When you take the straps off your paddles, they become an exceptional tool for teaching swimmers how to hold on to the water.

Have your swimmer stand on the bottom and practice sculling with the paddles.  Have them press out and in with an even, continuous motion.

Magically, the paddles stay ON the hand…

…but only if the swimmer has a good feel for how to maintain pressure on the hands.  

Swimmers of all ages and abilities become fascinated with how this works, and will start experimenting.  And they don’t even realize they are building valuable muscle memory for how to catch and pull.  

Strapless paddles are a key tool for backstroke.   Have the swimmer do one-arm backstroke.  As the hand comes out of the water they hold onto the edges of the paddle so it doesn’t fall off.  

But when the hand enters the water and goes down, they let go of the edges and keep pressure on the paddle all the way through the pull and then they hold the edges again on the recovery.

What strapless paddles teach is something that many good backstrokers do instinctively, which is keep the thumb high all the way through the stroke.  

One of the best uses for strapless paddles is teaching the breaststroke pull.  

As they press out, they have to keep the paddle on the hand, and this isn’t too difficult.

It’s when they turn the corner that the paddle often falls off, and this teaches them how to connect with the water a little better.  

Strapless paddles can be used for single-arm freestyle and butterfly as well, with the swimmer holding the edges during the recovery.

We find that smaller paddles are better than larger paddles when you go strapless.   They are a great tool, and we use them in lessons for kids as young as six.  


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Strapless Paddles - Haufler