I was playing around last night with using a paddle-board while doing underwater dynamics. The buoyancy didn't matter too much, since you could "sink" it easily by directing it slightly downward. What did matter was the incredible stability that it provides to the upper body when monofinning. It really increases the resistance that your abs feel and keeps your upper body perfectly straight in the water.
Has anyone else tried something like this? I know that there is a guy in holland that has a swimming thingy that is supposed to emulate a dolphin's pectoral fins, but this seems a little different.
I think that I'm going to take a "skeleton board " (a.k.a. sand skimmer) to the gym next time and see if it works better. It felt like I could actually swim much faster with the paddle board, but when I sprinted, the board's poor hydrodynamics became a liability (blunt edge cause drag and the board started vibrating because it wasn't rigid -- more drag).
Note that the setup is not legal by AIDA rules, which only allow fins, suit and weights for dynamics.
Has anyone else tried something like this? I know that there is a guy in holland that has a swimming thingy that is supposed to emulate a dolphin's pectoral fins, but this seems a little different.
I think that I'm going to take a "skeleton board " (a.k.a. sand skimmer) to the gym next time and see if it works better. It felt like I could actually swim much faster with the paddle board, but when I sprinted, the board's poor hydrodynamics became a liability (blunt edge cause drag and the board started vibrating because it wasn't rigid -- more drag).
Note that the setup is not legal by AIDA rules, which only allow fins, suit and weights for dynamics.