Buying Fins For Your Child
Fins/Flippers are required for ALL students. Fins are not a crutch. They are a learning tool, a muscle builder, and when kids learn how to use them correctly they are tons of fun.
Students use fins to learn how to kick correctly and strengthen their leg muscles. But don’t worry. I teach students how to swim without the fins. That is the ultimate goal.
Fins are a great tool to help swimming students of ANY AGE learn how to kick properly to create forward movement. Kicking incorrectly expends a lot of energy and can cause swimmers to move forward very slowly, not move anywhere or even move BACKWARDS! This tires swimmers out and can put them at risk in water.
The purpose of swimming lessons is to learn proper form. Proper form results in the least energy needed to move as quickly as possible through the water. The better the form the more efficient a swimmer is in the water.
I feel like so much of my teaching time is spent correcting poor kicking form. It is SO TIME CONSUMING and HARD to fix. But it’s critical to do so as it affects so many other parts of swimming, which results in a child getting exhausted from swimming sooner than necessary, being a weak swimmer, and not being able to progress to a more advanced level with more difficult skills to master.
Learning is hard. Learning how to kick properly is hard. Learning how to kick properly using fins can be hard for some kids. They may hate it the first day, but when they learn how to kick properly using them they LOVE their fins. Plus, they are great for building leg muscles. They will help your child be an even stronger swimmer than without them.
So you are now convinced to buy your child fins. The next question is which ones and what size? The following is a helpful guide to get you started.
These are my recommendations, but you are welcome to get a different brand. Amazon has a ton of colorful options that work just as well as the ones shown below.
I do have some caveats…
NO LONG FINS!
Long fins belong in the ocean to be used by snorklers and scuba divers. They are not what we need for swimming LESSONS. We are in a pool. We don’t have unlimited space. You want SHORT fins. If you bring long fins we will not be using them.
SOFT SILICONE!
Notice in the pictures below that the fins are all soft silicone. Please do not get fins with hard plastic straps. They may look cool, but every student who brings that type of fin always prefers the soft silicone fin when they compare the two types.
Also, PLEASE do NOT let your child walk around the yard wearing fins. They are only to be worn IN the pool. They are not designed to be walked in and are a trip hazard for your child and others.
Please do not put fins on your child before class starts. We will not use fins every class, nor the full class either. We have a ton of skills to work on that don’t require fins. Please bring them to every class and leave them on the side of the pool for us to use if needed that day. We don’t always use the fins every single class. Thank you!
TODDLERS: FINIS Fishtail 2 Fins
Benefits: Rewards even the SMALLEST KICKS with forward movement to accelerate learning and build confidence in the water. These are excellent for growing toddlers as the strap is adjustable. These fins are bigger than the purple booster fins below so your child will have to work harder to use these initially. Working their legs harder will build up their leg muscles and kicking skills, which will help them become stronger swimmers when they do not wear the fins swimming.
Finis Fishtail 2 Fins: These fins are designed to be worn as soon as a child can walk (9 months & up) so they can train to swim at the same time. Adjustable so they grow with your child’s feet until they are ready for Booster Fins.
Pre-School - Elementary School Aged Students: FINIS Booster Fins
Benefits: Eliminates BICYCLE KICKING by teaching swimmers to extend their legs and point their feet while they kick. Increases leg strength by adding more resistance to the down-kick. Shows students the excitement of what swimming fast feels like. Motivates them to try to replicate the speed without the fins on by swimming with proper form.
These are the smallest fins available. Perfect for the smallest feet and those students who really struggle to learn how to kick or are super nervous about learning how to swim. However, note that they will grow out of them at some point and you will need to purchase a larger sized pair of fins. The yellow Finis Fishtail 2’s above have adjustable straps for growing feet, but they are harder to use initially as they are a larger fin.
Purple are XXXS for foot sizes 6 - 8
Green are XXS for foot sizes 8 - 11
Orange are XS for foot sizes 11 - 1
Teens - Adult: Churchill Fins
Benefits: Helps promote proper flutter and butterfly kick form by teaching students to extend their legs and point their feet while they kick. Resistance increases leg strength. Proper form increases ankle flexibility. Can also be used to work on core muscles if used properly. Strong core muscles are critical to many swimming skills.
These are what I use in the pool. I LOVE them. My first pair lasted 20 years. Churchill are the OG of swim fins. You won’t be disappointed and the price is excellent.
If your child has wide feet or extra high arches then you’ll probably need a size larger.
