Pull buoys and kick boards-I just hate them SO much!
Former Member
Am I all alone in this?
I am a newer swimmer, aspiring to join our local masters group, however, I loathe pull buoys and kick boards! I love doing kick drills with no board, it feels purer and more ergonomic. Kick drills with a board torque my neck up and shoulders out of line and make me feel like a slow barge to nowhere. As for pull buoys, I just don't get the benefit. They throw me way off balance and are so distracting that I can't really focus on just my arms. Wouldn't using fins for the arm-focused drills be equally beneficial?
I ask because these crutches I mean tools seem to be an intrinsic part of the masters workout, and I'm worried that if I eschew them, I will throw off the timing of my lanemates, or somehow not fit in to the group flow.
Am I a budding purist or an inflexible whiner? Should I just get over it and use the board and buoy? Or is it acceptable to adapt the workout without these items?
Willow
Parents
Former Member
I don't use a kick board most of the time--in really long kick sets when I feel like being social I'll mix it up 100 with board 100with out, but thats rare even so since they also hurt my neck and shoulders.
As for pull buoys, I rarely use them for swimming (but i do use them for sculling drills). When my teammates are pulling with the buoys, I put on zoomers and my snorkel and concentrate on my body roll and hand placement. I do use paddles along with the fins and snorkel occasionally to get a better feel of the water and my placements correctness.
I don't use a kick board most of the time--in really long kick sets when I feel like being social I'll mix it up 100 with board 100with out, but thats rare even so since they also hurt my neck and shoulders.
As for pull buoys, I rarely use them for swimming (but i do use them for sculling drills). When my teammates are pulling with the buoys, I put on zoomers and my snorkel and concentrate on my body roll and hand placement. I do use paddles along with the fins and snorkel occasionally to get a better feel of the water and my placements correctness.
