Do lap swimmers that use fins annoy you?
richcorey41
Member
Do lap swimers that use fins, webed gloves and snorkels annoy you?
Comments
Otherwise, not at all, as long as they are being used correctly and are not being used in a busy lane.
I was using fins and paddles in a public session yesterday for about 40 minutes but there were only two others in the lane for the first 15 minutes or so and I was timing my sets so that I pushed off when they were turning at the far end. Never came close to catching them up or bashing them.
I wouldn't use them if it's a public session and there's 6 or more swimmers in the lane.
I get "a bit" annoyed when someone pushes off straight after me when they are wearing paddles.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
loneswimmer.com
I think I may have met you before in a public lane session.
I'm fortunate to be faster than most/all rec swimmers, and rarely will I be in their way. The only thing that bothers me are those who are unaware of the proper lane etiquette like stopping in the middle of the lane, pushing off the wall as I'm coming in for a turn, or being in the lane marked "super fast" when in reality the swimmer is not.
Sometimes if I'm stuck with doggie paddle guy in the "super fast" lane, I'll start swimming faster, hit my turns harder, or give him/her a mid-pool pass. Usually, they feel intimidated, and will bail out and go somewhere else.
I could care less what the other guy is doing as long as he/she is aware of my presence and stays out of the way.
I don't use fins for an actual "workout" but I've been using them a lot lately with front crawl drills. Having spent all spring and summer outside doing long swims means that additional stroke imperfections do slip in over time. Over winter I'm trying to correct these - so I'm doing some sessions at glacial speed and really concentrating on what my wayward arms are doing. With a stroke rate of less than 30 per minute then I use the fins to keep me moving and horizontal, thus letting me concentrate on what my arms should be doing. Otherwise I would need a 12 beat kick and will be knackered!
Some people can be really obnoxious with their equipment. Nobody likes getting clipped by hand paddles and I doubt anyone enjoys having someone push off in front of them doing dolphin kick with flippers on, ugh!
Mainly we get people who use fins 100% of the time so they can swim up a lane faster than they actually are. They typically have poor lane etiquette and are not very good at passing/turns/getting out of the way. Some of them have huge egos because they are (surviving) in the very fast lane.
Probably half of the complaints by lap swimmers about other swimmer involve sloppy/inconsiderate use of equipment and the other half are generated by poor lane etiquette and marginal communication skills. After watching people lap swim every day, I find it amazing that we don't have MORE traffic accidents outside of the building.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I use equipment in my training, but I hope I never annoy anyone with it. My pool is not crowded.
What kind of fins do you wear? I use and recommend fins made by Keifer. They are very flexible and are made of a soft rubber. Swim Stuff has a similar fin. Fins used for diving often are made of very hard rubber, which are meant to be worn with neoprene booties. If your fins are black, they're probably of a harder rubber.
Fins that are too big could be a reason you're having a hard time.
Have you tried wearing thin socks? They're a great help to avoid chafing.
Stick with it. It takes a little time for your feet to adjust to wearing them. There's a little pain involved, but you can hack it.
Chris
Thanks for the suggestions! I had a pair of Speedo fins that definitely didn't work for me. Now I use the Zoomers--a friend suggested I try her pair, for a turn or two, and I liked how they felt so I bought some for myself.
They were great until one day I did a lot of kicking uninterrupted (bad idea), and that's when my feet got very chafed. Only now they're somewhat recovered since I took some time off from wearing the fins. The socks are probably the way to go--though I don't like to wear more during a swim than absolutely necessary (okay, I DO wear a swimsuit ha ha!). I like to travel light in the water as much as I can.