Does anyone know where I can find swimming fins in kids sizes? I mean for swim training. Not for snorkeling, free diving, etc. These are much shorter.
Decathlon, as usual.
Now, I’d like to buy CHEAP free diving fins, like… long.
1 Like
Maybe these at Decathlon?
(EDIT: or probably not … they seem to be adult sizes only. Those were the only fins I saw on their website.)
1 Like
Ark terix? At the direct factory outlet on the way to the airport.
Megacity. They have both speedo and arena.
There’s two swimming shops across the road from the banqiao civic sports complex. They have the generic brand fins, pull buoys, and hand paddles (the black Chinese ones that most squads seem to use here).
There’s a shop at Wanhua that sell finis, Speedo, arena, and generic brand material. From swim parachutes for resistance training to cheapo fins to diving equipment. The prices aren’t that bad considering. They also sell the finis tempo trainer 2.0 (yellow one where you can replace the battery).
Message me for locations if you need them.
2 Likes
I checked and also noticed the adult sizes. Maybe i can call and order a small size.
1 Like
I’ll look into those options. I’ll also ask at the swim shops where I swim. Maybe they can order for me.
By the way, I’m doing this mostly to teach my ten year old son the butterfly. I think his dolphin kick is weak (but his form seems decent) and his upper body strength is lacking. So with the fins, I’m hoping he can just about get the butterfly.
Any comments or tips?
Edit: I have hand paddles that can be adjusted for him but I’m reading to avoid them for butterfly learners for the shoulder injury danger.
Ha. I was hoping you would provide the same.
I’m doing occasional drills of 50m lengths of dolphin kick only, with fins: roughly 1/4 each on front, side, back, other side (return the same way, and repeat depending on when I next have to be somewhere). Maybe I’m getting better at it. Hard to tell.
I haven’t done full butterfly in a few years, because every time I tried, I quickly got warning pains in my back. But back then I wasn’t lifting weights regularly; perhaps I should try again.
I’ve given up on the dolphin kick. My goal time is with 1500m so I think my time is better spent on good flutter kick after the wall push off and a good break out (resurfacing and starting with my strokes).
Judging by how I sometimes tap the feet of better swimmers I’m drafting off of and at which point in the laps I beat other swimmers at about my level, I seem to be doing something right.
1 Like
You may find it online.
A quick search returned me this one:
【TYR】Styker Silicone Fin 兒童款訓練用專業蛙鞋【1,732元】
2 Likes
Thank you!
1 Like
Single arm butterfly drills. you hold onto a kick board or pull buoy with one arm while using the other to practice butterfly stroke. Switch arms at the end of the lap to make sure you keep your body balanced. This is also a good drill to rebalance your body if you haven’t been doing bilateral breathing.
Walking into butterfly dives. You walk laps and dive into the pool like you want to do butterfly. Using both hands to pull down to bring you up and your legs to kick. Then walk a few steps and repeat the process.
Kickboard butterfly kick drills. Pretty obvious really. Start off on single kick. Work your way to the standard double kick. You can use a centre snorkel if the pool allows it. This is to keep the neck down while strengthening the lower back muscles and developing the muscle memory for your body to flow through the water.
Buckets. They provide drag and help strengthen the shoulders without the excess pressure that hand paddles put on them.
Hand paddles. I know you said you want to avoid them however they are really good for warm up when supervised. There are also a number of different styles of hand paddles now that aim to work different muscles groups in the shoulders and upper back/chest.
In a 25m pool underwater dolphin kick races with fins from a standing start.
Push off the wall exercises. These are actually pretty important. And you can do them on whatever angle you like. Sideways seems to be the easiest for kids to pick up the power kick the quickest.
Gym. Squats and lower back strengthening exercises like light weight deadlifts (straight leg style). Leg press using all 3 core leg muscle groups. Kettle bell squats. Resistance bands. Reverse leg curls.
Push ups. Chin ups. Planks.
Push-ups can be done a variety of ways. Start with doing them against the wall to build the muscle strength. Work your way down to on the ground. You can also do sideways along with some yoga exercises for overall strength and movement extension.
Chin ups can be incredibly hard for kids. The machines at the gym that provide a counter balance that let you take xKg off your overall weight are a good confidence booster.
I would recommend starting with 10 slow warm up laps with hand paddles. Then 5-10 walking butterfly dive laps. Then 10 single arm butterfly laps. Then butterfly kick drills laps (this should incorporate tumble turns and dolphin kick out). Depending on time that should easily take you to an hour in the pool. Finish off with 5-10 actual butterfly laps. If in a 50m pool then quick rest at the end before starting again. If in a 25m pool using the touch and go technique. So about a 90 minute session all up.
3 Likes
Thanks for the great information.
These are the drills we’re doing.
2 Likes
Yep they look like the standard drills. I’ll just say that the first one with no kick board lends itself really well to using a center snorkel. Meaning no pressure on the neck to lift up to breathe.
There’s also swim socks. But to use them you would only be doing single or double kick before breathing. Swim socks are also better used with a snorkel.
One of my old students struggled with timing until I gave them a tempo trainer. After that they were much better and had much more endurance.
I noticed there weren’t many shoulder exercises in the video. So maybe look into a few of them and find what’s suitable.
1 Like
So I got my son fins. Bought them online. So I run him through some dolphin kick drills then we move on to the actual butterfly stroke. He’s really getting some good form for once on the butterfly.
Then one of the lifeguards notices the fins and tells an older lifeguard. The older guy comes over and tells me my son can’t use the fins. Against the rules. I protested a bit but not too much because I know they are against the rules. Just really disappointed they would enforce this ridiculous rule. Really disappointed also because my son could have made some real progress with the fins.
There’s one pool in Keelung I’m going to check.
1 Like
Why is there such a rule?
1 Like
You can hit the other swimmers with the fins, is what I was told. These are not scuba fins. They are very short. It’s a stupid rule but pools here have stupid rules.
2 Likes
That’s a new one for me. Is this rule common at pools here? Our campus pool has rows of fins in racks by the pool: kick boards top rack, fins bottom. I guess they’re “shorter” fins: not super-short, but nowhere near scuba length.
Especially dumb because using fins is very common in different training drills!
2 Likes
The pessimist in me says it’s a common rule. Maybe I’ll try also a Taipei pool if I’m in the mood to go into Taipei next weekend. The pool in Keelung is private and so probably the best option, but I’m not sure it’s even open any more.
2 Likes
The swimming fins saga continues. I swam at Songshan Sports Center today. I asked them about the fins and they said “no” it would not be possible for my son to swim with fins on. I asked if this is the rule at all Taipei City pools and the lady said that she believes it is. She told me that private pools might allow it but not the government ones.
2 Likes