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
It seems to me that it's a mistake to use paddles the way so many young and inexperienced instructors want to use them: as a way to improve technique because they can't think up a better way to teach what a pull should feel like.
Less than great technique + added resistance looks like an excellent formula for injury.
On the other hand, if technique is fine, then I don't see a problem with paddles unless there's some underlying problem that only really shows up when extra resistance is added to the stroke.
I NEVER use paddles for both reasons. I never use fins either because they hurt my right knee. I hate kickboards with a passion that is difficult to verbalize. And pullbuoys just seem kinda pointless.
I do wish there were coaches out there that weren't dependent on these items, but alas, actually swimming a full stroke sans any kind of extra equipment seems to be really unpopular.
It seems to me that it's a mistake to use paddles the way so many young and inexperienced instructors want to use them: as a way to improve technique because they can't think up a better way to teach what a pull should feel like.
Less than great technique + added resistance looks like an excellent formula for injury.
On the other hand, if technique is fine, then I don't see a problem with paddles unless there's some underlying problem that only really shows up when extra resistance is added to the stroke.
I NEVER use paddles for both reasons. I never use fins either because they hurt my right knee. I hate kickboards with a passion that is difficult to verbalize. And pullbuoys just seem kinda pointless.
I do wish there were coaches out there that weren't dependent on these items, but alas, actually swimming a full stroke sans any kind of extra equipment seems to be really unpopular.
