By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam
Swim paddles are one of the most popular types of swim equipment in the pool.
Like fins, they increase surface area on our propelling surfaces—in this case the hands—and allow us to displace more water and swim faster.
Which means we tend to grab the biggest saucers that we can find, strap them to our hands, and start cranking out laps like they owe us money.
But the way that paddles change our swimming isn’t as simple as:
Big paddles=pace clock goes kaboom
Here’s what happens when swimmers use paddles, the right way to use them in practice to become a stronger swimmer, and a sample set to get you started.
How Swim Paddles Change Your Stroke
One of the misconceptions about swim paddles is that big paddles automatically make you a faster, stronger swimmer.
They don’t.
What paddles do really well is change how you produce speed. By being able to hold more water with the hands, the way we move through the water changes.
This includes:
Stroke length goes up – The biggest thing that paddles do is increase how much distance we cover with every stroke. Whether we use small paddles or large paddles, stroke length jumps. A study by Lopez-Plaza et al. (2012) showed that even small paddles boosted DPS by 7-8%. The pull slows down – The larger surface area on the paddles means it takes longer for the hands to work through the pull path. We are displacing more water, after all. When using large paddles, in particular, peak hand velocity slows down dramatically during the pull (Gourgoulis et al., 2006). Stroke rate decreases – Stroke tempo—how quickly you can turn the arms over to propel yourself down the black line—slides with paddles on. Lopez-Plaza et al. saw declines of 4-8% when swimmers slapped paddles on.And paddles are no guarantee that speed will meaningfully improve.
De Matos et al., (2023) tested a group of swimmers doing 50m freestyle fast with paddles and au naturel—time to cover the 50 was the same paddle or no-paddle.
Like the other studies listed above, the paddles condition showed the same stroke rate drop and stroke length increase, again showing us that paddles reorganize the way our body slices through the water.
How to Use Paddles to Build a Stronger Stroke (for Real)
Okay, well if our stroke changes a bit and there isn’t a huge boost in speed, surely there is a big force development reason to use paddles, right?
Close—the bigger benefit isn’t cranking out nuclear-levels of force—but learning how to direct that force in a way that really increases propulsion.
Here’s an example. A study (Tsunokawa et al., 2017) attached pressure sensors to swimmers’ hands to see how force was applied on the hands with and without paddles.
The total force acting on the hand was nearly identical in both conditions—56.7 N vs. 59.1 N. Swimmers weren’t magically fire-hosing more force by swimming with paddles.
But where things changed is that with paddles, a greater proportion of force in each pull was directed backward, the direction that actually propels us forward in the water.
Instead of force leaking sideways or vertically, swimmers used a more “forceful” hand pitch and position to better displace the water into forward motion.
This is good news because although paddles change a lot of other parts of our stroke, they don’t meaningfully change the pull path or hand orientation when we use them (Gourgoulis et al., 2008).
In other words, use paddles to get better at force application, not simply trying to produce more force.
A Paddle Set to Work on Better Directing Force
Here’s an example set for how you could use this knowledge to make your paddles work for you:
3-5 rounds:
50 free with paddles – build to 90% effort, focus on applying pressure on the paddle 2×50 free swim (without paddles) – 90% effort, focusing on applying pressure on the palm 50 easy backstroke to resetWrapping Things Up
Fast swimming is often not a “create more force!” challenge but more about firing the force you are already creating in the right direction.
That’s where paddles can shine. They teach swimmers how to hold more water, position the hand in the right direction, and direct force backward to create forward-shooting propulsion.
Use them to sensitize the feeling. Sense that steady pressure. And then take ‘em off and transfer that feeling into your regular stroke.
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and author of several books for swimmers, including YourSwimBook, Conquer the Pool, The Dolphin Kick Manual, and most recently, The 50 Freestyle Blueprint.
The book is a beastly 220+ pages of evidence-based insights and practical tips for improving freestyle sprint speed.
It details everything from how to master stroke rate, technique, build a thundering freestyle kick, improve your start and underwaters, and much more.
The 50 Freestyle Blueprint also includes 20 sprint sets to get you started and a bonus guide on how to master the 100 freestyle to complete your sprint preparation.
Learn more about The 50 Freestyle Blueprint here.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: The Right Way to Use Swim Paddles for a Stronger Stroke (and More Speed)
Hence then, the article about the right way to use swim paddles for a stronger stroke and more speed was published today ( ) and is available on swimswam ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Right Way to Use Swim Paddles for a Stronger Stroke (and More Speed) )
Also on site :
- DRS, July 18: Rohit Sharma retirement update, Sir Garfield Sobers no more, Virat Kohli in 2027 ODI World Cup
- London Diamond League schedule, start times and line-up including Josh Kerr’s mile world record attempt
- Argentina boss unsure about Lionel Messi’s future ahead of World Cup final: ‘He doesn’t stop surprising us’