Great swimming form is the difference between gliding smoothly through the water and splashing around looking like you need to be rescued. Although you can learn to swim effectively and gracefully without any extra equipment through effort and practice, a kickboard is one of the most useful tools you can bring to the pool. Not only does it give you greater freedom to hone your kicks and breathing, it can provide variety in the workouts of more advanced swimmers.
Basics
The kickboard is of very simple construction and relatively inexpensive. They cost between $7 and $20, and are made of compressed plastic foam. The boards are either rectangular or slightly triangular and range in size from around 17 in by 9 in for children to 20 in by 11 in for adults.
Learning to Swim
For new swimmers, a kickboard can be an invaluable resource as a flotation device while they are learning the prone float and flutter kick. By holding the board along its sides, hands curling around the front edge of the board, you can practice kicking with your face out of the water, removing anxiety about breathing underwater. As you advance, you can hold the board further in front of you with your arms fully extended and your face in the water. This way you can practice the kick as well as your rhythmic breathing.
Drills
Advanced swimmers will also benefit from the kickboard as an option for drills and interval training. Doing a mixed cardio program using a kickboard to propel yourself with just your legs interspersed with pull buoy drills, which utilize a pull buoy between your legs in order to allow you to propel yourself with only your arms, and freestyle intervals allows you to alleviate boredom from swimming plain laps for a full 30 to 60 minute workout. This type of interval workout also burns more calories by breaking up the moderate workload of swimming regular laps with more intense drills.
Other Equipment
Even more drills are possible with the addition of fins and snorkels. Using these either on their own or in tandem with the kickboard opens up a world of possibilities. One drill that uses them all is a flutter kick with alternating arm strokes. Using the snorkel to eliminate the need for rhythmic breathing, you will hold the kickboard at arm's length with both hands on the bottom edge. Begin your flutter kick, release one hand from the kickboard and slowly stroke it through the water as you count to yourself from one to four. Swap hands and repeat the four-count with the other arm, continuing the flutter kick throughout.
References
- "Swimming for Total Fitness"; Jane Katz; 1992
- "Advanced Swimming: Steps to Success"; David Thomas; 1990
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