FAQS

Yes, there are designated left and right paddles. It means that to perform the classic single arm drill you will not be able to use a single paddle and swap it to the other hand with each length. Single arm right arm drill will need the right paddle and vice versa.

Logic says the most available surface area to assist an anchored hand position would be to swim with the thumb in. However, many fast swimmers have swum very fast with their thumbs out. The thumb overhang is there for support and reassurance and to help guide the hand shape, but it is possible to swim without it i.e. you can still use them with your thumb out.

The shape of the paddle has been carefully moulded to be an extension of your hand. Water around the paddle in a good ‘catch position’ will keep the paddle in place. Engaging the fingers keeps the paddle in place during recovery. A secondary benefit for some swimmers with arthritic hands is that the paddle does not further irritate their hands due to the pressure of the straps. In time we hope users might forget they are wearing paddles.

A key benefit of creating a paddle like this is that you do not need any straps. Since pulling with a good hand pathway will keep the paddle in place under the water and then some light finger manipulation on recovery has made the need for straps redundant. This also makes putting the paddles on much quicker and easier. 

A long time ago the consensus of paddle use was no more than 20% of a session. This is the first paddle I have used comfortably in warmups and not felt huge demands on my shoulders. You probably do not need them in a warmup, but it illustrates the point. We were hoping to make a small to medium sized paddle for technique work that had the feel of a large paddle but without the associated stress and strain. The perimeter ring anchors and holds more water allowing you to pull yourself past it effectively but without the strain large paddles might overload the shoulder with previously. I am a fan of paddles and fins when it comes to slower technical work. The combination works well, and you can swim this combination in many of the Otion sessions and training plans. Fins and paddles together is becoming increasingly popular as a way of enhancing the full stroke.

Taking the pressure off the wrist, compared to a more traditional paddle with strap, stops stress on the carpal tunnel which can cause some tingling and numbness into the fingers. This can be a particular issue for triathletes who struggle because of wrist position on the bike. When using a traditional paddle with a strap, the swimmer and in particular the triathlete (who may not have a swim coach at hand) will often use the paddle to build shoulder strength to the detriment of technique. The Otion® paddle allows the swimmer to build strength around the shoulder but ensures that they are also thinking about hand and wrist position.

Without the reassurance of straps to help hold the paddle to the hand we wanted the paddle to feel as tactile as possible. The materials and depth have also been carefully thought through. We wanted a paddle so comfortable that one day swimmers might forget they were wearing it.

This should nudge the paddle out of position if the swimmer pivots too aggressively at the wrist as they set their catch. If you pivot at the wrist the paddle slides forwards giving you the feedback that you have lost the ideal ‘fingertips to elbow’ position that many great athletes swim with.

If you watch enough elite swimmers, you will notice the way many of them swim with a slight gap between their fingers. There is a optimum gap to ensure the most water is ‘caught’ within the hand

Altering the spacing between your fingers as you hold your hand out of a car window will give some insight that slightly wide is better than fully wide or clenched.

Sports scientists have tested and put a value to this and we have modelled the fingers spacers on these results.

A large feel paddle but without the large feel stress was what we hoped for. Ideally to help people anchor the water, hold it, and feel their bodies travel past the anchored hand when the hand and forearm created a good catch position. The perimeter band helps this aspect of the paddle creating surface area but not so much tension.

Our early prototype had a ripple finish to the underside (away from the palm), and it felt more solid in the water, more forgiving, it punished you less. As a pure technique paddle, we wanted the swimmer not to have any help, to be forced to concentrate and be careful with the trajectory the paddle took, the hand positioning and the force applied. We might see the dimples return in a new model.