Practice without tail = disappointment with?

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

I have been swimming around for the last month or so with my little fitness fins practicing my dolphin kick and reading the forums when a worry popped into my head. I wanted to get a monofin to work with before I get the tail, but I am concerned that once I get used to it without the tail, I may be frustrated by the drag a tail creates.

Does the joy off actually living the fantasy offset the issue of drag? Is it better to practice with the monofin before, even for strong swimmers? Or is it better to just do it all at ounce so I have no higher expectations?

[Mermaid Wesley]

I remember being bothered by the drag in my first swim but after a while you don't mind anymore


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[AniaR]

I find a tail easier to swim with than anything else

[Echidna]

I'm kind of divided about this.

On one hand, I know from experience you're likely to be more content with your tail if you're not used to fast monofin swimming (I remember I was impressed with the awsum propulsion the cheap little piece of plastic that was in my first tail provided. well until I got a real monofin, that is :p )
as a speed junkie, I'm very annoyed by drag and cumbersomeness of more draggy materials.

On the other hand, it's always good to have the needed muscles beforehand (and it will take time to build them), so -not sure.

You should be good practicing dolphin with your little fins though :)
you can use anything to train beforehand, bifins, crappy fins, no fins.
the muscles will build if you swim dolphin.
you don't need an expensive monofin to do that.

[Mermaid Galene]

I think your approach is just right. For my very first swim, I went in with the monofin for about 15 minutes, then switched to my fabric tail with lots of added flouncy stuff. I was shocked and dismayed at how much harder it was to swim in the tail. I think I would have been better off to just practice with the monofin 5-6 times before even trying the tail. After that first experience, I switched to swimming only with the monofin, no tail, for a few weeks. Then, when we did our Gulf Coast photoshoot this month, I swam again in the tail, and it was no problem at all. I think you just have to get your muscles and brain used to the feel of swimming like a dolphin. Once you're comfortable doing that in a monofin, you're probably strong and confident enough to go on to tail swimming. Now I absolutely love swimming in a tail; it feels so natural!

[MerMatt]

I find a tail easier to swim with than anything else

Same here.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I've tried swimming without my tails. Its just not the same feeling as swimming with one on. Its like I lost something.

[Trade Winds]

I've tried swimming without my tails. Its just not the same feeling as swimming with one on. Its like I lost something.

That's how I feel. Too slow, something missing!!

I don't notice the drag from my tail tho. Never even thought about it. Altho I do get crappy propulsion thanks to the too-floppy Finfun monofin.

[Mermaid Romy]

I swam without any aid at first, then with just the monofin and was amazed by how I blasted through the water. The first time I swam in my fabric tail I was just so excited I didn't notice the drag, but my last few swims I swam once with just the fin and twice with the whole tail and I really did notice the drag. It was a little disappointing at first because I suddenly couldn't swim a whole lap in one breath, but it just made me determined to get fitter and learn more breathing techniques so that I could C: