Kickboards

Swimming Kickboards are great pieces of equipment for working out, recreation, and education. They are floatation devices that a swimmer holds onto to improve their kick. While originally there was a single design for kickboards, mostly rectangular and rounded at the front, now there are multiple designs with different hand position options, straps, and triangular kickboards designed to streamline through the water. Some are hard, while others are soft and flexible, but most are made of foam.

When picking out a kickboard, select one that is at least as long as your forearm, so that you elbows rest on the board. Kickboards allow new swimmers to learn the legs of each stroke while gaining confidence in the water. Swimmers hold the top of the board, which keeps their body afloat and their faces out of the water so that they can focus on the rudiments of breaststroke and freestyle kicks. When practicing the backstroke kick, swimmers float on their backs and embrace the kickboard across their chest and under their chin.

For teaching inexperienced swimmers or children, swimming kickboards are indispensable. For the experienced swimmer, swimming kickboards allow you to focus on perfecting one part of your stroke at a time. You can also use a kickboard to strengthen your kick. When doing laps, use a kickboard and fins to really work your legs.

Swimming kickboards can also be used to perfect rotary breathing and arm strokes for freestyle. Instead of holding the kickboard at the top of the board with arms across it, you hold the kickboard at the bottom and put your face in the water. When you need to take a breath you do one arm pull, look to the side and breath, and then put your face back in the water as you grab back onto the kickboard. This drill lets you practice side breathing as well as elongating your stroke.

Some swimming kickboards can be used as pull buoys, and are designed to fit between the legs so that a swimmer can strengthen their arms. A regular kickboard can be placed between the legs for a drill that teaches swimmers to finish their stroke. They swim freestyle, and when their hand leaves the water they hit the kickboard. So, swimming kickboards can be used for more than just kicking.