After a surge in sales depleted inventory and resulted in a four-week delay to ship new orders, The Brick is available for sale again. But the company cautions that the new stock may not last long. High demand for the world’s first-ever weighted kickboard means that much of the new inventory is already gone.
“We thought this round of Bricks would last us for a while but nearly a third were sold before they were even made.” says James Fike, founder of Fike Swim Products and creator of The Brick. “We’re ramping up production and working hard to build our inventory going into the holidays.”
The company is also pushing up launch dates for several new products, including a new, Brick-compatible swim backpack.
THE BRICK is the world’s first-ever weighted kickboard. At 6lbs it turns any kick set into a total body workout that actually improves a swimmer’s body position in the water—even after the kicking is done. Some of the biggest names in swimming have adopted The Brick, including 6 of the top 20 Division I college teams.
Developed by Fike Swim Products, The Brick is a patent-pending board that floats just enough to support its own weight, so it sinks when a swimmer rests his/her arms on top, forcing the swimmer’s core, upper body, and legs to work to maintain body position on top of the water while kicking. The Brick elevates any traditional kick set, plus it can be used for submerged kick sets, vertical kicking, and other drills that aren’t possible with a traditional, hyper-buoyant board.
But The Brick isn’t just about faster kicking, it’s about faster swimming. After using The Brick a swimmer feels higher in the water, like they’re swimming downhill, and is more aware of their body position long after the set is over.
USA Swimming coaches have had this to say about The Brick:
“I love the way swimmers are forced to hold their core together while working the kick. Also noticed their heart rate gets elevated very cool.”
– Coach Marc
“The shipment came in after practice so I tried them out for an IM kick set. Loved it but will be very sore. I have never been one to coordinate dolphin kick with a kick board but it felt very natural with the Brick.”
– Coach Matt
The Brick has benefits for every stroke:
– BREASTSTROKERS feel faster heel speed and a more powerful kick that drives straight back;
– BUTTERFLIERS and BACKSTROKERS can easily stay submerged for underwater kick sets; and
– FREESTYLERS and BACKSTROKERS who try to sandbag a kick set with limp legs will sink!
The Brick is for swimmers of all types and levels, from novice to professional, from the lap swimmer to the triathlete to the synchro swimmer working on their skulls and egg beaters.
For more information on how The Brick can transform your swimming, check out our YouTube channel and website, and like us on Facebook.
About Fike Swim Products
Fike Swim Products was born when founder James Fike put a brick on top of a kickboard and transformed just another legs-only kick set into a total body workout felt into the next day. Since then it’s been our mission to create unique swim equipment with the single-minded goal of making you faster. We don’t sell toys. We create tools to help you reach your potential.
About Founder James Fike
James Fike has always had a passion for swimming. He started swimming competitively at age 5, ultimately training under Eddie Reese at The University of Texas from 1999-2003 where he had the privilege of swimming alongside some of the greatest swimmers in the history of the sport. James has continued swimming through all the phases of his life- from working as an investment banker, to getting his MBA back at UT, and back to working in corporate America. Finally, his passion for the sport led him to opening The Fort Worth Swim School, which teaches students of all ages and abilities and works to foster his same lifelong love for the sport.
Now, what started with a brick and kickboard and a drive for always finding new ways to grow in the pool, has become Fike Swim Products, a company dedicated to helping you Train Different!
James Fike, creator of The Brick
Swimming News is courtesy of Fike Swim Products, a SwimSwam partner.
So at neutral buoyancy “the brick” doesn’t allow swimmers to rest on it. In the end this is almost like using no kickboard at all ! Of course there should be a slight difference as the surface is higher than those of hands only (some additional lift depending on speed and board orientation), but this seems more like a gadget to me.