Personally, I think kickboards are evil, evil, evil. When I was swimming 20 years ago in high school I didn't see the point, and now that I'm 38 I still don't see the point.
Happily though, I've read in several books and seen on a few video tapes that many coaches have come around to my line of thinking, "Kickboards put you in an unnatural heads-up position, emphasize the least effective part of the stroke (the kick), and keep you from rotating."
Since I see people swim with kickboards every day I know many people disagree with me. But, there's no way they're going to change my mind. Instead - let's vote!
Parents
Former Member
Any swimming aids/equipment is like a trades persons tool kit. They are only usefull if used in the correct way.
Kickboards are great to work on power and muscular endurence as are fins. They also help with different drills and with different focuss on stroke. for example if you had a swimmer that was not relaxed during their arm recovery you could put fins on them and have an over exagerated slow relaxed arm recovery. You could not do this without fins because then the swimmer would sink.
Any swimming aids/equipment is like a trades persons tool kit. They are only usefull if used in the correct way.
Kickboards are great to work on power and muscular endurence as are fins. They also help with different drills and with different focuss on stroke. for example if you had a swimmer that was not relaxed during their arm recovery you could put fins on them and have an over exagerated slow relaxed arm recovery. You could not do this without fins because then the swimmer would sink.
