Tag Archives: Finis

The Ironworks Review: FINIS Ankle Pulling Band

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Finis Ankle Pulling BandWithout a doubt, the training tool most neglected by triathletes is the ankle pulling band.  Most triathletes love their paddles, pull buoys, and fins, all training tools that make swimming easier and faster.  Ankle pulling bands make training harder, and as my old swim coach always used to say, the point of training is to make it harder, not easier.  They’ve been a favorite of Australian distance swimmers for years, and as anyone who follows swimming knows, Australia has produced some of the best distance swimmers in history.  The Aussies are also pretty good at this whole triathlon thing, as Chris McCormack, Craig Alexander, Mirinida Carfrae, and Pete Jacobs have shown the world for the past several years.

Ankle pulling bands are also about the simplest training tool you can find.  My coach used to make them for our whole team by cutting up old inner tubes, but you can buy a much more stylish and comfortable version made by the great folks at FINIS.  Ankle pulling bands are simply a rubber strap that slip around your ankles, requiring you to swim without any kick.  You think that you’re not using your legs when you’re swimming with a buoy, but the buoyancy of the buoy actually makes swimming easier.  In fact, I would recommend using a buoy when you first start swimming with ankle bands.  You’ll understand when you give it a try.

The main benefit of using an ankle pulling band in training is developing strength.  You have to have to produce a lot of force with your upper body and core to overcome the drag produced by pulling your legs through the water without kicking.  I also like the bands for developing feel for the water; if you have a dead spot in your pull it will become instantly apparent when you’re swimming with bands.

Triathlon swimming is more about strength than perfect form.  Think about powering through waves and chop, dealing with swimming in a pack of thrashing arms and legs, and you can see why strength trumps technique.  Include some swimming with the FINIS Ankle Band in your upcoming workouts and watch your swim splits improve!  Here’s a set to get you started:

100 with ankle bands, buoy, and paddles, 30″ RI                                                                     4×25 swim, 15″ RI                                                                                                                 100 with ankle bands and buoy, 30″ RI                                                                                     4×25 swim, 15″ RI                                                                                                                   100 with ankle bands, 30″ RI                                                                                                     4×25 swim, 15″ RI.

Give it a try, and be sure to come back to Ironworks Multisport and leave a comment to tell me how it goes!  Good luck, and happy training!

Triathlon Tips From Ironworks Multisport: Finis Agility Hand Paddles

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Finis Agility Hand Paddles

As a life long swimmer, and triathlete and swim coach for 15 years, I’d thought I’d seen pretty much every possible variation on hand paddles, but the Finis Agility Paddle is something entirely new.  So what makes it so different?  As you can quite easily see, they have no straps.  Instead, there’s a hole in the paddle which you put your thumb through, and then apply light pressure to hold the paddle in place. This strapless design has two main benefits.  First, there are no straps to degrade and eventually break.  Second, you must use the pressure of the water to keep the paddles on your hands.  As a coach, the second is what makes these paddles so exciting.  I’m constantly telling my swimmers that their hands should enter the water cleanly, catch early and with a high elbow, and to strive for an early vertical forearm.  These hand paddles encourage all of these traits; you don’t even have to think about it, you just feel it.  And if you have faulty technique you get immediate feedback because the paddles will just fall off!

The first time I tried these paddles out, I was a little unsure about how well they would perform, and they did feel different from a conventional paddle.  However, I didn’t have any problems keeping the paddles on, and after a few laps they began to feel completely comfortable and natural.  I experimented a little and tried to lead with my elbow for a few strokes, and as expected the paddles immediately came off.  Another great thing about these paddles is that they can be used for all four strokes.  They are equally comfortable for butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Finis Hand Paddles

I would find these paddles suitable for all swimmers, especially younger age groupers and triathletes who constantly need to focus on form and technique.  Beginners will find them valuable because of the constant demand for an early vertical forearm, and advanced swimmers can benefit from using them for long sets where technique can sometimes falter.  If you’re looking for a great new paddle to help you perfect your swim technique and improve your swim splits at the races, I’d highly recommend giving Finis Agility Paddles a try.  Thanks for reading my triathlon tips, please check back soon for lots more information on triathlon and swim training!