What Kick Board Kicking Does for You

I love kicking, but I notice so few swimmers actually practicing with the board more than a couple laps at a time. I wonder why. This post shares some of why I think kicking rocks!

I fell in love with kicking about nine years ago when I injured my elbow. Since I couldn't use my arms, I concentrated on my legs. Up until then, I could go maybe two laps with the kickboard before tiring. After that month, I could go virtually forever. It wasn't that I did anything different, other than force myself to go longer. That said, I imagine anyone can get over the exhaustion hump if they "just do it"(thanks Nike).

But more came out of my experience than an enhanced ability to push the old styrofoam for more laps. I learned that I could kick harder as needed and easily recover. I learned that an extra kick is what can push me ahead, when I want to boost my speed temporarily (e.g., to pass another swimmer), without having to pull harder with my arms. I learned that kicking makes my legs stronger even out of the pool. I can now climb stairs faster, walk stronger, and even fit into my skinny college jeans again.

Yes, kicking is an unappreciated aquatic skill that needs to be practiced, but the gains can be huge.

Kickboard Techniques that Build Speed

Several years ago I saw two young women with a college team logo on each of their swim caps using kickboards, seemingly gliding along parallel to one another and chatting amiably. What was most interesting was not any of this, but that they were going very fast, and their "efforting" didn't seem to phase them at all. Their conversation was animated and they weren't breathing particularly different than had they been walking down the street. I'm guessing they were averaging one minute per 50 meters. The speed to them seemed inconsequential. Obviously, those two women had some speed secret I did not share.

Ever since, I've striven to have a strong kick. Not to chase the women - though that might come in handy should that pair ever return - but to build up my swimming speed. I devote twenty percent of my workout to the kickboard and have found it has definitely helped my overall swimming performance.

In the several years since I first saw those kickboarding women, I've found a few techniques that have built my speed:
1. Lift my toes out of the water to maximize my leg length and depth of my kick
2. Keep my legs as straight as possible for maximum sized paddle thrust and kick from the hip.
3. Whip my legs like one whips a rope (kick from the hip - see #2). The whip action promotes a stronger leg thrust than your typical back and forth leg motion.
4. Focus on the whole leg rather than the ankles and feet. Feel it in your belly.
5. During the kickboard period - I do it at the end of my workout - do periodic sprints to the point of getting yourself nearly out of breath and legs burning. I use key points in the pool as my starting and stopping points.
6. Don't lie on the kickboard. Push it out in front of you and extend your body to its full length.