![]() Be aware of the Goldilocks rule regarding leg position.Have someone watch your kick from underwater to tell you what they see. New swimmers often bend their knees way to much when kicking, sometimes moving like they are pedaling a bike. Your kick should initiate at your hip, not your knee. If you’re getting nowhere fast with your kick, make sure you kick with your full leg.To reduce this discomfort, hold the kickboard with slightly bent arms. That’s not a position that you should hold lap after lap. It’s good technique to maintain fully extended arms while your in a streamline coming off a turn, but that only lasts for a few seconds. Similarly, kicking with your arms fully extended can lead to shoulder pain.You may need to stop periodically to stretch. Unfortunately this can be difficult if you’re working to to keep your feet near the surface and also need to keep your head out of the water. Try to minimize any arching of your back or neck. Using a kickboard can be painful, particularly through your neck and back.Here are a few suggestions on how to use a kickboard correctly: Two common complaints from kickboards user are (1) “This is so uncomfortable! I have to stop” and (2) “I’m kicking hard but not going anywhere!”. What you Might be Doing Wrong an How to Fix It Kick evenly and with your full leg, not just your calves.As you kick, work to keep your body horizontal with your legs near the surface.Push off from the wall and start kicking.Stretch your arms out straight in front of you. ![]() Learning how to use a kickboard is straight-forward: By focusing on your kick you can see substantial improvements in your overall swimming. Are your legs dead after kicking a few laps? You may need to increase your leg strength. Do you drift left or right when you kick? You may have an unbalanced kick. Without your arms to help pull you through the ware, you’ll quickly figure out how much your kick is contributing to your speed. The other reason to use a kickboard is to improve the strength and efficiency of your kick. It’s the basic advice we learned from Dory in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming”. This can be great for swimmers who don’t have the skill or fitness to swim freestyle continuously. Using a kickboard lets you rest your arms while you keep your heart up. Kickboards are not safety flotation devices and they are not pool toys (even though it’s kind of fun to try to stand on them, or to see how high you can shoot them out of the water). Whether it’s number one or two, this article should help you learn how to use a kickboard. Or (2), you’ve used a kickboard, aren’t a big fan, and are checking online to see if you’re using it correctly. Now you’re interested in learning the basics. Maybe you saw someone using one at the local pool. You’re likely reading this article for one of two reasons.
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