Product Review: Finis Agility Paddles

I have recently received my set of Finis Agility Paddles from Swim Smooth in the UK and have been trialling them for several weeks; here’s the low down on the paddles, what they’re used for and why you might want to consider using them. 

You may have seen people using hand paddles in the pool before, from large dustbin lid sized paddles to small finger paddles, but what are they really for? 

There are many reasons to use hand paddles. They have traditionally been used to increase the surface area of the hand in order to increase the resistance during the swim stroke, which promotes “feeling” for the water, as well as giving the shoulders a damn hard workout!  

The Finis Agility Paddles are very different to “normal” paddles and this is noticed straight away when you realise there are no elastic straps on the paddle to hold the paddle on the hand. So how do they stay on your hand? Well, the good people at Finis say that when the hand is placed in the correct position (thumb through the lateral thumbhole) and you use good technique (more on this in a moment) the paddle stays in place!

So that’s the theory, how did they work in practice? As Finis says if you don’t keep the paddle in the correct position, they fall off and I must admit mine fell off or came loose quite a few times initially! The paddle only stays in place if you keep a positive pressure on the paddles and you execute a good catch and pull during your swim stroke.

After several lengths you get used to the positive pressure you have to apply to keep the paddles in place throughout the whole stroke. If you lose that pressure, they fall off! If you drop the elbow on the front part of the stroke, they fall off! If your hand enters the water at an odd angle, they fall off! And if you haven’t got it quite right and they don’t fall off, the paddles flip and make all kinds of weird movements! You soon learn!   

The guys at Swim Smooth really rate these paddles and I have to admit I really like them too! The paddles are really robust (no snapping of elastic straps) and great value for money, however I really like the way they “force” you to develop correct swim technique with their positive pressure concept. Coupled with the addition of some resistance, without the paddle being so large that it puts too much force through your shoulders potentially causing shoulder injuries, I feel you have a quality all-round paddle that is perfect for most peoples needs. The Finis Agility Paddle is now a permanent fixture in my swim bag!