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!
I like kicking with a board. I feel like I can kick harder for a longer time with a board than without one. Also, when I try to kick on my back w/o a board I invariably run into the lane line. I don't know why, but I've been doing this my whole life and it always drives me crazy.
If kicking with a board hurts your neck or shoulders, then don't use one, but for many of us it doesn't. I rarely kick more than 1,000 yards per practice. I could imagine getting stiff if you kicked with a board more than that.
Yes, a board will alter your body position, but I don't think it really matters. The idea of kicking with a board is to work your legs, not to work on body position. A kick set is not a swim set. To say kicking with a board is bad because it affects your body position would be like saying you should never swim breaststroke becuase it might affect your body position in freestyle.
I like kicking with a board. I feel like I can kick harder for a longer time with a board than without one. Also, when I try to kick on my back w/o a board I invariably run into the lane line. I don't know why, but I've been doing this my whole life and it always drives me crazy.
If kicking with a board hurts your neck or shoulders, then don't use one, but for many of us it doesn't. I rarely kick more than 1,000 yards per practice. I could imagine getting stiff if you kicked with a board more than that.
Yes, a board will alter your body position, but I don't think it really matters. The idea of kicking with a board is to work your legs, not to work on body position. A kick set is not a swim set. To say kicking with a board is bad because it affects your body position would be like saying you should never swim breaststroke becuase it might affect your body position in freestyle.
