Swimmers, are you in it to win it, or do you just keep swimming?

Do you want to improve your skills in the water, or just maintain your current level?

There's a way to take your training in the water up a notch if you want more power, speed, and an overall more efficient workout: slip on some fins!

Contrary to popular belief, fins aren't just for looks (we're half-joking about this ;). Adding fins to your swimming provides several benefits related to technique and efficiency in the water.

1. Fins improve kick technique and power
   
   A proper flutter kick technique is tight and narrow, not any bigger than the width of your waist. The strongest kick is short and fast, initiating from the hip joint and undulating downward, finishing with a flick of the foot. Your legs should be mostly straight with the power coming from your hips. Adding fins to your flutter kick can help extend the power that travels from the hip to the foot while also strengthening all of the lower body muscles used.

2. Fins can increase ankle flexibility

Swimmers develop a lot of flexibility in their ankle joints. This is due to having to constantly work against the pressure of the water from repetitive flutter kicking over time. Wearing fins increases this pressure due to the increased surface area that you use to move the water, resulting in a plantar stretch of the ankle joint. Over time, kicking with fins will increase your ankle flexibility and increase your range of motion while kicking, which ultimately leads to a faster kick.

3. Fins "shoulder" some of the load placed on the upper body

Because of increased use of the lower body muscles to kick, fins can help reduce some of the load on your shoulders while swimming. This is important because shoulder injuries, specifically rotator cuff tears, are common in swimmers due to underuse of the supporting upper back muscles and overuse of the anterior shoulder muscles. Poor technique can also play a role. Incorporating fins into your sets can help your shoulders rest and give your upper body some recovery time.

4. Fins give you a more efficient workout

Wearing fins while you kick and swim recruits more leg muscles and forces you to work these muscles harder. The increased surface area of the fin compared to just your foot makes you have to kick with more force from the hips and legs, so you feel more of a burn! It's like turning up the resistance even more on the resistance that the water already provides. Increased resistance leads to increased effort, thereby making you work harder and giving you a more efficient workout in the same amount of time. 

5. Improved stroke technique

The added propulsion and stability of fins allow you to focus on specific components of the stroke that you’re working on. Since fins can help you move more quickly in the water, completing drills with fins allows you to have a more realistic feeling of speed while isolating one part of the stroke to focus on.

Which fins are right for you?

A fin that is thinner and more flexible can be best for beginners as it requires less strength and effort to kick in them. A longer fin that is very thick and more rigid is the most challenging fin to kick with, but it can offer the most work for your legs and gives you the most speed.