At CompetitiveSwimmer.com, EyeSwim.com, and Tropicalpenguin.com you’ll find over 400 products and services that make swimmers faster, fitter, smarter, more passionate about winning, and better looking!

“We use the FAST Paddles in all three sizes on ALL our swimmers, not just the sprinters. We find is helps swimmers connect their entire kinetic chain with the water. Unlike flat paddles, when they take off the bent FAST Paddles they immediately catch earlier with higher elbows and rotate properly and at the right time.” Chuck Knowles. Head Men’s and Women’s coach, the University of Pittsburg

“I was a good NCAA backstroker and have coached backstroke for decades. I have a swimmer who simply would not rotate correctly in his backstroke no matter what drill I had him do or video I had him watch. Almost as a last resort I tried the Backstroke Paddles Steve Friederang invented. It was a miracle! My swimmer and now my other swimmers immediately “found” the right rotation and pitch. It even helped their body position!” Mike Venziano. Head Men’s and Women’s coach, Hibbings High School, perennial state champions.

“My wife and I teach lessons to many of the fastest swimmers in our state.  We have our swimmers buy their own set of FAST Paddles. It is the single most effective tool to force the proper catch and complete body involvement in the stroke” . Ross Gerry, Former Associate Head Coach of Stanford University Swim Team and his wife, Olympic Gold Medalist Katrina Radke. The couple coach swim camps in Minnesota and author technical DVD’s and motivational books. Coach Gerry has coached 6 NCAA Division 1 National Championship teams and 16 Olympians to a dozen Olympic gold medals and several world records. Katrina has authored “Being the Best Without the Stress; It’s not About the Medal.”

Prices for Tropical Penguin’s Ultralight Aluminum Paddles


  1. *See specials for combinations of our specialized paddles on the Speciality Paddles Page HERE


If you’re going to use buoys, don’t squeeze them between your legs -- use our RANGS Independent Pull buoys. Only $49.

Tropical Penguin’s

Variable Front Weighted Paddles

Variable Front Weighted  (VFW) paddles available summer of 2012. Great tool to teach proper hand entry, relaxed recovery, and to build endurance.  Weights vary from

8 OZ to 3 lbs. Best practices movie coming soon.