From: pol30546@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peder Larsen)
Subject: Re: Paddles, Pull-bouys, Fins and Gloves
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 05:29:30 GMT

fog@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Larry Fogelquist) writes:

I don't know what the original post was even though I tried to find
it.  Whoever you were though, don't listen to a word that Larry has
said.  I found most of his comments very amusing and I'll say a little
bit about a few of his paragraphs.  I've done all this because I read
the "open letter" and the response to that and I thought other people
might want to re-read Larry's comments.


>My opinion of most of these toys is that they don't do you any good at all...

First of all, I got a kick out of him calling these pieces of training
equipment, toys.  More accurately I think they could be called torture
devices, if used properly.  If someone was considering them toys, I
wouldn't think that they were being used correctly.

>Fins are useless!  They only make you miserable when you take them off and    
>are reminded of how much work it is to go slower without them.  The only
>thing that I use them for is working on my belly muscles for butterfly.  I 
>also used them as a training aid when I was learning butterfly but I don't   
>think they helped much.  Another thing that I'm toying with is using them
>to make me go faster through the water so then I can practice pulling 
>against water that is moving fast.  I don't know about that one yet.

WHAT?  USELESS?  I used fins a lot in my training and I kicked so hard
that my leg muscles would be burning.  I consequently developed an
excelent kick, which is imperative in any race under 200 yards.

When I took them off I still felt like I was speeding through the water.
My best events were the 100 and 200 flys but I really didn't use fins 
for technique or for "belly muscle" strengthening.  I did hundreds of
situps a day and weight work for that.

Fins will help you develop both a strong and an efficient kick.

>I'm not sure about pull bouys.  I can't really see any purpose to them. 
>My 100 time is about 5 seconds faster while wearing one.  That can't be 
>good.  Probably means that I should work on my kick.  I usually put one
>on if I'm out of shape or the workout is a little over my head.

Yes you should work on your kick or perhaps your whole stroke in general.
Were you a distance swimmer who didn't use your legs during races?  That
might explain this.  Your body position must be off without the pull bouy.

The purpose is to work only on your upper body, both in terms of strength
conditioning and technique.  Once again, if done correctly you can get
quite a workout with this "toy".  I usually tried to swim until my arm
muscles had that burning, tingling sensation and then I pushed it harder
towards the end of the set so that I would always run out of gas.

>Paddles are probably the only aid that one can actually achieve some   
>benefit by using.  However, one should never use them for more than say
>a quarter of your workout.  I don't use them at all anymore cuz I think
>that they're responsible for starting my never ending string of problems
>with my shoulder and both elbows.  Before my fall from glory however, I 
>was seeing a significant improvement in my sprint times.  They really
>helped my arm strength.

Paddles help not only strength but also technique.  It is possible to
use paddles such that if you're stroke is incorrect, they will fall
off.  To correct this problem you must swim correctly.  To do this take
the band that goes around your wrist off, leaving only one around your
finger.  This helped my butterfly stroke immensely and I think it
also allowed me to become a 200 butterflier.

They may have caused your joint problems but I think that's a risk older
swimmers take.  I developed shoulder and elbow problems in late '88
and we weren't even using paddles.  I think it was just that the years
of swimming that I had done had finally taken their toll on me.  I still
have to be careful in my training so they don't flare up again.

>Kick boards are ok.  But since kicking isn't really propulsive, they only
>help you to kick the same but use less energy i.e. you're not wearing 
>yourself out with the kick. 

Kicking isn't propulsive???  Come on!  When I was in high school I remember
being timed 25 seconds for a 50 kick.  That isn't propulsion?  When I
went on to college swimming I wasn't even the fastest kicker on the team
anymore.  Kicking IS propulsive and it IS very important for most swimmers.
(Less so for distance swimmers)  You should be working very hard with
the kick board.  It is not an opportunity to rest, gab, look around, etc.
Once again you should be going for that burning feeling in your legs if
you are supposed to be doing a hard kick set.

>If I were you, I'd get rid of the swim toys.  They're only crutches.  The 
>best ways to get faster is to actually swim in a workout lane.  Find one 
>that you can keep up with but is still a bit of a reach.  Swim with them.
>And swim hard.  People that swim to relax or get out of the pool and aren't 
>completely hammered, are not improving their speed.  

>Also there are three things that I think about when I'm swimming (besides
>wondering if I'm gonna survive the workout).  That is technique, technique
>and technique.  It sounds kinda corney but it works for me.  A friend told
>me that a long time ago.  It was good advice.

>I know that I've gotten carried away here.  But this advice comes 
>from one who has been 'hooked' on swim toys in the past.  The misery of
>putting them away after getting used to how fast and effortlessly you can
>motor with them on, is just not worth it.

They are not toys and you should feel good about using them.  They are
certainly not crutches since they help with strength and technique.
He is right that technique is very important, it is the most important
aspect of swimming.  He is also right that to improve you must work
hard in the workout and you should feel at the end like you put all 
your energy into it.  The training devices mentioned above can help
you and should be used if they are available.  My guess is that Larry
didn't use them correctly because I think he would have a different 
opinion of them if he did.

You don't always have to swim fast with these devices however.  I use 
them to warm up at the beginning of practice.  A typical start of my warmup
would be 200 SKiPs or SKiDS which is 200 of each swim, kick, pull or
drill and swim - all relatively easy, just warming up.  A training
device can isolate a certain muscle group to make sure that it is warmed
up correctly.

They can also be used together (i.e. - flippers & boards or paddles &
bouys).  This further helps you isolate the part of your body that you
are training.

That's all for now.  Larry, hope this didn't offend you too much, I 
don't mean to.  It's just that your comments were so out there that
I had to post something.  The best swimmers use these devices and I
think that shows you right there that they are useful.  After all,
if they weren't usefull we wouldn't be using them just for the
fun of it.       

Bye all,   Peder


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