Since its launch on June 2nd The Brick has been adopted by individuals and teams around the world, including 5 of the top NCAA Division I men’s and women’s swim teams. Michigan, Stanford, North Carolina State, Tennessee, and South Carolina were all early adopters, as well TCU, Notre Dame, and Navy.
“It’s very exciting to have so many elite programs validating what was just an idea a year ago,” says James Fike, founder of Fike Swim Products and creator of The Brick. “And to have other groups, like triathletes, synchronized swimmers, and water polo players, tell me it has benefited them is just awesome.”
With its popularity rising Fike Swim Products launched a YouTube channel along with its Facebook page to create a community dedicated to the various uses customers have come up with for The Brick. And demand has pushed the company to begin European partnerships for international distribution and to pursue development of its next product, a Brick-compatible swim backpack due out in October.
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.
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.
Cool. Dennis HIll, Ann Arbor Pioneer had kickboards made WAY back when out of wood. They probably weighed around 20+lbs. brutal!!
I bet this is patentable!
Speedray kickboard. 20 years ago. Same body position. Half the price.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/13/style/thing-in-the-water-a-shape-of-things-to-come.html
1995 dollars…
There’s no cheating with the Brick. It look & feels like a typical kick board, but thats where the similarity ends. It will “hover” a few inches below the waterline, meaning you will have to engage your core to keep the board & yourself in proper position. As a competitive adult triathlete, learning to swim correctly is a challenge, and the Brick has already given me a new sense of body position awareness. Too bad everybody now knows about my secret training tool…
what next? weighted pull buoys and toe paddles?
I use the Brick regularly for my fitness swims. It has definitely increased my leg strength as well as my core. I recommend it to anyone trying to improve their kick and fitness level.
Why not just get a weight plate and kick, or a real brick. Save some $.
Well, people can use old nokia brick cell phones that can be bought for 60 bucks and carry around their laptops everywhere rather than buy a 600 dollar smartphone. This is just a product that helps better benefit the consumers, in this case, the swimmers. It makes it more convenient to have a heavy kickboard rather than carrying a brick and a kickboard everywhere. As for the cost, I assume that this is a relatively new invention and he funded this somehow so he has to make enough revenue somehow to payback the loan and/or offset the cost of production.
Tom, it’s a good question but the problem with dead weight is that pulls down on your front end so much that the set becomes about survival and not letting the weight fall. A lot of teams do this with medicine balls, but the swimmers end up just trying not to drown. The Brick, on the other hand, has just the right amount of buoyancy- enough that it’s not a total battle to keep it up but not so much that it does the work for you. So your whole body works together to stay up, just as it should when you’re swimming. Plus, if you lose The Brick in the water it won’t break your foot or the bottom… Read more »
Well the material has to create significant weight while still remaining semi-buoyant. That might cost quite a bit more than your average board