This document discusses whether swimming coaches should include flippers in their training programs. It provides background on flippers and their uses. It then outlines both the potential benefits and disadvantages of including flippers in training. While some benefits are observed anecdotally, the document finds that there is little rigorous research and no consensus on their inclusion in training programs. Further research is needed to fully understand their impacts.

1. Should Coaches include
Flippers in their Swimming
Training Program?
Bianca Kilborn
"

2. Contents
 Background
 Benefits
 Disadvantages
 Research Evaluation
 Practical Implications
 Further Research
 Conclusion

3. Background
 When were flippers invented?
 What types of flippers are available?
 Why is it important to study them?

4. Benefits
 Race Pace  Cardiovascular System
 Body Position  Teaching Difficult Skills
 Improving Kick  Fun and Variety
 Increased Flexibility  Low Cost
 Motivation  Rehabilitation

5. Disadvantages
 Principal of Specificity
 Kinesthetic Development
 Disruption to Kicking Rhythm
 Changes to Joint Load and Resistance

6. Research Evaluation
 No directly related subjects
 Only two closely related
 Neither were longitudinal studies
 Old references
 Information in Magazine Articles
 None were referenced
 All bias

7. Practical Implications
 Observational findings suggest some benefits for inclusion
 Difficult skills
 Correcting technique and kick
 Variety
 Cardiovascular system
 Increasing speed
 Coaches need to be aware of injury potential

8. Further Research
 Comparison study of the different types of flippers
 Longitudinal study
 Correlation to performance
 Skill development

9. Conclusions
 Little evidence to support inclusion in training program
 No evidence not to include in training program
 Overall evidence suggests that moderate inclusion in
training program may be beneficial at least in the short term
 Why is there no evidence?

10. Images
 Flippers - http://www.aquashop.com.au/swim-training-
equipment/flippers.html
 All others - http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

11. References
 Nessel, E. (1997). `Fin nite' workout. Swim Magazine, 13(1), 36. Retrieved from http://
ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=s3h&AN=9701300697&site=ehost-live
 Pipes-Neilsen, K. (2007). Swimming with fins. Swimming World, 48(6), 23-23. Retrieved
from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=25284153&site=ehost-live
 Sanders, R., Li, S., & Hamill, J. (2009). Adjustment to change in familiar and unfamiliar
task constraints. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(6), 651-659. Retrieved from http://
ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=s3h&AN=37579807&site=ehost-live
 Stover III, J. E. (2010). Z-2 zoomer fins make fin choice easier. American Swimming, 2010
(5), 18-18. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=52956653&site=ehost-live
 Vassilios Thanopoulos, Milivoj Dopsaj, Rozi Georgija, Tomislav Okicic. (2010).
CRITICAL VELOCITY WITH AND WITHOUT THE APPLICATION OF
SWIMMING FINS AMONG YOUTH FIN COMPETITORS.