By Helen Webster

Published: Friday, 22 July 2022 at 12:00 am

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You might feel like swim fins are a big ol’ cheat – right? After all, you won’t wear them on race day, so what’s the point? Well in fact, you’re missing a trick if you don’t sometimes swim with fins.

Using swim fins in the pool

Worn on the feet and available in a variety of lengths and levels flexibility, swim fins serve a number of purposes. Worn in pool training, they give you extra speed and propulsion for little effort.

This allows you to focus on front-end swim drills such as single arm swimming, ‘broken arrow’ and ‘superman’, where you achieve less or next to no propulsion from your arms.

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Other ways swim fins are beneficial

Swim fins can also be useful for enhancing and developing your kick, and are also a good way to give you a feeling of speed in the water, which you can then attempt to replicate the feel of when you take them off and try to create the same propulsion without them!

Finally, we have occasionally used swim fins in open water if we want to have a long, relaxed swim adventure – or to keep up with faster-paced friends! Just beware that extended use can cause cramp in the feet, so practise first.

Best swim fins for pool training

Maru Training Fins

These swim fins from established British brand Maru have long been a staple in our kit bag. Available in zingy green or bright pink, Maru describes them as a shorter fin for greater resistance and propulsion, as well as improving foot strength.

We find them soft, flexible and comfortable to wear, while the short, more rigid fin gives a really direct feel and good forward motion.

They’re made of silicone and there are a wide range of sizes available, meaning you should be able to find a pair that fit you well.