Catalyst 2 Training Paddles

I did a good amount of online research regarding the type of paddles to introduce into my swim training. I felt I had plateaued with my speed in the 25m pool and could not figure out why I was not getting faster. I never swam competitively but did pick it up as part of my workout routine in college (so we are not talking about someone who actually knows what he is doing in the pool). Despite that, with 10 years of swimming under my belt (speedo?) I still could not figure out why I was not going faster. After my online research, I decided to go with some tips on introductory swim paddles such as these. This was the right decision. These paddles helped me in three ways: (1) They corrected my hand position entering into the water and throughout the entire stroke. Before, I was not pulling correctly with my hand. These adjusted my hand position just right so I better feel the water. (2) They made me realize I was only partially pushing on the backend of the stroke. It never crossed my mind that that could have been the issue. Coupled with better hand position throughout the entire stroke, I now felt the water better in the pull AND the push of the stroke. (3) They are building my strength. I allocate about 20% of my swim to use with these paddles and really focus on the strength I put into each stroke. I think I read somewhere not to use paddles more than 20-25% of the swim because this is how you can injure your shoulders. Sounds good to me. No injuries so far (knock on wood).In just a matter of a few sessions with these, I was already seeing my speed increase slowly yet surely. Now when I swim without them, I am more cognoscente of my hand positioning and always ensure I'm pulling AND pushing through the entire stroke. All in all, these have helped me shave 8-9 seconds off my average (now 1m47/48s) each 100 meters compared to where I was averaging before (1m56s) in a matter of a couple of months. As I continue to use them, I continue to fine tune the stroke mechanics and develop strength. I know these paddles have more in store for me and suspect I will slowly yet steadily increase my speed until maybe I hit another plateau. Then back to the drawing board, but until then, I highly recommend these!

This is a great product. If anyone needs to buy paddles, this is the best choice. Honestly when I was debating on which paddles I should buy, I was lost. In the end I came to this one because half of my swim team has paddles and they all had this one. The product came fairly quick, it came a day earlier than it was supposed to. And the packaging was neat, the paddle and the rubber straps were separated.Suggestion: If you don't know what size to get, I recommend the small, yellow ones (they are colored to size) because they are already bigger than your hands.I bought the small sized ones. Size: Length wise (centered): 8" Width wise (centered): a bit over 7"Pros:-reasonably priced because usually you will find them for $17-$20-since the rubber straps were separated, when you get it, you can place them at where it makes your hand comfortable-helps improve stroke technique, after taking them off you will notice your stroke form is much better (for me, I noticed that I started gliding more and pushing with more power-builds upper body strength (the next day, my shoulder blades were sore)-also provides additional rubber straps for replacementCons:-too much use can cause problems with your shoulder-it gets scratched up easily (but if you do take care of them well, you shouldn't have this problem)-maybe this is just me, but it was first hard to flip turn with them (after 2 tries, I finally adjusted and flip turned much more easily)

Works great for training allows me to feel the water and stroke to reinforce proper technique.

I swam from age 6 to 18, and have done a small amount of college and masters swimming - I'm 29, and lap swim is now my preferred work out. I ordered some different sizes, yellow and blue. The yellows are the size of what I would typically train with in high school, but back then all I had were the solid rectangles. These are much better for smooth water entry, and they are helpful for strengthening your pull and feel for the water. The blues are bigger than I used to use, and they are great for getting a sculling workout, or a fast pull set. They are simple and colorful, not much else to ask for.

i wanted this item for a while but i never had a chance to shop around then i thought of just purchasing it online. i checked the main website first to see if by any luck they lower the price or put the item on sale but no, so i tried amazon and there it is, price was $8 cheaper from anywhere else!!! i so love these swim paddles & i sooooo love amazon for saving me money.

I relatively recently started swimming seriously while training for triathlons. I had been running marathons for a number of years, so when it came to the switch, I wanted to use all legs and only use my arms to steady myself in the water. These really allow you to isolate your upper body for a great workout in the pool. They also definitely help with stroke technique. I bought small, and for now they seem perfect for me.

This item is really good. It's really smooth when you enter and it allows some water to flow through the paddle. Although, watch out, they are a bit bigger then you would assume. Large is really extra large and medium is like large I guess. Have fun.

My product came in the mail and it was not in pristine condition.The packaging had also been torn wide open by the time it got delivered to me.I ordered the Small (Yellow) because I already owned the Large (Blue, Which were too large).The smalls are described as being perfect for someone starting master swimming.I am that someone, but I also have a substantial background swimming competitively when I was younger.These paddles give and bend when I swim.I love using these in the pool.