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!
Kickboards are good for improving kicking strength, as they isolate the kick. You have to take it seriously, of course. I just find that I "cheat" with too much pulling/sculling when I don't have a board. I do think boards are pretty useless, even for this purpose, for backstroke and butterfly kicking. Backstroke kicking can be done in a streamline just fine and butterfly kicking is more about form that kick strength (core strength is a different matter). Breaststrokers benefit greatly from improved leg strength. If kickboards don't teach proper form, well, that's what drills are for!
Kickboards are good for improving kicking strength, as they isolate the kick. You have to take it seriously, of course. I just find that I "cheat" with too much pulling/sculling when I don't have a board. I do think boards are pretty useless, even for this purpose, for backstroke and butterfly kicking. Backstroke kicking can be done in a streamline just fine and butterfly kicking is more about form that kick strength (core strength is a different matter). Breaststrokers benefit greatly from improved leg strength. If kickboards don't teach proper form, well, that's what drills are for!
