nail the coordination and timing with an all-out, six-beat kick and an efficient arm pull. Kick/Swim Transition Drill melts fast kicking into fast swimming so that swimmers can work on kicking and pulling hard. At the same time. Quickly.

Using a swim snorkel for this drill is a win because you can focus on just hitting that fast kick with the stroke and then work on introducing breathing to the mix later.

8×25 freestyle as 12.5m fast kick in a streamline + 12.5m swim fast

Freestyle Arms with Butterfly Kick

Fast swimming is often about excellent rhythm. Whether it’s the rhythmic undulation in a dolphin kick, the smooth alternating arm pulls of freestyle, or the unrelenting 1-2-1-2 of a powerful freestyle kick.

Doing drills with a swim snorkel is a way to increase rhythm in the arm stroke. Without having to worry about the sometimes jarring disruptions of breathing, swimmers can put their head down and find some rhythm in their stroke for increased efficiency.

Freestyle arms with butterfly kicks is the perfect snorkel drill for building superior rhythm.

The drill is simple enough: Use freestyle arms as normal, and instead of pairing it with a freestyle kick, perform dolphin kicks. The drill emphasizes a more powerful hand entry, core stability, and better stroke rhythm and timing.

Additionally, for swimmers who want to master the dolphin kick breakout in freestyle (popping to the surface and using a dolphin kick for the first stroke cycle), this drill, done with a snorkel, can teach the timing for this elite breakout.

Start out with your snorkel and a set of swim fins to maximize the dolphin kick with each stroke cycle.

16×25 freestyle with butterfly kick (8 w fins, 8 w/o)

What snorkels are best for swimming?

The best snorkels for swim training are the FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel and the FINIS Stability Snorkel.

The FINIS Original is the one that started it all in the mid 1990s. While it faces stiff competition nowadays (particularly from other swim snorkels in the FINIS line-up) the original is still the best for most swimmers.

It’s available in a junior size for smaller swimmers and multiple colors.

FINIS Original Center-Mount Swimmer's Snorkel

4.8

$32.98

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ SwimOutlet

02/28/2025 10:35 pm GMT

The FINIS Stability Snorkel is the best snorkel for high-performance swimmers looking for more elite features such as a twisting mouthpiece, rounded tube, and multiple head straps for increased tube stability when swimming at high speeds.

FINIS Stability Swimmer's Snorkel

$40.90

Our rating:

4.7

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

03/01/2025 05:05 am GMT

The Bottom Line

Swim snorkels take the focus of drills and crank up the attention to detail and execution by removing breathing.

When rocking swim snorkel drills, you can just put your face down in the water and zero in on what you are trying to improve. No distractions. No turning your head to breathe. No disruptions. Just smooth, fantastic technique.

Try the snorkel drills above the next time you are at the pool, refine your technique and feel for the water, and reap the benefits of more efficient (and faster!) swimming.

More Swim Snorkel Guides

9 Benefits of Training with a Swimmers Snorkel. The swim snorkel has become part-and-parcel of every competitive swimmer’s gear bag. Here are a bunch of reasons why you should use it in practice today to swim faster.

FINIS Swimmers Snorkel Review – The Original and Still the Best. Looking to add the FINIS Swimmers Snorkel to your training stack but aren’t sure? Here’s how it performs in the water and compares to other swim snorkels.

The post 5 Drills to Do with a Swim Snorkel appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Looking to add some flavor to your kick sets and workouts? Here are some kickboard drills swimmers can use for faster swimming.

The standard kickboard is a simple tool that isolates the kicking motion and legs so that swimmers can focus on building a stronger kick. Made of EVA foam, the shape and function of the kickboard are straightforward.

Get better at kicking. Simple.

But there are plenty of ways you can get creative with kickboards outside of kicking up and down the length of the pool with one.

In this collection of kickboard drills, we will look at some ways to power up your kick and even improve kicking technique.

Let’s get to kicking.

Kickboard Drills for Swimmers

Drills swimmers can do on a kickboard for faster kicking and swimming include:

• Tombstone kicking
• One-Leg Kicking
• Kickboard extension on back

Next, we’ll take a closer look at each and offer some sample sets and swim workouts to get you started.

Tombstone Kicking

Tombstone kicking is a power development kick drill swimmers can do with their kickboard. Swimmers push off, flip the kickboard so that the top is facing the other end of the pool, generating tons of drag.

Tombstone kicking is a form of resisted swimming, forcing athletes to overcome the increased frontal drag with more thrust. It’s an alternative to other resistance training tools like drag chutes and resistance tubing for increasing drag and power.

Tombstone kicking is best used as an activation drill early in the workout to “wake up” all the muscle fibers in the legs responsible for kicking or as a standalone power development set.

Another option is to pair with regular kicking to create a post-activation potentiation boost.

Workout A:

• 600 swim/kick by 100
• 6×25 tombstone kick with fins
• 15 rounds: [100 swim cruise + 2×25 tombstone kick all out]
• 200 easy

Workout B:

• 600 swim/kick/drill by 200
• 6×50 alternating swim/kick, kick/swim by 25. Build the kick 25s to fast
• 6×100 freestyle swim/kick by 50 – desc 1-3 (x2)
• 6×50 freestyle kick as 25 tombstone kick fast, 25 kick fast
• 4×100 freestyle swim/kick by 50 – desc 1-4
• 4×50 freestyle kick as 25 tombstone kick fast, 25 kick fast
• 2×100 freestyle swim/kick by 50 – desc 1-2
• 2×50 freestyle kick as 25 tombstone kick fast, 25 kick fast
• 200 easy

One Leg Kicking

One leg kicking is a kickboard drill swimmers can use to learn better body control and improve the upkick phase in the flutter and dolphin kicks.

On your kickboard, keep one leg extended and still while using the other leg for propulsion. The challenge is to maintain consistent speeds by utilizing both phases of the kick equally.

One-leg kicking is also a great core and stability drill as the unilateral aspect will force you to work overtime to

 keep the body stable and keep you swimming (kicking) straight in the pool. All round good times!

Workout A:

• 600 swim choice
• 600 kick with fins (alternating 50 single leg, 50 regular)
• 6×100 freestyle as 50 swim cruise, 50 kick (25 left leg, 25 right leg)
• 6×50 kick desc 1-3 (x2)
• 12×50 freestyle alternating 50 swim cruise, 50 kick (25 left leg, 25 right leg)
• 12×25 kick desc 1-3 (x4)
• 200 choice warm down

Arms Extended with Kickboard Backstroke Kick

The backstroke kick, the inverted brother-from-another of freestyle kick, helps power fast backstroke swimming. Swimmers can use a kickboard to improve backstroke kick power and technique by kicking with the board extended above them.

The biggest speed impediment to a fast backstroke kick is excessive knee bend. When swimmers “pogo stick” the kick with an excessive knee bend, they hit the brakes on propulsion. The thighs create more wave drag and the ankles are cranked at wider angles to try and generate thrust.

Arms extended with a board backstroke kick increases the vertical forces (similar to vertical kicking forces swimmers to kick hard and fast to keep the head above water) and push swimmers to kick using a tight amplitude in order to maintain body position.

Swimmers can adjust difficulty with this kickboard drill by the amount of arm extension. Beginners can hold the kickboard several inches away from the chest. More experienced swimmers should see how well they can kick with the kickboard fully extended.

Using a set of swim fins is also a great option for swimmers getting started with this kickboard drill. Fins increase the power development aspect, too.

Workout A:

• 600 choice swim/kick by 100
• 8×50 backstroke as 25 swim, 25 kick build
• 4×100 swim as 50 freestyle smooth, 50 backstroke fast
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended – 85% effort
• 4×100 swim as 50 freestyle smooth, 50 backstroke fast
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended – 90% effort
• 4×100 swim as 50 freestyle smooth, 50 backstroke fast
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended – 95% effort
• 100 easy
• 8×25 backstroke kick all out on 60s
• 200 easy

Workout B:

• 600 swim/kick by 100 with swim fins
• 6×75 backstroke as 25 swim cruise, 25 drill choice, 25 kick fast
• 3×100 backstroke pull, desc 1-3
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended with fins – 100% effort – Use interval that gives you 60-90s rest
• 3×100 backstroke swim, desc 1-3
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended with fins – 100% effort – Use interval that gives you 60-90s rest
• 3×100 backstroke kick, desc 1-3
• 6×25 backstroke kick with kickboard arms extended with fins – 100% effort – Use interval that gives you 60-90s rest
• 300 easy

How often should swimmers train the kick?

The benefits of training the kick extend far beyond how fast you can kick with a kickboard. The legs control hip rotation, promote more efficient body position, and keep your technique together when fatigue shows up at your doorstep, whether it’s in the twilight meters of a race or during a particularly challenging main set.

The more you train the kick, the more they will be there for you in your swimming.

The truth is that every time you are taking a stroke in the water, you are training the kick in some degree. Dedicated training sets that incorporate kickboard drills are an excellent way to further bolster your kick prowess.

What are the best kickboards for swimmers?

The best kickboards for swimmers are the Speedo Team Kickboard and the FINIS Alignment Board.

The Speedo Team Kickboard is your standard high-density foam board that provides buoyancy and comfort during those long kick sets. Speedo offers it in a range of colors and the foam construction will last forever.

Speedo Team Kickboard

$22.50

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02/28/2025 06:30 am GMT

The FINIS Alignment Board, which I reviewed exhaustively here, is a specialty kickboard that swimmers can use in a wide range of ways to improve body position and swim-specific kick conditioning.

One of the drawbacks of kickboards is that the hips are in a fixed position, reducing transfer to regular swimming. The FINIS Alignment Board offers swimmers different position choices that more accurately reflect hip position when swimming.

FINIS Alignment Swim Training Kickboard

$30.00

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/28/2025 05:16 am GMT

The post 3 Kickboard Drills and Sets for Spicing Up Your Swim Workouts appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Swim fins are one of swimmers’ weapons for faster swimming. Here’s how to use them smartly for improving technique, power, and speed.

Swim fins increase the surface area of swimmers’ feet, displacing more water, creating larger vortices, significantly increasing velocities when kicking and swimming.

Fins are a popular tool for swimmers for a few reasons, including increased velocities above and below the surface of the water and reduced exertion (cough-it’s easier than regular swimming).

Swim fins come in a range of sizes and shapes (short blade fins are the superior option for swimmers), but where swimmers and coaches often get hung up is how to use fins for improving swim performance.

Because they make swimming feel easier, training fins can easily become a crutch. They can also change stroke and kick kinematics, so overuse can actually change technique for the worse.

In this guide, we will look at some high-performance tips for how to use swim fins for better swim workouts and training. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how fins can be used strategically for helping you swim faster fin-free.

Let’s jump in.

How to Use Swim Fins

The ways that swimmers and coaches can use swim fins to improve swim workouts include:

• Use swim fins during warm-up
• Work the upkick
• Increase distance per stroke
• Work the dolphin kick
• Increase ankle range of motion
• Reduce excess knee bend
• Speed and power training
• Choose the right fins

Next, we will look at each tip and include some practical suggestions for maximizing improvement in the water.

Use swim fins during warm up

Let’s start at the start of the swim workout: warming up!

Generally speaking, the least pleasant part of the session. Cold water, cold muscles, and the impending doom of a tough main set dominates your thoughts.

Using swim fins during the warm-up has become a staple in my own training and the swimmers I work with for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it reduces excess strain on the shoulders.

Swimmers do enough overhead rotations in each workout; warm-up should not include “hard” arm strokes anymore than necessary beyond the shoulder joints being warm for the main set.

Fins also get swimmers into a mindset of longer walls and better body position. The added surface area on the fins gives swimmers more of a “pop” on the downkick, keeping them horizontal along the surface of the water. And even though fins make swimming feel easier, they do activate the muscle groups in the legs better than regular swimming.

By using fins during warm-up, swimmers can reduce overloading the shoulders, easing the shoulder joints into the workout, start swimmers off with excellent body positioning, and also get the leg muscles churning sooner.

Use fins to work the upkick

Using swim fins is an excellent way to improve your upkick. The upkick is by far the most overlooked part of the kick and is linked to significantly faster kicking.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Sports Biomechanics titled “Comparison of foot pressure distribution and foot kinematics in undulatory underwater swimming between performance levels” showed that the fast kickers demonstrated much faster upkick velocity compared to the slower kickers.

Atkinson et al., (2014), in analyzing the underwater dolphin kick of a group of national-level swimmers, found that the elite kickers had faster toe speed during the upkick phase.

The added surface area of fins gives swimmers a better opportunity to feel and work the upkick, building a more balanced kicking motion.

Increase distance per stroke

Swim fins significantly increase distance per stroke.

One study with a group 11 experienced male swimmers had them swim 50’s freestyle fast with paddles, fins, and without equipment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, when the swimmers rocked their swim fins, distance per stroke skyrocketed, increasing to 2.46m from 2.02m.

Distance per stroke is important as it demonstrates efficiency of movement, power in propulsion, and reduced drag. Fins promote more efficient swimming, giving you a model for what it looks and feels like to swim with enhanced DPS.

When using fins, take note of:

• How your body naturally elongates with the increased propulsion from the legs.
• Gliding without pausing. Swimmers should avoid over-extending the glide (which changes technique and kinematics) and make each stroke and pull purposeful.

One of the perks of swim gear like fins is that it provides a mental and physical model of how our body can move more efficiently through the water. So take notes and apply to your regular swimming.

Work that dolphin kick!

Elite and non-elite swimmers know the importance of a fast underwater dolphin kick. Fins are one of the weapons of choice for improving dolphin kick technique and power.

• Work undulation. Similar to how fins can help improve the upkick, they can also promote better undulation. Start from the trunk and send a rolling and rollicking whirlpool down the hips, knees, ankles, and off the tips of your fins.

• Reduce knee bend. Fins tend to reduce kick amplitude (how far vertically the toes move in the water when kicking). This is often because fins tend to reduce excess knee bend. Fins can be a corrective tool for swimmers who “pogo stick” their kicking motion and bend their knees too much in the process.

Using fins are an excellent tool for a better dolphin kick as the increased surface area on the blades increases sensory awareness of each phase and movement, from undulation to knee bend to toe speed.

Reduce excess knee bend

Swim fins are an excellent tool for reinforcing a hip-driven kick that reduces excess knee bend.

Too much knee bend when kicking causes velocity to crater.

A study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living titled “Ankle joint flexibility affects undulatory swimming speed” tested different levels of ankle restriction on kicking speeds with ten well-trained swimmers. As ankle range of motion decreased, swimmers compensated by bending their knees. Which led to a ton of increased drag and slower kicking.

When using swim fins, swimmers use a slightly slimmer kick amplitude (~10% less according to Zamparo et al., 2002) and kicking from the hips and reducing speed-crushing excessive knee bend.

Again, fins “teach” the body what it takes to move more efficiently in the water, and using an optimal kick amplitude that also reduces excess knee bend is a lesson to learn from your swim fins.

Speed and power training

Where swim fins are the most fun is when using them for speed and power work. After all, who doesn’t LOVE hauling chlorinated a** across the pool while wearing fins?

Because kicking and swimming with fins significantly increase propulsion, swimmers have the opportunity to train at higher intensities and fire more fast-twitch muscles.

A study examined the different speeds and kinematics of all-out swimming with fins, paddles, and without equipment. Fins easily led the pack (2.1m/s), followed by paddles (1.86m/s), and equipment-free swimming at the back of the lane (1.71m/s).

Sprint-focused work with fins can include:

• Short-burst, maximal effort sprints of 15-25m with full recovery.
• Resisted swimming; pairing fins and a drag chute or resistance tubing increases power output further.
• Explosive dolphin kick; build power in your UDK with all-out underwaters and explosive breakouts.

For the sprint-focused swimmer, using swim fins is a bit of a no-brainer as you’ll power up kick and swim speeds.

Choose the right set of fins for the job

Not all fins are created equal. Swimmers have the choice between short and long blade fins. Rubber and silicone construction. Different levels of stiffness and flex. Edged rails, drainage chutes, different heel designs. For swimmers and swim parents, choosing the right swim fins can quickly get overwhelming.

Youth and beginner swimmers should start out with floating mid-length fins. These are more lightweight than short blade fins (I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but rubber is lighter and less dense than silicone) and much cheaper.

The increased surface area on the blade helps swimmers stay at the surface via a more powerful downkick and learn hydrodynamic body positioning.

The larger blade also promotes more sensory awareness on the upkick phase, where swimmers tend to lose a lot of momentum and treat as a recovery phase instead of using it for propulsion.

The FINIS Floating Fins and the Sporti Floating Fins are two excellent choices for swimmers looking for a mid to long blade training fin.

Sporti Essential Floating Swim Fins

Our rating:

4.7

Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

More experienced competitive swimmers should opt for silicone-made short blade fins. These are extremely comfortable, long-lasting (silicone doesn’t crack from extended chlorine exposure and very rarely tears), and the short blade better mimics kicking tempo.

This leads to better transfer when training with fins to kicking without them.

The best “elite” fins are the DMC Elite Max fins. They are made with a silicone derivative called silform that is softer and more “flexy” compared to regular silicone.

Makes for an excellent and highly swim-specific movement pattern when kicking fast with them on. DMC Elite Max fins are expensive, but they are now about the same price as the Arena Powerfin Pro II’s, which formerly had the edge due to a significantly reduced price point.

DMC Elite Max Swim Fins

5.0

$89.00

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ SwimOutlet

02/27/2025 07:40 am GMT

The Bottom Line

Swim fins are one of the most common types of swim gear at the end of the lane. They are also frequently misused or used as a crutch.

Using the tips and intel above, you can strategically use your swim fins to target areas of improvement, whether it’s powering up a deadly dolphin kick, learning better distance per stroke, protecting your shoulders for overuse, or to learn better kick technique.

Happy swimming (and kicking)!

More Guides Like This

5 Swim Workouts and Sets with Fins. Looking for some ideas for sets and workouts to do with fins? Here are some of my favorites that work a broad range of skills and energy systems.

The post 8 Tips for How to Use Swim Fins for Faster Swimming appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

In the market for a new swim bag? The Speedo Teamster 2.0 carries on the tradition of the original along with some snazzy new features in this review.

Swimmers and soggy swim bags go together like paddles and fins.

The ubiquitous swim bag, filled to the brim with goggles, caps, towels, heat sheets, snacks, earplugs, and the hopes and dreams of our season, is attached to our hip or back during the early mornings and long weekends at swim meets.

For countless swimmers and swammers, the Speedo Teamster bag has been their swim bag of choice. Look at the bleachers of any swim meet 3-4 years ago, and the Teamster 1.0 was everywhere. Different colors, different club logos, but the same bag.

After years atop the leaderboard as the best swim bag in the bleachers and on the pool deck, the Speedo Teamster gets a much-anticipated update.

In this review of the Speedo Teamster 2.0 Swim Bag, I’ll share my experience using this bag over the past eight months.

It’s seen some stuff; plenty of trips to the pool, many twisting flights down the hallway towards the laundry room, and several overnight stays during the winter in the back of my truck with a full load of wet swimwear and towels.

Here’s how it fared and what I liked and didn’t about the Speedo Teamster 2.0.

The Speedo Teamster 2.0 Swim Bag Review

Here’s a quick look at the Teamster 2.0:

• Bag volume: 35L
• 25+ colors and color combinations
• Padded straps
• Waterproofed bottom
• Large water bottle pocket on exterior
• Front mesh pocket for goggles and caps
• Two smaller pockets on the upper sides for valuables
• Compartment in the main opening to separate dry and wet gear
• Price: $85

The Pros

Sleek new design.

First impression of the Speedo Teamster 2.0 is how much cleaner and sleeker the bag looks compared to the Teamster 1.0.

Whereas the Teamster 1.0 could be a bit pear-shaped, and sagged further as the chlorinated years went on, the Teamster 2.0 has a firmer and sleeker design.

Same volume as the O.G.

At first glance, it looks like you lose some volume with the Speedo Teamster 2.0 compared to the original, but that’s not the case, both bags have 35L of space.

On several occasions I found myself surprised by how much gear I could stuff into the bag. (Though, as we will see later, the Teamster 2.0 isn’t as big as some other swim bags on deck.)

Self-standing spine.

The Teamster 2.0 has a stiffer spine which allows it to self-stand. Perfect for parking it on the pool deck, opening the top, and bending over and sorting through three towels, six sets of goggles and their respective goggle straps, to find that tiny earplug case wedged between a paddle and semi-melted latex swim cap.

The self-standing base allows swimmers to fish through the bag without having to hold up the sides.

A small convenience that is paid over hundreds, if not thousands of times over the course of the season.

Easily separate swim gear.

Separating items is not an issue with the Speedo Teamster 2.0. There are several small to medium sized pockets along the sides of the bag (and a mesh pocket that can hold a larger water bottle), and a sizable front pocket with mesh drainage for wet goggles and caps.

Wet towels and swimsuits can be separated in the main compartment with a divider. You can also use the rear mini-compartment to slide a laptop or tablet into and store that wet swimwear in the front mesh pocket.

Comfortable on the shoulders.

Swim bags get a lot of mileage, from walking in and out of pools to long travel meets to standing outside the aquatic facility patiently waiting for the lifeguard to show up and let you in at 4:43am on a brisk January morning.

The Speedo Teamster 2.0 bag has padded shoulder straps and a cross-body snap to further relieve the weight of sopping swim gear.

Tons of color options and prints

As with the original, the Speedo Teamster 2.0 comes in just about every color and print imaginable.

Teams will obviously opt for custom branding, but for the solo swimmer, there is a huge variety of colorways and vibrant prints to choose from.

The Cons

Not as big as other swim bags.

My only gripe with the Speedo Teamster 2.0 is that it isn’t a little bit bigger. I’m a larger fella, which means that my swim gear (paddles, fins, etcetera) are on the XX-husky side, filling a large garbage bag.

My Speedo Teamster 2.0 is the main swim bag. Goggles, earplugs, keys, smartphone, towel, flippy flops. The rest of the big and clunky swim gear, paddles, fins, kickboard, gets stored in the side-piece, a large 45L mesh bag.

Swimmers with lots of gear will want to either pair the Teamster with a mesh bag or opt for bags with 45L volume (e.g. Arena Team Backpack 45L or TYR Alliance Team Backpack 45L).

Speedo Teamster 2.0 vs The World

Here is a comparison of how the Teamster 2.0 performs against other swim bags in its volume class, as well as a couple of the larger bags.

*Prices accurate at the time of publishing.

The Bottom Line

Speedo has a rich tradition in our beloved sport. The Teamster bag is part and parcel of the memories I have around pool decks in the 2000s up to the 2020s. I’m glad to see the Teamster 2.0 continuing the legendary quality and commitment to helping swimmers lug all their wet, sopping gear home after practice and swim meets.

The bag is built for swimmers through and through, with tons of pockets, wet/dry storage, and ventilated pockets to help the process of drying our swim gear.

If you’re in the market for a new swim backpack, the Speedo Teamster 2.0 is an excellent investment that balances durability, convenience, storage, and swimmer-friendly features.

Speedo Unisex Large Teamster 2.0 Swim Backpack

$61.50

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/27/2025 04:51 am GMT

The post Speedo Teamster 2.0 Swim Bag Review – An Update on a Legend appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Struggling to coordinate a fast kick with your stroke? Here’s a swim workout designed to improve the connection between the arms and legs in freestyle.

Swimming fast freestyle and mastering the coordination between the kick and pull can sometimes feel like you are trying to cook a pizza while riding a bicycle.

You can do both things well when done individually, but mash them together, and things get outta control.

When kick intensity when swimming goes up, the hips start to wiggle, the ankles crisscross and slam into each other, and your fast kick (on a kickboard, at least) doesn’t feel like a factor in overall propulsion.

That’s why it’s important to train the legs and kick with an eye towards implanting the fitness and technique of a fast kick into your stroke.

Nothing more frustrating than having a thunderous rooster tail of white water when kicking on the kickboard but a sputtering outboard when it comes to kicking while swimming.

The swim workout below aims to address this coordination and connection issue, pairing high intensity kicking with swimming to close the gap between being a fast kicker and being a fast swimmer with a fast kick.

Let’s dive in.

The Kick-Pull Connection Speed Set

The swim workout has got a little bit of everything, including aerobic conditioning and some speed work towards the end.

Things you’ll need:

• Kickboard
• Swim fins
• A can-do attitude

Warm-Up

• 800 swim/kick by 100 with fins
• 6×25 kick desc 1-3 (two rounds through)
• 100 easy swim to reset

Main Set

• 8×100 freestyle as 50 kick fast, 50 swim cruise – 25s rest between reps
• 8×50 freestyle as 15m free kick fast in a streamline + 35m swim maintaining kick intensity – 30s rest between reps
• 8×25 freestyle as 15m kick as in a streamline + 10m swim fast – 30s rest between reps

Warm-Down

• 8×50 choice warm-down

Set notes:

• The workout has lots of kick, as you can guess, and as such, your lower limbs will get a heck of a workout. Jumping rope and other ankle-strengthening exercises are a great option for shoring up the calves and feet.
• Through the whole main set, aim to kick with the same intensity when kicking as when swimming. Yes, this is hard, but the result is absolutely worth it in terms of building a swimming technique that has a certified Mercury outboard on the back of the stroke.
• More experienced swimmers can increase the number of reps for more total yardage (e.g. 12×100 instead of 8×100, 12×50 instead of 8×50… etcetera) or do two rounds of the main set.

The Bottom Line

Swim practice is where we go to develop and improve specific skills and components of fast swimming. It’s where we go to build a stronger pull, faster kick, more vertical forearm, and crisper body roll.

But as important as those things are separately, they need to be melted into your regular swimming for maximum adaptation and improvement.

When you go to the pool, don’t just kick to be a stronger kicker, kick to kick more strongly within your regular swimming.

More Swim Workouts Like This

How Training with a Six-Beat Kick Will Improve Your Freestyle. Holding a six-beat kick when swimming freestyle is the Final Boss of an elite freestyle. Here’s what happens when you develop the six-beat kick.

Try This Swim Workout for a Silky-Smooth Freestyle. Ready to build a smoother freestyle? Here’s a workout that will help you swim smoother than ever.

The post A Swim Workout for Improving Kick-Pull Connection in Freestyle appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Looking for some ideas for training with paddles? Here are three swim workouts with paddles for faster, more efficient swimming.

Swim paddles are one of my favorite tools for building a stronger, more efficient pull. And by extension, faster swimming.

But swimmers don’t always use paddles in the most effective way, leaning towards “brute force Guerilla paddling” sets of unyielding yardage, stacking shoulder stress on shoulder strain.

And paddle use, while undoubtedly fun, significantly changes your stroke, which means swimmers and coaches should be more performance-focused when programming paddle-based sets.

Below are three swim workouts swimmers can do that is centered around using paddles. Feel free to adjust the workouts and main sets to your current ability.

Let’s dive in.

Swim Sets with Paddles

The sets include:

• The Distance Per Stroke Challenge
• The Hand Accelerator
• Need for Power

Each set has distances and instructions, but I will leave the intervals up to you. (Except for the power set, which functions on the basis of specific intervals that target the phosphagen system.)

The Distance Per Stroke Challenge

One of the things that paddles do when swimming is increase your distance per stroke.

A study (Lopez-Plaza, 2012) with international level swimmers doing 100m freestyles for time showed that stroke length increased by ~10% when they swam with paddles versus regular swimming.

So in this set, we are going to challenge ourselves to try and swim with as much distance per stroke (without slowing down) without swim paddles as we do with paddles.

Over the course of the main set, you will have lots of opportunities to see how close you can get to time + stroke count totals with paddles, as without.

Warm-Up

900 swim/kick/pull by 100 (x3)

6×50 pull with paddles desc 1-3 (x2)

Main Set

32×50 as four rounds through:

• 2×50 freestyle with pull buoy and paddles – Add time and number of strokes (e.g. 32 seconds + 35 strokes = 67)
• 2×50 freestyle with pull buoy – Add time and number of strokes and for each 50 see how close you can get your score to the example of 67.
• 2×50 freestyle swim with paddles — Add time and number of strokes (e.g. 31 seconds + 34 strokes = 65)
• 2×50 freestyle swim – Add time and number of strokes and for each 50 see how close you can your score to the example of 65

Warm Down

8×50 backstroke with fins cruise

The Hand Acceleration Set

We all know the good things that happen when we use paddles, but there are some downsides too. One of them is that paddles cause hand speed to slow down during the pull.

Makes sense: the larger surface area of the paddle creates more resistance, which requires more effort and time to move through the water.

But faster swimmers have faster hand acceleration under the water as it increases force and velocity (Gourgoulis et al., 2015). Fast swimmers don’t waste time with long, slow pulls once they get past the catch phase, and using paddles can create a pull that un-accelerates.

This set is all about working a fast hand under the body, both with and without paddles, so that you can build a more high-velocity freestyle. Pack your pull buoy, paddles, and your swimmer’s snorkel.

Warm-Up

400 swim choice + 300 kick + 200 pull + 100 build swim

8×25 freestyle pull with paddles desc 1-4 (x2)

Main Set

4×100 freestyle with pull buoy and paddles (80% effort)

8×25 freestyle – ODDS: Long dog drill, accelerate the hands through the pull, EVENS: Swim fast focusing on “fast hands” under the body

3×100 freestyle with pull buoy and paddles (85% effort)

8×25 freestyle – ODDS: Long dog drill, accelerate the hands through the pull, EVENS: Swim fast focusing on “fast hands” under the body

2×100 freestyle with pull buoy and paddles (90% effort)

8×25 freestyle – ODDS: Long dog drill, accelerate the hands through the pull, EVENS: Swim fast focusing on “fast hands” under the body

100 choice easy

50 freestyle fast, focusing on fast hand acceleration and gripping lots of water

Warm-Down

8×50 cruise with fins – ODDS: double-arm backstroke, EVENS: single-arm butterfly.

The Need for Power

This paddle swim workout is all about developing hurricane-force power in the water.  

The overall yardage is short, and this is a more advanced sprint workout based on a study (Valkoumas and Gourgoulis, 2024) and set design that showed a 3.57% increase in swimming velocity after an 11-week intervention.

The set (and another one like it) were used four times per week for the duration of the study.

Bring your swim paddles, a drag parachute, and some intensity.

Warm-Up

300 swim choice + 300 pull (build the 100s) + 300 drill choice

8×25 freestyle swim desc 1-4 to 95% effort

100 easy to reset

Main Set

3x [6x15m all-out with paddles and chute]

• Take at least 60s rest after each repetition and 5 minutes rest after each round.
• Maximum power output is the goal.
• Swim to the wall from 15m to 25m.

Warm-Down

12×50 with fins, ODDS: kick with a board, EVENS: freestyle/backstroke by 50

• Pick an interval to keep heart rate in aerobic territory (130-135 for most swimmers) as this is best for active recovery and removing lactate (Strozberg et al., 1998).

100 swim easy to relax

How often should swimmers train with paddles?

Swimming paddles, like any other kind of resistance tool, should be introduced progressively into your regular swim training.

A study published in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy titled “Prevention and Treatment of Swimmer’s Shoulder” noted that sudden increases in training yardage and excessive swim paddle use can contribute to shoulder injuries.

So start slow, build up your endurance and strength with paddles, and increase paddle use week over week.

What are the best paddles for swim training?

The best paddles for swim training comes down to your specific goals and abilities in the water.

For building general strength and power (along with some technique), power paddles such as the Speedo Power Paddles (my top pick), Sporti Power Plus Paddles, and the FINIS Manta Paddles feature large surfaces and ergonomic features to train hard in comfort.

Speedo Power Plus Swim Paddles

4.8

$23.65

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/27/2025 04:41 am GMT

More technique-focused swimmers have the option of more technical paddles such as the Arena Fingertip Paddles (designed to help you “feel” the water better) and the FINIS Bolster Paddles (which help you use a more vertical forearm in the pulling motion).

Arena Elite Fingertip Swim Paddles

4.2

$13.50

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/27/2025 04:46 am GMT

The Bottom Line

One of the best things about swim paddles is that there is a wide variety of ways that you can use it to improve swim performance.

Get better at grabbing more water? Yup. Developing more power? Heck yeah. Improving hand acceleration under the water? You know it.

The next time you grab a set of swim paddles, use the swim workouts above as inspiration, and paddle your way to faster swimming.

More Swim Workouts Like This

Pull-a-geddon: Try This Swim Workout to Develop a Stronger and More Powerful Pull. Ready to level up your pulling game in the water? Give this nasty workout that I did recently a go and send your pull to new heights.

6 Freestyle Swim Sets and Workouts. Get your freestyle on with this collection of my favorite freestyle sets and practices.

The post 3 Swim Workouts with Paddles (Improve Efficiency and Power) appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Learn how to properly use swim paddles for speed, strength and technique in the water while avoiding common paddle mistakes. Swim on!

Swim paddles are one of the most popular tools that swimmers use to go faster, get stronger, and build better and more efficient technique.

They are also a lot of fun to use. Who, after all, doesn’t like faster than their normal swimming speeds?

That said, paddles used incorrectly can lead to some bad habits in the water, increase needless stress on the shoulders, and alter stroke technique.

Whether you are new to the world of swim paddles or you’re an experienced swimmer looking for some refreshers on how to use paddles smartly, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s get to paddling.

How to Use Swim Paddles

Ways to use swim paddles better include:

• Size them properly
• Improve feel for the water
• Emphasize hand speed
• Build a longer stroke
• Introduce progressively
• Use the right paddles

Next, we’ll look at each tiperoo in more depth and offer some pro tips and recommendations for how to level up your time using swim paddles.

Size them properly

Bigger is better when it comes to doughnuts and the amount of time you drop on your personal best time. Not the case when it comes to swim paddles.

The temptation is to grab the biggest set you can find, which in theory helps you drive more power and become a much stronger swimmer. I fell prey to this misconception as a young age grouper, constantly diving into the senior group’s side of the equipment bin for the XL paddles.

Paddles are designed to cover the palm and the fingers, and that’s about it. Wearing paddles that could be better described as dinner plates, creating tons of extra surface to pull yourself through will cause significant strain to the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.

Huge paddles will also cause your stroke rate to collapse to the point that you are swimming almost a completely different stroke.

A study published in the Journal of Strength Conditioning Research (Crocker et al., 2021) looked at the effect of different paddle sizes on 26 experienced competitive swimmers, and found that megalodon-sized paddles did not improve efficiency compared to smaller swim paddles.

In other words, there were no meaningful improvements in distance per stroke and stroke rate with huge paddles and more downside with increased strain on the shoulders.

Select a swim paddle that is slightly larger than the side of your hand.

Improve feel for the water

Swimmers have a lot of competition in the pool—the swimmer in the next lane, leaky swim goggles, pretending not to see coach walking along the deck trying to tell you to speed up—and probably the hardest to wrangle is mastering the feel for the water.

That mythical ability to grasp, manipulate, and move the water for increased propulsion can feel maddening. Swim paddles are an excellent tool to use here, particularly with sculling.

Controlled figure-eight pattern sculling while on your front, while rocking a set of paddles, activating the forearms and wrist and teaching you how to manipulate water.

Grab a set of paddles, your swim snorkel of choice, and push off in a horizontal position and do tight, controlled sculls with arms overhead to improve feel for the water in the catch.

Emphasize hand speed

Swimming with and without paddles feel largely the same. That is, until you have been using your paddles like a crutch, over and over during main sets, take them off, and it feels like you are trying to swim through cooked spaghetti noodles.

The reality is that swim paddles change technique, even though it may not feel or look like it when you are cruising up and down the pool.

A study (Tsunokawa et al., 2019) with eight national-level swimmers published in the Journal of Human Movement Science demonstrated that paddles significantly slowed hand speed during the pulling movement, leading to slower stroke rates.

While this can be good for reinforcing a stronger pulling motion, it can also create bad habits and slower hand speeds if used in excess or not balanced with lots of paddle-free swimming.

Emphasize increased hand speed and proper paddle size to build swim-specific strength.

Build a longer stroke

Paddles increase how much swimmers catch and pull through the full arm stroke, sending them hurtling with less effort across the pool. Paddles also significantly increase distance per stroke.

A study with international-level swimmers (Lopez-Plaza, 2012) tested sprint performance with large and small paddles compared to regular swimming speed. The swimmers, nine elite members of Spain’s national team, completed 100m time trials.

As you can guess, stroke length increased significantly with the large paddles. But even the jump between the small paddles and the large paddles wasn’t as huge as one might expect. Another example of how going hyuuuuge with swim paddles isn’t necessary.

Here’s is their stroke length by 50m in each condition:

Paddles are an excellent way to experience what elite distance per stroke feels like.

Use paddles to learn what it takes to move at more efficient speeds.

Introduce paddles progressively

Swim paddles are a form of added load in training, and as a result, should be introduced progressively and avoided altogether when the shoulders are injured.

Swimmers perform a ton of overhead movements each time they hit the pool. A 4,000m workouts, with 30-40 strokes per 50m length, results in 2,400 to 3,200 shoulder rotations. It’s no wonder that swimmers frequently incur shoulder injuries.

One study (McMaster, 1993) with USA Swimming members found 10% of age group and 26% (!!!) of national team members were experiencing interfering shoulder pain when they were surveyed. Oof.

A paper titled “Prevention and Treatment of Swimmer’s Shoulder,” published int he North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, found that among the causes of swimmer’s shoulder, including muscle imbalances, strength training, and sudden yardage increases, is excessive paddle use.

What does this mean for you? Welp, here are some suggestions:

• Progressively introduce them. Avoid the urge to go pedal to the metal and start banging out 3,000m paddle sets on day one.

• Avoid when shoulder injured. Increased load puts the shoulders at increased risk.

• Manage paddle use during high yardage bouts of training. On weeks where you plan on going heavy on yardage, reduce—or at least don’t massively increase—the proportion of the workout completed with paddles.

Swimming with paddles is a form of resistance training. Treat it as such with progressive increases and rest when injured.

Use the right paddles for the right job

Swim paddles don’t just differ in the amount of surface area available to you to pull yourself through the water. They have a variety of different functions and features that help you improve specific parts of your swimming.

Here is a very quick overview of the three most popular types of swimming paddles. (If you want a more thorough and nerdy look at all types of swim paddles, read this guide.)

The stars of the mesh bag include:

Power Paddles. Power paddles are the paddles swimmers are most familiar with. They are designed to help us catch and push more water than our hands ever could. Most paddles are of this variety and it’s the one swimmers will use most in daily swim workouts. The Speedo Power Plus are the best on the market of this type, following by the Sporti Plus Paddles and FINIS Manta Paddles (a strapless power paddle).

Speedo Power Plus Swim Paddles

4.8

$23.65

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/26/2025 04:10 am GMT

Fingertip paddles. Fingertips paddles are small, mini paddles that provide added surface area from the finger tip to the edge of the palm. The goal with fingertip paddles is to promote better feel for the water.

Arena Elite Fingertip Swim Paddles

4.2

$13.50

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ Swim Outlet

02/26/2025 04:11 am GMT

Forearm paddles. Another specialty paddle is the forearm paddle, built to help swimmers sink into an early vertical forearm catch and get more action from the pull phase of the stroke (the “pull phase” is technically from when the catch begins to when the arm is vertical with the shoulder).

FINIS Bolster Paddles

$35.00

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ SwimOutlet

02/27/2025 01:44 am GMT

Each paddle serves a different purpose, so beyond sizing the surface area properly, make sure to also choose a swim paddle that matches your goals in the pool.

The Bottom Line

Swim paddles are one of those types of swim gear that looks absurdly simple in function and performance. And that’s true.

But as we gain a deeper and deeper understanding of what it takes to swim efficiently and powerfully through the water, so too does our knowledge of how paddles impact our swimming, for better or for worse.

With these tips in hand, and your swim paddles, hit the pool armed with the knowledge to train smarter and faster.

Happy swimming!

The post 6 Tips for How to Use Swim Paddles Like a Champ appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.

Looking to add the FINIS Swimmers Snorkel to your training stack but aren’t sure? Here’s how it performs in the water and compares to other swim snorkels.

The FINIS Swimmers Snorkel is the one that started all. Launched back in 1995, it was the first front-mounted snorkel designed for competitive swimmers.

The goal?

To allow swimmers the ability to focus exclusively on technique and body position without worrying about turning the head to breathe.

Thirty years later, the FINIS Swimmers Snorkel still leads the pack when it comes to snorkel performance.

Although the competition has stiffened significantly since then—particularly from its sister product, the FINIS Stability Snorkel—the FINIS Swimmers Snorkel is still the best overall snorkel for most swimmers.

Here’s why.

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel – The Pros

Having used the FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel a LOT over the years—it was my first snorkel back in 2016—I’ve logged a lot of miles wearing one.

Especially during my distance phase in 2019 when I was regularly logging 70k weeks at the pool.

The FINIS Swimmers Snorkel was a key part of all of that swimming as I used it to reduce neck and shoulder strain and build better stroke rhythm.

The things I liked most about the snorkel then still apply to what I like about it now:

Stays in place

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel was developed by high-level swimmers (Pablo Morales, Olympic gold medalist butterflyer, helped design it and is a co-founder of FINIS) and you feel this experience when swimming with it on.

When pushing off, or sprinting with fins and paddles on, or doing a flip turn, or working on undulation under the water, the snorkel feels secure and stays in place.

Nothing will snap you out of a training trance faster than a snorkel that twists, leaks, or otherwise needs to be adjusted mid-lap.

The snorkel is best in class simply because it works at the one job it needs to do—not leak and stay in place—so that I can focus on technique and swim performance.

Front-mounted design  

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel, like other snorkels designed for competitive (and recreational) swim use features a front-mounted snorkel use.

Why is this important?

Because as you speed up in the water, and fight the forces of frontal drag and increased flow, you are going to need a snorkel that is hydrodynamic and presents a minimal surface to “catch” the water.

The front-mounted design also means you can successfully complete arm strokes without smacking the tube with the hands and arms.

Comfortable for extended use

Competitive swimmers use their swim snorkels a lot. Whether it’s for doing drills, kick without a board, or simply reducing neck/trapezius tension, snorkels are an essential part of swim kit.

Which means that they need to be comfortable for extended wear. The head bracket on the FINIS O.G. Snorkel is made with a soft plastic that sinks in properly against the forehead (line up the head bracket just over the eyebrows for a secure and comfy fit). Perfect for those long sets at the pool.

Clears water easily

Swimmers new to swimming snorkels tend to be antsy and apprehensive about swallowing or choking on pool water that finds its way into the tube of snorkels. Fair!

One way to clear water is using a forceful exhale (side bonus: this is a great lung workout) and the other is a purge valve that clears water for easier breathing.

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel has a purge valve at the bottom of the tube to keep water out so that you can focus on swimming fast and well instead of, you know, gagging on chlorinated pool water.

Junior size

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel is also available in a junior size for younger age group swimmers just getting into the sport and being introduced to swim gear like snorkels.

The great thing is that the benefits of swim snorkels apply equally to developing youth swimmers (unlike swim paddles, there is no increased joint and tendon stress with snorkel use).

The Junior Original Swimmers Snorkel has a shorter tube, narrower head bracket and smaller mouthpiece to accommodate smaller faces.

I always recommend this specific snorkel to family members, including nieces and nephews, and youth swimmers who ask me for snorkel advice when starting out with one.

FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel – The Cons

Although the original, and in many ways the best, there are two main things that could use some improvement.

Busy head bracket.

The FINIS Original has a lot going on with the head bracket. Two buckles for strap adjustment and a bracket that covers the full horizontal distance of the forehead.

Compared to the fairly minimalistic design of the Speedo Bullet Head and the unfortunately-now-discontinued MP Michael Phelps Focus Snorkel, the head bracket has a lot of moving parts, which can lead to breaks.

My first FINIS Swimmers Snorkel broke at the head bracket, with the strap snap breaking off after a couple of years of use.

Air restriction caps sold separately.

One of the ways that swimmers use snorkels is as a way to build respiratory strength by restricting the amount of air flow coming in and out of the tube. (I prefer breathing patterns, but hey, whatever floats your boat.)

FINIS does offer restriction caps for the top of the tube, but sold separately.

Swimmers who want the caps bundled with the snorkel may want to consider the TYR Ultralite 2.0 Snorkel, which is a simple and lightweight snorkel that comes with two caps for tinkering with air flow.

FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel vs FINIS Stability Snorkel

I glowingly reviewed the FINIS Stability Snorkel when it was first launched. Both snorkels are awesome for a majority of swimmers, and the original is better for general audiences.

But for the swimmer who wants the best of the best, the FINIS Stability Snorkel is superior.

Here’s why:

• Increased tube bend. The Stability Snorkel has a more bendy tube that wraps around the top of the head.

• Twistable mouthpiece. The mouthpiece on the Stability Snorkel can be twisted so that swimmers can chat or gulp down more air between repetitions and sets.

• Dual head straps. The FINIS Original uses a wide and thick head strap to keep the tube in place, while the Stability Snorkel uses dual straps (similar to a set of swim goggles) to give swimmers more flexibility in strap placement.

• Simplified head bracket. The Stability snorkel also uses a simpler head bracket design that vertically braces the forehead, creating a slimmer profile. Also leads to less contact between the snorkel and forehead, which can reduce head soreness after extended use.

• More expensive. The FINIS Stability Snorkel is about $10 more expensive than the O.G., depending on where you like to purchase your swim gear.

The FINIS Swimmers Snorkel is ideal for swimmers just getting started with snorkels, while the Stability Snorkel is more of a high-performance snorkel.

The Bottom Line

The FINIS Original Swimmers Snorkel is the best overall snorkel for most swimmers, and I don’t just say that out of a sense of nostalgia (okay, well, maybe a little bit…).

It’s the perfect option for swimmers new to snorkel use, experienced swimmers who like the fit of a wider head bracket and fast-clearing purge valve, and swimmers and swim parents who appreciate the flexibility of junior sizes and different color options.

Get yourself one, use it to target the things you want to improve in the pool, and happy swimming!

FINIS Original Center-Mount Swimmer's Snorkel

4.8

$32.98

Shop Now @ Amazon Shop Now @ SwimOutlet

02/25/2025 10:27 pm GMT

More Swim Snorkel Guides

9 Benefits of Training with a Swim Snorkel. The swim snorkel has become part-and-parcel of every competitive swimmer’s gear bag. Here are a bunch of reasons why you should use it in practice today to swim faster.

The post FINIS Swimmers Snorkel Review – The Original and Still the Best appeared first on YourSwimLog.com.