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
You get on with your own bad self.
More women have shoulder problems than men. If you do have shoulder problems, you definitely shouldn't use paddles.
Probably true. And I don't want to come across as if I think I'm some kind of ironman who's immune to injury. I just haven't seen any evidence that paddles actually cause injury. Sure, if you have bad shoulders and find that paddles hurt, don't use them.
You get on with your own bad self.
More women have shoulder problems than men. If you do have shoulder problems, you definitely shouldn't use paddles.
Probably true. And I don't want to come across as if I think I'm some kind of ironman who's immune to injury. I just haven't seen any evidence that paddles actually cause injury. Sure, if you have bad shoulders and find that paddles hurt, don't use them.
