Why Should You Use Kraken Swim Paddles?
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Time to read 2 min
XTERRA WETSUITS’ Kraken swim paddles offer both technique and strength benefits, helping you become a more efficient and faster swimmer.
Triathletes love their gear—whether it’s sleek TT bikes, high-tech watches, fast wetsuits, or top-tier shoes. And that love of gear doesn’t stop at the water’s edge. In the pool, besides your goggles, pull buoy and kickboard, one of the most essential training tools is a pair of Kraken swim paddles.
When running or cycling, we encounter resistance from hills, wind, or terrain—running on dirt is harder than running on pavement. But in the pool, we don’t have hills to “swim up,” and the water is usually too calm to simulate open-water conditions. One way to introduce a strength-building element to your swim training is by using paddles.
Swim paddles serve two primary purposes:
1. Technique refinement – helping you develop proper stroke mechanics.
2. Strength building – increasing resistance for a more powerful stroke.
A Quick Tip on Technique: We encourage swimmers to initially use the smallest sized paddle. This prevents undue fatigue on your shoulders and lats, and reinforcing proper technique.
Benefits of Swim Paddles
✅ Promotes High-Elbow – One of the most common technique mistakes is dropping the elbow, which allows the hand to slip through the water with minimal resistance. Paddles encourage a high-elbow position and better forearm engagement, improving your stroke mechanics.
✅ Strengthens Your Pull – Using paddles slightly larger than your hands increases resistance, making your muscles work harder—similar to swimming uphill.
✅ Introduces a New Training Stimulus – If your workouts always feel the same, you may not be challenging your body enough to improve. Paddles add variety and resistance, helping break through performance plateaus.
✅ Improves Distance Per Stroke – With paddles, you’ll take fewer strokes per length, helping you swim more efficiently and increase speed.
✅ Enhances Overall Efficiency – Over time, paddles teach you to apply pressure effectively through the water. Once you remove them, you’ll carry over the improved technique and efficiency into your regular swimming.
✅ Adds Variety to Workouts – Long sets can feel monotonous. Mixing in paddles—for example, using them on even-numbered reps of a 5x500y set—lets you swim faster with less effort while keeping the workout engaging.
✅ Reinforces a Strong Finish – One of the biggest benefits of paddles is teaching swimmers to maintain pressure throughout the pull phase. If you exit the water too early, the paddle will slip off—highlighting where you need to improve.
Potential Downsides of Swim Paddles
⚠️ Risk of Overuse & Shoulder Strain – Jumping into too much paddle work too quickly, especially with oversized paddles, can cause strain on your shoulders, elbows, and connective tissues. Gradually build up your paddle use to avoid injury. We make three sizes of Kraken swim paddles - small, medium and large. Start with the small and work up to larger sizes if needed. And, just as importantly, refer to your swim coach to optimize your training and avoid overuse.
⚠️ Over-Reliance on Paddles – Some swimmers become too dependent on paddles and hesitate to train without them. To prevent this, structure your workouts with designated paddle sets rather than swimming long continuous distances (e.g., 4,000 yards straight) with paddles.
⚠️ Finger Spreading Habit – Paddles can encourage swimmers to spread their fingers too wide, which may carry over to regular swimming. Be mindful of maintaining a natural hand position. For the Kraken swim paddles we have multiple options for the bands so you can keep your fingers closer together.
Final Thoughts
Swim paddles are a valuable tool for both technique and strength development in the pool. Used correctly, they can help triathletes and swimmers refine their stroke, build power, and swim more efficiently. However, they should be incorporated strategically into your training, ensuring a balance between paddle work and regular swimming. Xterra Wetsuits makes three sizes of swim paddles which can be found here: https://www.xterrawetsuits.com/collections/accessories/products/kraken-swim-paddle
Enjoy your swim training, and we know you’ll be a better and faster swimmer this season.