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
My swim teacher again tried to get me to use a pull buoy last night, and I gave it a whirl, trying to be open to it. Immediately after my lesson, my shoulders were ACHING and still ache today. The tendon that runs down the center of the medial deltoid keeps twanging in my left arm. Yuck.
I've noticed that among the teachers I have worked with as a swim student, many if not most have a strong attachment to/dependance on the board and buoy. I say I don't want to use those tools and prefer to do drills without or with fins, and they seem unconvinced that I know what I'm talking about, and try to coax me to "get used to it". I'm frustrated. I'm a big girl, but I feel like I'm taking on an institution here, like there are more people than not that can't imagine life without the kick board and the pull buoy.
On a happy note, though, I did my first real flip turn last night!
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Former Member
My swim teacher again tried to get me to use a pull buoy last night, and I gave it a whirl, trying to be open to it. Immediately after my lesson, my shoulders were ACHING and still ache today. The tendon that runs down the center of the medial deltoid keeps twanging in my left arm. Yuck.
I've noticed that among the teachers I have worked with as a swim student, many if not most have a strong attachment to/dependance on the board and buoy. I say I don't want to use those tools and prefer to do drills without or with fins, and they seem unconvinced that I know what I'm talking about, and try to coax me to "get used to it". I'm frustrated. I'm a big girl, but I feel like I'm taking on an institution here, like there are more people than not that can't imagine life without the kick board and the pull buoy.
On a happy note, though, I did my first real flip turn last night!