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When you want to improve your swimming technique, you simply can’t do without a pair of swim fins. It just makes technique training so much easier. And the absolute best fins you can get are a pair of Arena Powerfin Pro swim fins.
But what exactly makes Arena Powerfin Pro the best swim fins? What colours do they come in? And what alternatives are out there?
I’ve set out to answer all of that in this guide, where I’ll cover:
If you’ve ever tried swimming with a pair of fins before, you know how great it feels gliding through the water without having to work particularly hard. But you’ve probably also felt like you’re wearing an oversized pair of shoes.
You won’t get that bulky shoe feeling with a pair of Arena Powerfin Pro swim fins. Instead, it simply feels like you’ve got bigger feet that help propel you faster through the water.
One of the things that makes the Arena Powerfin Pro feel like an extension of your feet is that they’re made from lovely, soft silicone. Plus, they fit nice and snug around your feet without rubbing.
This allows you to work on a fast and efficient kick, significantly reducing the risk of cramps. Because Arena zoomers fit so well, they don’t lock your feet into an unnatural position, which is usually the main culprit behind cramp.
On top of that, Arena Powerfin Pro stay secure on your feet with an open-heel strap instead of the traditional closed heel. This offers a few great benefits, which I’ll cover in the next section.
Put simply, Arena Powerfin Pro are so good and popular because they give you a natural kick. They fit securely so your feet stay in the most natural position possible. And they don’t take up much space in your swim bag either, as they’re quite compact compared to most other swim fins on the market.
Back in the day, you could only get fins with a closed heel. Unfortunately, that meant your feet were locked into an unnatural position, leading to a high risk of cramps. At the same time, closed-heel fins also tend to pinch and rub against your feet, giving you blisters if you wear them for longer periods.
You don’t have to deal with any of that when you choose a pair of fins that use an open-heel strap instead.
The strap goes behind your ankles, leaving your heels completely free. This allows for a much more natural foot position, so your calf muscles aren’t overloaded and won’t cramp up.
A strap also gives you significantly more freedom of movement in your ankles, letting you kick more naturally. That in itself makes strap fins the best type of swim fins available.
To give you a better overview of the pros and cons of both types of fins, I’ve listed the main advantages and disadvantages below:
When you’re getting a pair of Arena Powerfin Pro fins, you have a few different colour options. That’s great, because it means you won’t end up with fins that look identical to everyone else’s at the swim club.
First of all, it lets you stand out a bit from the crowd. And it also makes it much easier to tell your fins apart from the other swimmers’ gear.
Arena Powerfin Pro fins come in these colours:
As you can see, there’s a colour to suit just about every swimmer’s taste. And that’s actually one of the things that sets Arena Powerfin Pro apart from other fins on the market.
One thing I quickly discovered when I bought my first pair of Arena Powerfin Pro fins is that the sizing doesn’t quite match standard sizes. My usual size 42 had to be exchanged for a size bigger.
When exchanging them, the retailer told me that Arena Powerfin Pro generally run quite small. It’s therefore recommended that you go up a size compared to your normal shoe size. So if, like me, you take a size 42, you’ll need a size 44-45. And if you normally wear a size 36, you should go for a 38-39.
At the same time, Arena Powerfin Pro are also best suited to narrow and standard-width feet. They’re relatively narrow, so wider feet might find them a bit of a tight squeeze.
Arena Powerfin Pro are far from the only swimming fins on the market. They’re undoubtedly the best, but there are also a couple of great alternatives that offer many of the same qualities.
And I’ll share a bit about those below.
Speedo is arguably the world’s best-known swimming brand, and Speedo fins are among the most popular too. The reason is mainly that a pair of Speedo fins are definitely the best closed-heel fins you can get.
And since not every swimmer likes having a strap around their ankles and across the Achilles tendon, a pair of Speedo swimming fins are quite popular.
They’re slightly long and quite stiff, though, so they don’t feel quite as natural to kick with as the Arena Powerfin Pro. But again, if you want a pair of closed-heel fins, Speedo fins are the best choice.
Another closed-heel model that actually works really well is these TYR swimming fins. Basically, they fit the feet just as well as the ones from Speedo. However, they’re shorter and softer, giving your feet a much more natural feel in the water.
That natural feel still can’t quite match the sensation of a pair of Arena Powerfin Pro. But if you’re looking for closed-heel fins, a pair of TYR fins makes a great alternative.
A direct competitor to Arena Powerfin Pro is these DMC fins. They actually have a heel strap instead of a closed heel. And they fit pretty well on your feet. Personally, though, I think they feel a bit loose around the ankles.
DMC fins also cost slightly more than a pair of Arena zoomers. And you don’t really get more for your money. That’s why I think the Arena Powerfin Pro is the better choice!
I’ve now reached the point that I probably think is the most important. What is it that makes Arena fins so unique compared to the fins from Speedo, TYR and DMC?
I’ve listed the answers below. And I’d like to point out that some of these features can also be found in one or more of the competing models. But with a pair of Arena Powerfin Pro fins, you can be sure you’re getting all of the features below.
What makes Arena Powerfin Pro fins unique:
When you want to improve your swimming technique, fins shouldn’t be used on their own. On their own, fins offer a great way to improve your technique, but when combined with a few other pieces of equipment, you’ll get even more out of your technique training.
I’ll tell you below which other gear you can combine with your Arena Powerfin Pro fins to get the best results.
A snorkel lets you breathe without having to turn your head and disrupt your natural body position in the water. It gives you far more energy to focus on your technique, as you won’t be running out of breath.
If you combine your fins with a snorkel, you’ll ensure the best conditions for working on both your arm and leg technique. The fins give you more propulsion so you don’t stall in the water, and the snorkel eliminates the breathing element, allowing you to lie more naturally in the water.
A pair of finger paddles helps you improve your stroke technique. Because finger paddles are only attached to your hands by an elastic strap around your middle finger, any incorrect movement in your stroke will be clearly noticeable.
If you wear a pair of fins at the same time, you’ll naturally achieve higher speed in the water. This gives you the chance to work on your arm technique at race pace without having to work insanely hard for it.
Finger paddles also have the advantage of strengthening your upper body swimming muscles. So, along with being a great technical tool, they can also be used for functional strength training in the water.
When you want to train your kick, a kickboard is an essential tool. It removes your arms from the equation and lets you focus entirely on your legs. It’s noticeably harder than full-stroke swimming, but in return, it gives you a much tougher cardiovascular workout.
When you swim with a kickboard, you’ll naturally move considerably slower through the water. That’s why a pair of fins can be a really good idea, so you don’t come to a complete standstill.
At the same time, combining a pair of fins and a kickboard provides great opportunities for functional strength training for your legs. So besides the technical benefits of training your kick with a kickboard and fins, you’ll also make your legs stronger.
Arena Powerfin Pro are swim fins that, despite their popularity, aren’t widely available. The main reason is likely that most beginners prefer traditional closed-heel fins.
However, if you want to get the most out of your technique training, you need a pair of open-heel fins with a strap. And here, Arena Powerfin Pro simply are the best.
Here at Watery, you’ll find Arena Powerfin Pro fins at a great price, and with our high Trustpilot score as well as fast delivery, you can expect both quick service and top quality.
Therefore, when you’re looking to buy Arena Powerfin Pro fins, we recommend you get them from us at Watery.
