Always going forward because I can't find reverse...

[DevonDiver]

Here's the link...

Scuba Tech Philippines

Just a note: this isn't a 'demo' video by any stretch. I was just putting a new wing through it's initial paces.

The frog kick is very ankle dependant. It's very leisurely and puts almost no exertion on the legs. The fins might not look effective, as they bend under loading... but that's how Force Fins work.... they have a snap-back elasticity. They aren't just 'floppy', which is a flash assumption some make. Needless to say, the Pro model has more rigidity that the regular. The Tan Delta material variant even more so.

As I mentioned, this isn't a 'demo' video, so I'm not attempting to break any speed records here. It's the pace that I'd normally use inside a wreck when laying line. My 'cruising' speed using a modified frog kick is normally plenty sufficient that I have to look backwards and make sure I don't leave people behind.

The benefit is the low exertion... you won't blow out your legs. Too many people obsess over maximal fin power but don't dive/train enough to have the muscular endurance to fund that power for more than seconds or minutes.

The efficiency of force fins, coupled with good pacing, allows a significant cruising speed over long duration, without the need for triathlete or SEAL levels of fitness training commitment.

I'm typically using these fins for 2-3 hours a day (several 60-90+ minute dives) usually carrying 3+ cylinders. My legs stay fresh throughout the dive, allowing maximal exertion if/when I need it... and allowing me to maintain an intensive diving workload day-in, day-time, year-round.

Helicopter turn can be done with both legs, of course, but I tend to use a single foot, as it gives a nice, comfortable rotation speed. It might be fun to spin like a dervish in a swimming pool, but inside a wreck you're gonna eat metalwork routinely if you dash around.

This video has, I think, some back kick.

Scuba Tech Philippines

The curve of the Force Fins actually gives a nice surface area to power back kick. Again, it's all about finding the ankle rotation needed to make it work.

The best way to learn back kick is to spend some time developing the techniques bare footed. It's easier than people assume. That develops a sensitivity to where, when and how you're establishing a 'traction' in the water. It's easy for a novice to try too hard in fins.. missing that sensitivity.

If your trim, buoyancy and streamlining isn't consistent and accurate, you won't be able to develop any of these techniques reliably.

 

[CryHavoc]

I taught myself without watching videos. M. I had a pair of Scuba Pro Jet Sport fins and could not figure out how to back kick in them and couldn't find anyone to help me. I got a pair of Jet fins for Christmas one year (asked for them because I thought they would help with back kicking) and the first rime in the pool with them was able to succesfull back kick. It still needs improvement because I tend to swim down when back kicking.

 

[KevinNM]

It still needs improvement because I tend to swim down when back kicking.

IIRC, that is often related to where you are looking, that is how your head and body aligns. Try playing with looking straight ahead, looking up and then looking down and see if one of those helps.

 

[CryHavoc]

IIRC, that is often related to where you are looking, that is how your head and body aligns. Try playing with looking straight ahead, looking up and then looking down and see if one of those helps.

Thanks for the advise. I'll try that next week in the pool.

 

[rongoodman]

You might be a little head high instead of flat. The kick is going to pull you along the axis of your body. My favorite way to start an ascent is to go a little head down and do a couple of back kicks. If I start to rise too quickly, a forward kick will slow me right down.

 

[boulderjohn]

Not too long after I learned to back kick, a woman asked me to teach her how to do it. Since I had learned myself by looking at a video, I had never seen an instructor teach it and did not yet have a good method for doing so in my instructional repertoire. I saw immediately that she did not have really good diving skills to begin with, especially in regard to buoyancy and trim. Like many people trying to back kick, she kept going out of trim, which is a critical problem. Her legs and hips kept going up, so she would end up in a 30° angle with her head down. When I talked to her about it, she said she could not tell she was doing that. I told her to get very close to the bottom of the pool, so she would know that if her body was not close to the bottom, she was out of trim.

Her legs kept going up, and I kept putting her back down. Finally I decided I had to back off and see if she could correct the problem herself. I watched as her legs and hips went higher and higher and higher, with her making no attempt to correct. She later said she did not realize her chest and hips were no longer close to the bottom until she went past vertical and landed on her back.

 

[wildbill9]

I want to thank everyone for their feedback and suggestions! This is a very informative thread for me. I will practice what I have read and hopefully master this technique, it will make my photo journey much more productive. Keep the advice coming

 

[The Chairman]

I have taught this and this is my verbiage in explaining it:

• Load Stage
  • Gently bring the edges of your fins, your knees (which should be bent) and legs together.
  • Thread the needle!
    • IOW, point your fins directly behind you
    • push your fins through the imaginary needle eye right behind you by extending your legs
• Kick Stage (My preferred method)
  • Twist your ankles so that the outside edges are up
  • Feeling the water pressure on the top of your foot, pull your toes towards your head.
    • Knees will bend
    • Your foot will go from extended to being bent up
  
  There is an alternate method I use, if the silt is very fine or there are copious amounts of it.
  • Load Stage
    • Gently bring the edges of your fins, your knees (which should be bent) and legs together.
  • Kick Stage
    • Twist ankles so that the outside edges are up
    • Quickly open your legs and flick your fins outward simultaneously.

 

[Cr.padlo]

i personally use my hand to scull backwards, I'm used to doing it with one hand because my other tends to be occupied by a camera...ive gotten very good at using my hands while diving

 

[RainPilot]

i personally use my hand to scull backwards, I'm used to doing it with one hand because my other tends to be occupied by a camera...ive gotten very good at using my hands while diving

That’s exactly what we teach our students not to do. Also, imagine your camera required two hands. Or you had a light in one hand and following a line with the other. These are all situations where sculling is impractical/impossible.
Why not just learn to do it right from the beginning?