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!
Former Member
I hate kickboards. They give me repeated really nasty stiff necks, and hurt my shoulders. I like swimming sans widgets for the most part. Although I do like my Zoomers, and if someone gave me a Monofin, I'd kiss them and jump up and down squealing. So I guess I just hate kickboards and pull buoys.
Willow
Maybe not kick boards, but kick sets are useful.
I personally like to use them in my sprint sets.
I also use them to check the endurance of my legs (i.e. how many 50s can I handle within 75 seconds).
Sometimes I use them with fins for my ankle flexibility.
If my arms are too much tired or if I have pain on my shoulders, it is time to use kick boards.
I do not hate them.:blah:
I have a bum hip from a ski injury many years ago, and the kickboard really helps me keep my hip strength and flexibility up. Having said this, it still sucks doing it. :thhbbb:
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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 don't like them because my neck aches afterward, so I don't use one generally. I'll flutter kick on my side or back. I have been using one to work on a BR kick, so I can concentrate on the kick alone (I'm learning the stroke). 150 yds is the limit for my neck though.
I hate kickboards because they hurt my shoulders. Never use them. But I can see that they might be useful for BR kick, possbily flutter kick as well (although I don't use a board for flutter kicking). I can't see any use for kickboards for backstroke or dolphin kick though. Midas and Willow are right. For that, get a monofin or do shooters and longer kicks sans board.
BR kick is really the last thing you need to use a board for...go streamline kick, kick, kick, breathe, kick, kick, kick breathe...board just gets in the way. We're going to have some fun arguments a week from monday LOL
I use a board for egg beater drill though. You need the air. If I do flutter with a board I usually keep my head neutral and just rest my hands on the board. I think it's good for a strength workout but I tend to agree it has little to do with the actual stroke.
