Frog Kick Fin Preference

[newlinbx]

What is the prefered fin blade for frog kick and why? I have Atomic and Apollo split fins, are there any drawback to these?

 

[Blackwood]

?


Anyway, whatever fins you can do the kicks in is fine. Many people find that splits fins are too "floppy" to do certain kicks efficiently (those where you need to maneuver the fin in a specific orientation to avoid counterproductive finning).

 

[300bar]

can someone hand out a flamejacket.

 

[rongoodman]

What is the prefered fin blade for frog kick and why? I have Atomic and Apollo split fins, are there any drawback to these?

The stiffer paddle type fins, such as the Scubapro Jetfins, OMS Slipstreams, or Dive Rite fins work well for the frog and other non-silting kicks. At one time I had a pair of Mares fins which were comfortable and felt like they were working OK. When I saw on video how they folded up when I was trying to back up in them, I ditched them.

 

[TSandM]

I think you can DO the frog kick in any fin. It's extremely difficult to LEARN in a highly flexible fin. When I took Fundies, I started in a pair of Razors, which are cheap, very flexible fins. (I was using them because non-split fins were required, and they were the only ones we had.) I couldn't get the movement of the kick right, no matter what I did. The following day, I dove in Jets, and got it immediately -- the proprioceptive feedback was so much better.

I have since done one dive in split fins, and I was able to frog kick, although it felt weird and wasn't as efficient as my paddle fins are. The advantage of a stiff fin is that any motion of your foot or leg is transmitted immediately to the water; the disadvantage is that it can be more exertion. And I have found Jets to be very poor fins for full-leg flutter kicking -- it's just too much work!

 

[khacken]

Any paddle fin is ok for frog kicking. The splits will work, but aren't as effective as the paddle fins. If you are considering moving to technical diving, paddles will be a must as the splits cause too much silting.

The scubapros are the most popular, but any of the others are fine as well. I personally like the the heavier scubapros since I do alot of drysuit diving. Rongoodman has a point about the Mares, but I haven't personally used them.


Remember you want to have the right tool for the right job. Splits are great for flutter kicking, and paddles are great for frog kicking.

 

[khacken]

Also, it is possible to do back kicks in splits, but it is difficult to learn.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

If we are just talking about the frog kick, my Gara 2000 freedive fins move me farther and easier than any other fin I have frog kicked in

With regards to the Mares comment, just like with any other manufacturer there are a bunch of Mares fins, including splits I believe. There are stiff Mares and there are flexible Mares, so saying Mares fold up during the frog kick is like saying Nissan's burn up transmissions hauling boats out.

 

[karstdvr]

I think you can DO the frog kick in any fin.

This is true. The biggest question would be what fin would give you the most propulsive force with a frog kick-some type of power fin that is fairly stiff. Jet Fins do this,but due to the flexibility,maybe not as efficient as say the Dive Rite or Mares power fin. Personally I think the frog kick is just one selection of a choice of many kick styles,and prefer a fin that does all well,in which case I lean toward the Jet fin,or vintage Dacor Turboflex.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I own and occasionally use jets...
But...
My favorite fin for the frog kick is.... the Frog!

(no kidding)
Rick