Fingers Open vs. Closed for Swimming

You might think that swimming with your fingers closed tightly together is the most efficient hand position because a solid surface can act much like an oar moving through the water. It may seem counterintuitive but closing your fingers is not the best way to swim. Open your mind to a new idea as you open your fingers to swim faster.

  1. The Best Finger Spacing

    • The consensus among swim coaches has long been that swimmers should spread their fingers a bit. A 2012 study published in the “Journal of Theoretical Biology” supports this view, stating that the spacing between a swimmer’s fingers should be between 20 to 40 percent of each finger’s diameter. For example, if the average diameter of your fingers is 1 inch, you should leave one-fifth to two-fifths of an inch of space between your fingers when you swim.

    Open Fingers Yield Greater Force

    • Swimmers who maintain optimal finger spacing generate 53 percent more force than swimmers who keep their fingers closed, according to the 2012 study. When you swim, a boundary layer of water attaches itself to your skin, including your fingers. The boundary layer around your fingers is about one-tenth to one-fifth of each finger’s diameter, hence the optimal spacing is twice that distance. By placing two boundary layers together, they effectively form a type of webbing, similar to the webbing between some animals’ digits, such as frogs. As a result, properly spread fingers produce a larger surface area in the water than closed fingers.

    Different Finger Positions

    • Spreading your fingers too wide is like cutting holes in the invisible web you create when you spread your fingers properly. Water passes through like a sieve and you lose power. Keeping your fingers together minimizes the amount of water passing between your fingers, but you have a smaller surface area to pull through the water. Additionally, keeping your fingers together tightly creates tension in your hand and arm muscles, and tense muscles can’t perform at their best.

    Keeping Your Fingers Open

    • If you place your hand on a surface in front of you in a relaxed position, you’ll see that your fingers are slightly spread. This is basically the finger spacing you should maintain while you swim. Keep your hands relaxed, but don’t let your fingers simply flop around in the water. Keep your wrist firm and your hand flat as you swim.