Finswimming in details

Flippers are used for both scuba diving and snorkeling as well as for training in the pool. They not only help sportsmen to swim faster, but also improve their body position in the water, leg strength and joint flexibility. What else should you know about finswimming?

General information

Finswimming is suitable for both adults and children. Some clubs start teaching children as soon as they turn 3-4 years old. Finswimming is a great option for athletes because it provides an incredible slip in the water, as well as other advantages:

• It forms their body. All muscles are involved in the exercise.
• The athlete’s endurance is increased.
• It helps to stretch the spine and relax.
• It forms a great body and burns fat.

The main objective of the athlete is to cover the planned distance as fast as possible. To do this, the following equipment is needed: a swimming suit, a pair of flippers, and a mask. There are also competitions where athletes overcome the distance by using underwater breathing apparatus.

Equipment

Finswimming requires using a pair of fins. How to choose them? First of all, it is necessary to choose the right size of the fin. They must be rather tight around the foot so that they do not slip during training. Only if the fins are  precise will they guarantee effective swimming. The length of the fins is divided into two categories. Short fins are less than 15 centimeters. They make it possible to develop high speed, perfectly coordinate your moves, and involve all muscles in the work. Long fins are more than 15 centimeters. They guarantee smooth moves.

Flippers and fins are made of dense rubber, which stays in tight contact with the skin of the foot. During an active workout, it can cause a lot of damage and result in huge blisters. To avoid this, it will be enough to wear socks. If there is a possibility, it is better to buy a pair of silicone fins.

In order to give the muscles and the body the right strain, it is advisable to follow one advice. Beginners should choose shorter fins (5 to 15 centimeters long). This will help the muscles to become accustomed to the additional load gradually. Before training, it is necessary to warm up the ankle and the whole body.

Competitions

Finswimming is a sport that has two variations. The first one takes place in the swimming pool, while the second one is perfect for open water. The size of the pool must be equal to the Olympic swimming fools. Its length must be 50 meters. It must be 21 meters wide and 1.8 meters deep. International competitions are never held in 25 meters long pools. Competitions can take place in seas, rivers and even lakes. When it comes to choosing the area where a tournament will  be held, it is important to make sure that the current is not too fast and that swimming is not prohibited there.

Types

Finswimming has many variations.

• The simplest one is finswimming itself. This discipline involves swimming on the water surface using a monofin and a snorkel. The distances that can be covered by sportsmen vary from 50 to 1500 meters and 4*50 meters relay races.
• Apnoe usually takes place in a swimming pool and requires holding one’s breath. A monofin should be used. The distance is rather small and is 50 meters.
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• Diving in fins is a discipline that requires using a special breathing apparatus. This sport takes place in pools as well. There are only two distances: 100 and 400 meters.
• Bi-fins involve using a pair of fins and a snorkel. The competitions require covering various distances, from 50 to 400 meters. Relay races are also present. This type of finswimming can take place in rivers and seas, as well as in pools.
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Training

Footwork in flippers is similar to the moves used in the crawl style. Therefore, the training of proper flipper technique can be structured as follows:

• Setting footwork in the crawl style, without flippers.
• Training a technique using short flippers.
• Switching to long flippers.

It is not recommended to start swimming in fins right away, especially in long ones:

• First, the leg must be prepared for the strain,
• Second, you should first feel and work out the right movements of your body and short flippers, which is not easy to do in long fins from the very beginning.
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Proper footwork involves continuous smooth movements, without stopping. One limb goes up, the other one moves down at the same time, with no poses being made. The legs should be almost straight and not bent at the knee. The work comes from the hip (sometimes the gluteal muscles are involved in this work). The whole leg resembles a whip. The foot is extended so that the whole leg becomes one line (as far as possible), but at the same time, it must be relaxed. To keep the foot extended, swimmers are advised to do an ankle stretching exercise on the regular basis.

The specific of flipper swimming is that the movements are a little smoother, their frequency is lower (by analogy with walking: with short legs, the frequency of steps is more frequent than with long legs at the same speed), but the technique is the same.

Beginners usually make mistakes that prevent them from winning.

What are the most frequent mistakes?

• This is the most common mistake: the legs do not work as a whip, but instead bend at the knee. It is physically difficult to move straight legs when wearing fins, especially long ones. To correct this mistake, it is recommended to swim on the water surface with a board in your hands (exhale into the water, lift your head to inhale) without bending your legs.
• Head up. In a normal crawl, the swimmer moves on the surface of the water, takes a breath by turning the body along with the head to the side, and the head goes down into the water every time to exhale. In freediving and diving, on the other hand, a frequent problem is scooping up the head. Being underwater and not seeing the horizon line, the swimmer lifts his head to get a better view of the swimming path. In this position the neck muscles are unnecessarily strained, which leads to additional consumption of oxygen by the body, as well as violating the horizontal axis of the entire body. It is technically correct to swim with a relaxed neck, so that the head is not lifted up. You can develop this skill by swimming with your arms stretched forward in an arrow shape (your head must be squeezed between the shoulders, relaxed).
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• This term is used to describe how widely legs diverge at the top and bottom points during the swim. There are two possible errors here. Their amplitude can be too little or too large. In order to see this mistake and work on its correction, you need help from the coach or a partner. If they are not available, it is a good idea to record a video while swimming and see if the movements are smooth.

All in all, finswimming is a fascinating sport that has many variations and is available almost everywhere. It requires a lot of training and is highly beneficial for one’s health.