40 replies to this topic

[canuckdiver]

ok, been trying to improve my skills, especially with my ongoing decompression course.

Bouyancy is good, trim is good, valve drills are ok, but improving.

The thing that I have been having trouble with is my frog kicks! I'm using IDI power fins, and love them, but when I switch from flutter kicking to frog kicking, I just can't seem to get any power out of my strokes! I can helecopter turn, and even back up ok, but going forward is pathetically slow, and in a current, FORGET IT!

Any advice from the masses on common mistakes that I might be making???

[DivingGal]

Have you had a buddy check how you're doing the kick u/w? What you think you're doing, may not be what you're doing.

That being said, I find the force of the kick generated from the legs when they're brought together on what I call the start of the glide stroke.

Wait for Walter's explaination -- he's got a great kick. His pal MB as well. When either use the kick it's like poetry -- I swear.

[WreckWench]

Hey CD...this is an excellent thread...it has overlays to cave diving... fresh water diving and my favorite...NC WRECK AND SHARK DIVING!!! Yes sometimes we have a silt bottom and it is so nice when people have good finning or kicking skills so that they don't stir up the bottom!

And I too am trying to learn and feel its not comfortable for me to change kick styles so I'm eagerally awaiting some suggestions as well!

DGal...I'll have someone look at my kick when I'm diving this weekend...thanks for the suggestion!

[hnladue]

Yea, WW, I wanna swim behind you so I can look at your butt while you fin!!! WooHoo!!! j/k!!!

[chinacat46]

[Lubold8431]

Ok, going back to the TOPIC at hand!!!

Mastering the frog kick is tough. It definitely helps to have someone observe you kicking, and giving you feedback as to want your legs, knees, and fins are doing. Its most likely that you are not positioning everything correctly to get maximum thrust. Its hard to correct something when you dont know what you are doing wrong, but take a look at some of the videos on frog kicks available on the net, and then try to have your buddy tell you what you are doing wrong. Like anything, practice makes perfect, but being shown how to do something the right way is key.

[AndrewJD]

It's difficult to give you advice without actually seeing what you're doing. The only thing that I can think of is that your fins may not be perpendicular to the direction they are moving through the water. This would reduce the amount of thrust that your are getting. Here is a good video of a frog kick.

Frog Kick Video

Jonathan

[triggerfish]

thanks for the video!
ok, so here's my admission of ignorance for you guys:

when i frog kick (which is most of the time cuz i find it comfortable), i'm usually just cruisin'. i guess i would think if you needed to get somewhere in a hurry, a frog kick isn't the stroke you'd use. i'd think a good stong flutter...
granted, i am not a "tech" (there's that word again!) or wreck or cave diver, so i don't know...

teach me something, men

ohdeargod, i opened myself up for that one, huh??

i was actually being serious lubold!!! please don't hate me!!!!

Edited by triggerfish, 18 May 2004 - 12:31 PM.

[scubahoney]

Hey, thanks for posting the video.

[jextract]

Yea, WW, I wanna swim behind you so I can look at your butt while you fin!!! WooHoo!!! j/k!!!

So I guess I'm second in line for this job?

[scubahoney]

I need help with my frog kick too! In all seriousness, this kick is better in cave diving? I will def. need help learning this one then. I tend to have trouble with jsut a regular kick...maybe i'm doing something wrong.

[Coo's Toe]

Hard to tell without seeing you kicking, but my guess is you might be dropping your knees when you kick. I'll second the other opinions, have a buddy watch the video, then watch you for a comparison.

I use the frog even in powerful currents with no problems, so I know there is power in the kick when done correctly. I only flutter on the surface anymore.

[jextract]

One of the most useful things I've come across is to have someone use an underwater video camera on you. I had someone do this for me because I was trying to streamline my profile and I was shocked at the difference between what I thought I looked like and what I actually looked like. The result? I had a friend whose air consumption matched mine and the last time we dove together he ended the dive with about 550 psi and I finished with 1300.

[Coo's Toe]

I need help with my frog kick too! In all seriousness, this kick is better in cave diving? I will def. need help learning this one then. I tend to have trouble with jsut a regular kick...maybe i'm doing something wrong.

You'll definately want to master the frog for caving. I think as you gain more time and experiance in the water, SH, you'll have less trouble with any of the kicks. You'll reach a point where you can "feel" exactly what your fins are doing, even though you can't see them.

Talk to yourself in another 100 dives or so.

[scubahoney]

I'm not sure my self can wait that long, but good advice Darth