Pigeon Toed Woes

[scuba-flea]

Greetings all.

I was born slightly pigeon toed and my right hip is even worse than my left. During sidemount and cavern training I found it quite difficult for me to learn the various kicks paramount in certain diving situations. Frog and back related kicks are difficult to get chambered for me. A normal person (and I've been told my hold life I'm far from normal) has a bit of a toe out gate, naturally. I actually have a slight toe in on my left fin and more on my right fin. Getting in the position shown in the photo below is quite difficult and will eventually be painful depending on the length of use. I will continue practicing it but I found after six days of training that my bursa sac in my right hip was quite angry with me which made my bursitis in the right hip scream obscenities at me the entire two-day drive home. And that is why RUSH was at volume 11 the whole drive home.

So, the question posed here is, have any of you had similar problems in yourself or students and if so.....how have you overcome them. The Frog Kick is getting better but I do not feel it will ever be as efficient as a normal biped and I'm heading to the pool now for some extended frog and back kick practice.

Thanks for your tutelage.

Lee

 

[tbone1004]

the frog kick does not always need to be done by the hips. In fact it's actually not supposed to involve much hip motion at all unless you are trying to kick into flow or pull something. Most of the time kicking from the ankles and knees is all that is required.

Getting into that position is also not really required, though it is nice because it is more stable. Focus on the body position and let your fins end up at whatever angle is comfortable. Backing up may be problematic, but you'll learn to overcome it eventually. Not a lot of circumstances where you have to back up any great distance. Outside of teachings it's mainly used to stop quickly

 

[Doc]

Volume set at only 10.25 because I do a lot of Naproxen and other better drugs, had a nerve ablation, and brace yourself, Force Fins. They work.

Get them in black, the kool aid drinkers might not notice them that way.