If you have read one of my previous articles on goggles you will know that I am a big fan of the Swedish style goggles. While they are probably still my all time favorite, my goggle world got seriously shaken up by the Kiefer Precision Optical Racer Swim Goggles.

When I first heard of these, I thought they would just be another pair of goggles I would never use. I have worn prescription glasses since I was twelve, and while early on I wasn’t too dependent on my glasses to see, nowadays I am blind as a bat without them. Growing up I would just swim with my regular goggles and not worry too much about it. These days if I wear any of my regular goggles it means I am either struggling to see or constantly worrying about my contacts. The number of contacts that have torn or become lost while I was swimming is a lot more than I would like to admit. The thought of have a prescription goggle was always a wonderful thought, but one I never imagined would actually materialize in a clean, comfortable, and affordable product.

When I first put on the Kiefer goggles, the first thought in my head was, “Wow, I can see clearly!” Usually when I wear contacts the pressure of the goggle cup on the eye makes the contact not only feel funny, but you also don’t see as well as with glasses. But I wasn’t converted so easily. Still in disbelief, I got into the water and tried to find every excuse why I wouldn’t like these goggles better than the ones I have been using for over ten years. While initially there was some leakage in one eye socket, it was quickly fixed after a few adjustments of the strap, as well as a change of nose piece (the goggles come with several nose pieces to suit different anatomies).

The straps are probably my least favorite feature on this goggle. I found it very hard to hold the strap in the desired position, making wearing the goggles tight (my personal preference) very challenging. I got around it by placing the goggle straps under my cap, and it has only occasionally become a problem since.

These goggles are all silicone with anti-fog lenses, a huge plus for people with latex allergies like myself. I have used these goggles for about six months (even though I don’t swim as often or as long as I used to) with no issues to the gaskets or fogging of the lenses, which indicate the durability of the product is well above average. The lenses are available in clear and smoke, and in multiple diopters that are calculated based on your prescription spherical and cylindrical measurements.

While I have yet to compete in these goggles, they seem the perfect tool for competition, allowing the swimmer to have clear view of the pool and surroundings with little stress from annoying contact lenses.

Kiefer Precision Optical Racer Swim Goggles are available for $9.97 at Kiefer.com.

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Whether you are a swimmer or not, you have surely heard or seen hand paddles for swimming. There are many reasons hand paddles are used. They are traditionally used to increase the surface area of the catch in order to increase resistance of the pull, which promotes “feeling” for the water. Today everyone from the recreational to the professional swimmer uses the hand paddle. And over time hand paddles themselves have evolved, particularly if their use was more specific than just increasing the resistance of the pull.

In my years as a swimmer I have used hand paddles in pull-only sets, but in more recent years also as a tool to perfect strokes, by isolating different phases of the stroke in stroke-specific drills. By design the majority of paddles have been a piece of square, perforated plastic with elastic straps to hold them to your hand. This is one of the main differences with the FINIS Agility Paddles, which in turn give them many other unique advantages, they are strapless.

When I looked at the Agility Paddles, my first thought was, “Oh dear, there is no way I can swim and keep this thing in my hand.” I was thinking as a swimmer, one who has done things a specific way, with bad habits that are hard to break. So, I decided to present the paddles to one of my younger swimmers. The fear on her face was priceless, and this made me think the Agility Paddles may be on to something good.

The design of this paddle is nothing short of genius, and it has in fact received the reddot design award. Contrary to traditional paddles, the Agility Paddle is a convex plastic paddle that in addition to lacking straps also accommodates the hand by a lateral thumbhole. The ergonomic shape promotes correct placement of the hand. (Although “old dog” here has found a way to palm the paddle and circumvent some of the benefits of the design. My advice, go large in size.)

So, why was my swimmer in such fear of this paddle? Because in order to keep the paddle in place without falling, you must maintain perfect technique throughout the swim. Perfect technique isn’t bad, quite the contrary, but in a young swimmer’s eyes perfect technique equals hard work. This paddle leaves no room for mistakes. The palm positive paddle will only remain in place if early vertical forearm position is maintained (commonly referred to by coaches as “high elbow catch”) making it a golden tool for coaches to teach good technique. In my twisted mind, this can also be used as a perfect “punishment” for swimmers who fail or quickly become lazy (I am guilty of this) and compromise technique.

The strapless design also comes with a few small advantages from both the swimmer and coach perspective. There is no longer the need to “strangle” fingers and the wrist in order to keep the paddle in place, and no need for constant tightening. From a coach’s perspective the excuse of having to constantly tighten and adjust the paddle is no longer valid. There are also no straps to break and replace during a set. This feature makes the paddles a lot more durable than their traditional counterparts.

While the paddle is marketed for use with all four strokes, I personally found the most benefit for freestyle. When I tried to breaststroke with them I had a very hard time holding on to them during the recovery portion of the stroke.

And while for most this won’t be an issue, for younger swimmers who like to set themselves apart from their peers it might matter that the paddles are only available in yellow. We saw FINIS introduce different colored snorkels that colored swim teams across the country, so perhaps the color palette of this paddle will increase in the future, increasing the appeal to the younger generations.

All in all the Agility Paddles are a great technical tool for coaches and swimmers, promoting correct stroke using a comfortable, ergonomic design. It is without a doubt one of the most, if not the most, superior paddles on the market and great value for money.

FINIS Agility Paddles are available for $19.99 at FINISinc.com.

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