How kick /swim / fin backwards

[MikeFerrara]

ihunter once bubbled...
I have Genesis Trek splitfins. What are my odds? Frog kicks work fine with them...

With split fins your best bet to go backwards is to put the fins on your hands.

Stiff blades work best IME.

 

[ScubaScott]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
Mares fins, but it's a no-go with the Jets...grrrrr. Seems like the flexible blade make the manuever easier.

I've yet to be able to nail the backwards kick in my Mares..... I put on a old Dacor fin that was very stiff, and got it almost without thinking about it....

SS

 

[roakey]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
Mares fins, but it's a no-go with the Jets...grrrrr. Seems like the flexible blade make the manuever easier.

We should get together... I can reverse with my Jets but not with my Mares...

Roak

 

[Genesis]

with my IDIs.

With the Mares, forgetaboutit.

With the Twinjets, forgetaboutit most of the time.

I'm sure its a matter of practice though, as I can do a helicopter turn with ALL OF THE ABOVE! So obviously, I CAN produce reverse propulsion, or I couldn't do the helicopter....

 

[WJL]

I'll try to write out an explanation, but this is one of those things, like riding a bike, that is not easy to describe how to do in writing. It helps to have someone who knows show you on dry land, and then video you in the water trying to do it so they can point out what you're doing wrong. Anyways, here's a shot. Try this at home, preferably with no one providing smart comments from the peanut gallery.

You have to be horizontal in the water to do this, so you need to practice while horizontal. Lay on your tummy on the floor. Bring your lower legs up so they are vertical. Point your fins back behind you.

Try to press the bottoms of your feet together. You will have to spread your knees pretty far apart to do this. The idea is to try to press the bottoms of both fins together, especially at the tips of the fins. You don't have to get your feet exactly flat together, but the flatter the better.

This right here is the whole key to the backward kick, and why you need stiff fins to do it effectively. With your fins pressed together, slice the fins backwards into the water, back behind you. You have to keep the tips of your fins together as you are doing this. The point is to slice the water without pushing against it with the fins. If you do this part wrong and push your fins backwards while they are spread apart, you just thrust yourself forward, which is not what you want.

Okay, now those fins are back behind you with the bottoms pressed together. If you did it right, you didn't propel yourself anywhere. This is where you're going to start going backwards. Turn your ankles so your fin tips are pointing more or less straight out to your sides. You go backwards by scooping water forward with your fins using your ankles and lower legs. You are grabbing water using the tops and sides of your fins and flipping it in the direction of your head.

Now you're going backwards. You can't exactly motor with this kick, so just let yourself glide back a bit. Then start the cycle over to go back some more.

This definitely takes practice.

If you want professional, hands-on instruction, take a GUE Fundamentals class. It's just one of the gems you'll learn.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Epinephelus once bubbled...
I'll try...
Begin with legs fairly extended, fins together.
Now rotate your foot so that your toes are aimed out to either side - the fin blade is as "flat" as you can get it. Imagine you are standing in your fins, knees slightly bent and fin tips pointed out to the side.
Now, in one smooth swift motion, while keeping the fin blade in the same position, draw your legs forward and out, thus pulling water forward and propelling your body backwards - bring your legs together, "collapse" your fin blades and extend them aft again.
Repeat.
E.

WJL once bubbled...
I'll try to write out an explanation, but this is one of those things, like riding a bike, that is not easy to describe how to do in writing. It helps to have someone who knows show you on dry land, and then video you in the water trying to do it so they can point out what you're doing wrong. Anyways, here's a shot. Try this at home, preferably with no one providing smart comments from the peanut gallery.

You have to be horizontal in the water to do this, so you need to practice while horizontal. Lay on your tummy on the floor. Bring your lower legs up so they are vertical. Point your fins back behind you.

Try to press the bottoms of your feet together. You will have to spread your knees pretty far apart to do this. The idea is to try to press the bottoms of both fins together, especially at the tips of the fins. You don't have to get your feet exactly flat together, but the flatter the better.

This right here is the whole key to the backward kick, and why you need stiff fins to do it effectively. With your fins pressed together, slice the fins backwards into the water, back behind you. You have to keep the tips of your fins together as you are doing this. The point is to slice the water without pushing against it with the fins. If you do this part wrong and push your fins backwards while they are spread apart, you just thrust yourself forward, which is not what you want.

Okay, now those fins are back behind you with the bottoms pressed together. If you did it right, you didn't propel yourself anywhere. This is where you're going to start going backwards. Turn your ankles so your fin tips are pointing more or less straight out to your sides. You go backwards by scooping water forward with your fins using your ankles and lower legs. You are grabbing water using the tops and sides of your fins and flipping it in the direction of your head.

Now you're going backwards. You can't exactly motor with this kick, so just let yourself glide back a bit. Then start the cycle over to go back some more.

This definitely takes practice.

If you want professional, hands-on instruction, take a GUE Fundamentals class. It's just one of the gems you'll learn.

Both these descriptions are attempts at describing precisely the same fin motion. Try to imagine both as the same and you should get a pretty good picture. (WJL's explanation begins with the recovery stroke; E's begins with the power stroke - but other than where in the cycle the description begins, they are the same.)
Oh, and as long as we're plugging courses, if you want professional, hands-on instruction, there are a number of competent instructors conducting classes from several agencies over a range of diving skills, from my SSI open water photography class to just about any cave course where reverse finning is taught.
Rick

 

[jiveturkey]

Here's a link to the GUE video. It's down the page a bit if you want to have a second look. http://www.gue.com/classroom/propulsion/index.shtml

 

[USMC Diver]

Just turn around and swim the other way.

 

[RichLockyer]

USMC Diver once bubbled...
Just turn around and swim the other way.

That doesn't work too well when you're hunting lobster and discover an agressive Moray behind your quarry.

Or when hovering with a buddy and the current (or errant leg movement) carries you too close to each other.

 

[ElectricZombie]

ihunter once bubbled...

Any pointers on these kicks?

Practice...hard and often!

Study the videos and try to get the movements down in your head. If you have a buddy that can already do these kicks, an in-person demo is helpful. A DIR-F class is a good investment.

When doing the helicopter turn, one foot is doing the helicopter turn part, while the other is doing a reverse kick. A lot of people just try to use one foot and they end up moving off course, far from where they started.

For the reverse kick, keep your head up. Don't let your legs drop too far down. The key of the reverse kick is getting a nice glide and not bringing yourself to a halt when you re-chamber your legs.