The Bottom Line
The FAST Paddles may be worth adding to your swimming bag of tricks if you are looking for another way to add strength and power to your swim. They are a bit different (OK, that's an understatement) from most of the other paddles available, but for their specific purpose, they shine.
Pros
- Specific strength building in the correct freestyle stroke movement/stroke path
- Design elements of the paddle help promote proper swimming catch position
- The paddles size can help teach a swimmer to use a whole body swim stroke
Cons
- Large size can lead to shoulder problems if the paddles are not used properly
- The paddles must be used at a slower stroke rate
Description
- Large (very large!) hand paddles designed to aid swimmers strength and freestyle stroke development.
- Made of lightweight aluminum with a small bend at the tip to help put the hand and arm in a high elbow catch position.
- Foam floats in the wrist/forearm area help promote a high elbow catch.
- Available in three sizes with adjustable hand and forarm straps.
Guide Review - FAST Paddles from Tropical Penguin - The FAST Paddle is "For Sprinters Only"
The folks at Tropical Penguin have a new swimmer's hand paddle that will scare some people. The FAST Paddles are intended to help a swimmer get better, but at first glance all you will think is "THOSE PADDLES ARE HUGE!" - you would be right. But there is a lot more to them (than just their large surface area) that will help a swimmer improve.
The FAST (Friederang Advanced Sprint Training) swim paddles are large - that is one of the key elements in the design to help swimmers develop strength through the whole body - arm, shoulder, chest, and core. A swimmer can lock in the catch, then feel the muscles used for a good pull, from fingertip on down the body.
The front end of the paddle has a bend in it, designed to move the paddle into a good catch position quickly and efficiently. The paddle also has adjustable floats under the wrist/forearm area to help lift the arm and elbow into that good catch position.