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A hand paddle is a device worn by swimmers during training. It consists of a plastic plate worn over the swimmer's palm and attached over the back of the swimmer's hand with elastic cords. The plate is often perforated with a pattern of holes. A handle paddle increases the resistance the hand experiences as it tries to move through the water during the effective part of the arm stroke – the part of the stroke described as the "pull". This gives the swimmer considerably more forward propulsion from the arm stroke than does a naked hand, and affords an enhanced
kinesthetic Proprioception ( ), also referred to as kinaesthesia (or kinesthesia), is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense". Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, mechanosensory neurons ...
"feel" of the pull. It also enhances the swimmer's feel of the "catch", the phase prior to the pull, where the hand turns from a streamlined position to grasp the water and begin the pull. If the hand catches or pulls at an incorrect angle, the increased resistance afforded by the hand paddle will exacerbate the resultant twisting moment, making the defect clearer to the swimmer. The considerably increased load imposed by the hand paddle on the arm and shoulder can, however, lead to pain and an increased risk of injury, so coaches advise only limited use of paddles and that use be discontinued if the swimmer feels shoulder pain. To make the most out of using paddles, it is important to ensure that they aid in establishing a good technique under the water. Use the paddles without the wrist strap or side straps, and only use the main finger holds in the middle, regardless of the brand. Paddles are often used with pull buoys to build up
arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
strength.


History

The hand paddle was invented by
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...
in the 18th century.


Types of paddles

Different types of paddles include: * Finger paddles – Designed to fit on the fingers and built for all strokes,
butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group compris ...
,
backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimm ...
,
breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...
and
freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Lab ...
. * Freestyle Paddles – Designed especially for swimmers swimming freestyle. * Biomimetic Hand Paddles – Influenced by the
darkling beetle Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae. The number of species in the Tenebrionidae is estimated at more than 20,000 and the family is cosmopolitan in distribution. Taxonomy ''Tenebrio'' is the Latin ge ...
to reinforce kinesthetic feel for the water. * Han's Paddles – The original holed swimming paddles. * Speedo Original Hand Paddles – One of the first and made for most strokes. * Sculling and Vortex paddles – Designed to build upper body strength. * Forearm paddles - Designed to extend passed the palm of the hand over the forearm to help with the initial catch * Anti-paddles - Designed with a conical shape on the bottom of the paddle to improves swimmer's reaction to water resistance Bubble and Tub
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References

Swimming equipment {{swimming-stub