need help in learning correct finstroke

[aquaregia]

My scissory/fluttery kick is entirely worthless as the only swim strokes I know are breaststroke and sidestroke. After five minutes with my kicking mentor, he said "f*** it, just frogkick".

 

[g1138]

My scissory/fluttery kick is entirely worthless as the only swim strokes I know are breaststroke and sidestroke. After five minutes with my kicking mentor, he said "f*** it, just frogkick".

Yeah, seeing you flutter kick is hilarious xD

Thinking about it some more. This guy is kicking off of habit. To break that habit you have to teach him from scratch.
Just break everything down into simple steps. Have him practice kicking without having to worry about anything else.
This could mean sitting out of the pool on your back and kicking your legs (gives you an ab workout as well ;D)
Or hanging onto the pool wall and kicking against it. Try to break it down for him.

 

[duskdiver]

Thanks Hallmac!! I am gonna give that a try next time I have this issue..

 

[RU4SKUBA]

Swim lessons aren't really that difficult or expensive and nobody is going to tease them for learning how to swim. Hate to say it, but most divers have poor flutter kicks and even fewer are capable of teaching others how to do it properly.

I've even seen some instructors that have no business teaching others how to flutter kick and that's kinda sad for someone in the aquatics industry.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

there are some great pointers here, the best one probably being to frog kick ...

either way, i HIGHLY recommend you show him what he looks like on video ... strong tool for showing people the difference between what they ARE doing and what they THINK they are doing....

incredibly effective for any activity ... i realized this as a college golfer ....:depressed:

but at least the outcome was good ;-)

 

[40Fathoms]

Try having him swimming, not finning, in a pool. While a poor finning technique can still get you by in when diving, due to the propulsion from the fins, when you're surface swimming with no fins or other forms of assist, you need proper technique to get propulsion. If he has problems learning the proper technique, a swimming coach might be a good idea. Or you can coach him, if you feel comfortable doing so.

That being said, it is all a matter of habit, muscle memory, and will take some time and practice to overcome. He basically has to re-learn his way of moving in water. So a little patience on both your and his behalf is needed, too.

 

[DevonDiver]

I use a simple drill regularly in OW, AOW and other classes to help improve finning efficiency. Get the diver to remove their fins, hold the fins to their chest with both arms, and then try and move around with bare feet alone. For some reason, this tends to bring out a better technique through instinct.

I also use this to develop buoyancy control - with them running on the bottom (like 'spacemen')...and using lung control/breathing to 'leap' over objects etc.