This is not a sponsored post. It is not a paid advertisement. It is, as promised, a short blog post about some of the gear that we use. It will be longer than 1 paragraph, maybe longer than 2, but they will be short. This gear we bought at our LBS Austin Tri-Cyclist. They are the Finis Agility Paddles. We have mediums and larges.

There are no straps. They have a thumb hole. Traditional paddles have straps, you can be lazy with them, even if you take the wrist strap off. Previously we used the TYR Catalysts (Brandon) and Strokemakers (Amy). These Finish paddles have taken some getting used to. So what do they help with?

They help keep your stroke more 'continuous'. They seem to reduce the pause or glide out front that has become common. They also seem to help keep your hand in a position that provides propulsion (forward movement). If your hand is in the wrong position, they will come off.

I (Brandon) have had a pretty smooth transition to them. Amy has had to work a bit more and finds herself using her thumb to keep the paddles on, but it is becoming more natural for her. See the Marsh Madness comment about your hands and knowing what they are doing. Get the size that allows your hand to fill up the channel between the ridges. Bigger is not necessarily better. Try to keep your normal stroke rate. That's all, have a great weekend.