Are all kickboards the same?
While kickboards do come in a variety of shapes and sizes, any swimmer can use any style of kickboard. Adults can use boards designed for children, just as children can quite easily — and often do — use adult-sized kickboards. Best Kickboard for Young Swimmers: TYR Kids Kickboard This is why we recommend the TYR Kids Kickboard! It’s more durable than most tombstone kickboards but smaller than the TYR classic kickboard. Recommended for: This is the best kickboard choice for swimmers who are ~10 years and under.Move to deeper water where your feet cannot touch the bottom, but remain holding onto the side of the pool. Keep your body vertical, with your legs below you. Kick your legs in a scissor motion, known as the flutter kick. Do not bend your knees, but keep your legs flexible and relaxed and with pointed toes.Holding onto a kickboard encourages proper body positioning, with the upper body and head in alignment while the legs do the work. This promotes better overall swimming posture and reduces drag. Kickboards are also great to give swimmers a break from otherwise intense arm workouts and to focus solely on your legs.Think of your legs like jellyfish. They should provide enough propulsion without overexerting yourself. Over-kicking can make swimming less enjoyable and more strenuous. You’ll find that you can swim much more efficiently with less kicking, allowing you to swim longer distances without feeling exhausted.
How to choose a kickboard?
Quality matters too. A well-made kickboard should be durable enough to withstand regular use, comfortable to grip, and provide consistent buoyancy. The material should be chlorine-resistant and easy to clean, as kickboards see heavy use in pool environments. The most common dimensions for a kickboard are between 50 to 100mm depth and 100 to 200mm height. They are made from a variety of materials including wood, types of plastic and metal.Not confident drilling through your cabinet to secure the kickboard? Try Adjustable feet clips! These clips screw on the back of the kickboard and then clip onto your smart legs. Remember to keep in mind that a lot of time and effort can go into measuring, cutting and placing kickboards yourself.Kickboard height is usually between 90mm and 150mm and set back from the cabinet’s carcass by around 50mm.Kickboard workouts are designed specifically to target and build leg muscles, particularly in the thighs, calves, and hips. These exercises isolate the lower body, allowing you to focus on developing leg strength without the distraction of arm movement.
What can I use instead of a kickboard?
Using a snorkel makes kick sets much more efficient, as you won’t need to lift your head to breathe. You can kick on your front using a snorkel and a hand paddle, held just under the water out in front, or FINIS’s Alignment Kickboard, or even a regular kickboard, held out in front, with your face and head down. Kickboards come in two classes of rigidity: a hard EVA foam or a softer, more flexible foam. EVA is best for swimmers who do a lot of kick and more experienced swimmers. The harder boards promote better posture through the spine when used and won’t sag under the water.But, the kickboards are also a great tool for helping kids stay afloat on their backs – in addition to teaching them how to swim on their backs. By holding the kickboard over their knees, kids can gain the confidence to be on their backs while incorporating productive kicks into the routine.Kickboard workouts are designed specifically to target and build leg muscles, particularly in the thighs, calves, and hips. These exercises isolate the lower body, allowing you to focus on developing leg strength without the distraction of arm movement.
How big should a kickboard be?
The ideal kickboard size will depend on the swimmer’s height, weight, and arm length. However, most boards are between 18 and 20 inches long, and 14 and 16 inches wide. If you’re unsure which size to choose, it’s best to err on the side of larger rather than smaller. At any rate, purchasing a small or medium sized and soft kickboard is ideal because it will be in proportion to their body size and soft so that they do not feel uncomfortable holding it. Typically this is referred to as “Junior Size”.
Is a kickboard worth it?
Benefits of Using a Kickboard This promotes better overall swimming posture and reduces drag. Isolation of Lower Body: By isolating the lower body, swimmers can focus solely on improving their kicking technique without distraction, leading to better coordination and control. It increases the number of calories that you burn. That’s why many individuals who are swimming to lose weight are using a kickboard. Swimming is truly an amazing whole body workout.If you’re looking for a low-impact activity that engages multiple muscle groups, improves cardiovascular health, and promotes mental health, swimming may be a better choice for you. If you’re looking to lose fat, build muscle mass, and increase strength and power, gym workouts may be a better choice.Pool workouts are great for staying fit and healthy. Adding kickboard exercises ramp up this gentle yet effective workout tool. In this instructional exercise video from SwimEx, see how to use a kickboard to engage the abdominals. The push-and-pull style exercise also encourages proper posture and stabilization.Strong muscles in the stomach are also critical to back health, helping to keep you balanced and prevent slumping which can compress internal organs. Swimming is an excellent activity not just in terms of the cardiovascular benefits but also for toning those areas that are hard to reach.
Are kickboards good for swimming?
Because of the rotational dynamics of the long-axis strokes, kickboards aren’t quite as useful as they are for the short-axis strokes. On one hand, fast freestyle flutter kick with a kickboard is a great way to strengthen the kicking movement and get some cardio. Freestyle kick, also known as flutter kick, is an alternating leg kick performed with relatively straight legs. It’s typically performed at a relatively high rate over a small range of motion.