Fun and Effective Kickboard Exercises to Enhance your Swimming
Kickboard exercises are a fun way to improve your swimming skills, as well as your strength and endurance in the water as a whole. At first glance, swimmers may get the impression that the only way to use kickboards is for traditional kick sets. This is not true because kickboards can be used in other ways to help a swimmer improve their swimming skills. Here are four different ways that using kickboards, such as in drills or games where you have to kick against your teammates, can help swimmers improve their skills.
Kickboard Wars
Pair up two swimmers who are about the same speed when they kick. Tell the swimmers to go to the middle of the pool and ensure there is enough space between them and the wall. Have both swimmers hold on to opposite sides of the same kickboard, facing each other. When the coach tells them to start kicking, both swimmers should kick as hard as they can against the other swimmer to see who can push the other back to the wall first. The winner is the person who gets their partner to the wall.
Kayak Drill
In kayak drill, swimmers use the kickboard as a paddle to move through the water as they work on turning their bodies and trying to keep a steady kick. Have swimmers hold kickboards horizontally and push off the wall on their backs. Switch sides when using the kickboard as a paddle to keep your balance and make it feel like you’re in a kayak.
Tombstone
This drill can help swimmers improve their kick by using resistance. Swimmers should hold kickboards vertically, half in and half out of the water. If the drill is done right, they shouldn’t be able to see over the top of the kickboard. This drill should make kicking harder because swimmers push the kickboard through the water, which helps them improve their kick.
Core and Balance
This drill will help you improve your kick, core strength, and balance. For this drill, swimmers should lie on their sides and use one hand to balance the kickboard underwater. Their hand should be in the middle of the kickboard, and their shoulder should be above their wrist. To make this drill harder, swimmers can keep their opposite arm at their side or raise it in the air. They should keep a steady kick going the whole time they do this drill.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned swimmer, kickboard exercises are a fun and effective way to improve your swimming abilities and overall strength and endurance in the water. A kickboard can be used for more than just the standard kick set. It can also be used in creative and fun ways to improve a swimmer’s skills. So, the next time you feel like kicking, try one of these four ways to make it more fun!