In the recent article "Should Swimmers Train With Kickboards?" Allan Phillips (an assistant editor of the Swimming Science Research Review) writes, "Other critiques of kickboard use are biomechanical. In particular, kickboards may allow swimmers to get sloppy with body position and allow hips to drop. Similarly, as Dr. John noted in the earlier piece, kickboards may hide stability weaknesses and encourage “bobbing” in those who can’t properly stabilize the core."

This observation highlights one of the drawbacks of training with kickboards that I discussed in "Improve Balance and Reduce Drag with VB AIR" In that post I said that "… many swimmers use the kick board as a stabilization platform. They grab on the kick board and use its high buoyancy property to balance their body in the water to achieve stability. Instead of using the core muscles to stabilize and balance the body, they use an external device. When swimmers do this, they are discouraging the use of the core muscles which are essential for developing a horizontal body position. Swimmers that use the kick board as a stabilization platform never get an opportunity to learn how to use their core to balance and how to develop an efficient body position."

Allan Phillips, Dr. John and I are using different words to describe the same drawbacks of kickboards. Check out my post where I outline how VB AIR is a superior alternative to kickboards.