Proper kick technique?

[Olivia Chillia]

I'm going for my final check out dive for open water tomorrow night. I've been thinking about this and that and it occurred to me that we were never taught how to kick. About all I know is that the kick should ideally come from the hips.

Doubtless, there are a hundred ways that work to varying degrees, but which kick or kicks work best? How much should I expect to work my ankles? Are there videos or illustrations to help?

 

[SparticleBrane]

You are probably flutter kicking. For this kick, your legs should be as straight as possible and your legs should move at the hip.

Personally I dislike the flutter kick, and when you go out to do your OW dives you'll see why, if you look behind you. Flutter kicking, while it might be the more "natural" kick that most people use, inherently kicks up silt behind you. As your leg is moving down during the kick cycle, the water is pushed down, and if you're close to the bottom it kicks up clouds of silt, and can greatly reduce visibility.

I prefer the frog kick--to me it is much more relaxing and efficient. If performed correctly, it is also non-silting. Here are a few links to some videos of frog kicking--you will need Quicktime to view them.
http://www.divetekadventures.com/Videos/Videofrogkick1.htm
http://www.divetekadventures.com/Videos/Videofrogkick1.htm

Hope this helps.

 

[diverdown247]

From what I've seen, most instructors suggest that you kick using your hips/thighs while allowing your knees to flex slightly on the downward kick; kicking in a smooth up/down motion with each leg like a pair of scissors. This allows you to utilize the up and down side of the kick in an emergency or playing "catch up" when you fall a little behind. It seems to be the kick that requires the least amount of thought as it simulates a natural walking motion while underwater, which allows the diver to focus on bouyancy control, breathing, and skills.

You could kick from the knee, but it will definately tire you out faster than using the entire leg as kicking from the knee is less efficient in energy use. You'll also find that some fins will also effect your kick. Some fins will force your knee to flex more than others, this is where you'll notice that some fins feel like you're trying to push a board through the water with your foot.

The frog kick is probably the best option for limiting how much silt you stir up, especially near the bottom. If you're completing your OW course, try to use the flutter kick so you don't try to think about your kicks. It will have a higher degree of silt stirring, but a lower degree of difficulty during the dive for you.

I've been working with a diver who has recently certified. He has discovered that hard foot cups on fins combined with hard plastic fins are not good at all and cause excruciating pain for him. Partly due to the hard fin, but also due to the fact that it made him want to kick from the knee to push the fin. In fact, he found that a soft/pliable foot cup, as on the ScubaPro Twin Jet that I loaned him, actually made him kick smoother and his air consumption rate changed as his body wasn't using as much energy to kick.

 

[trucker girl]

I like the frog kick, myself- since I mainly dive in a Quarry. Also- if I'm in a confined area (oh, say, between a tree and my dive buddy- who happens to be looking the other way...) I will sometimes just move my feet (as opposed to my leg or my lower leg). Can't get very far on that one, but it will move you out of the crowded area!

I find that if I do the full leg "from the hip" kick too much it hurt the muscles or tendons at the lower part of my calf for some reason. I didn't notice this on any of the ocean dives I have done (which isn't too terribly many...) but I definitely notice it in the quarry. Perhaps, subconciously I am trying to keep from stirring up the silt? Whatever I'm doing, I mainly frog kick.

Plus, in the quarry, you're a little limited as to how far you can go, so if you want to stay down for 40-50 minutes, there's no rush to get anywhere!

Happy kicking (just try not to make contact- you're buddy will thank you for it!)

 

[SparticleBrane]

Plus, in the quarry, you're a little limited as to how far you can go, so if you want to stay down for 40-50 minutes, there's no rush to get anywhere!

Speak for yourself; the quarry I normally go to is 52-acres.

 

[bajashack]

It is better to know more then one or more types of kicks or be familiar with variations of flutter kick and frog kick. As you know split fins work much different then paddle fins and will utilize different muscles. Fin type and kick stroke will also very. Get in the habit of learning to use different muscles by variations of your kick. Choosing when to use a certain kick will come with experience, for example when you’re close to the bottom or when you want to back up you can use a variation of frog kick to move without stirring up the bottom. As with all skills practice makes perfect.

 

[trucker girl]

Speak for yourself; the quarry I normally go to is 52-acres.

I go to Gilboa Quarry which is a very nice quarry- but the shallow side is a little limited size-wise. It is MUCH better than some of the other locations I have been to... I have no idea how big 52-acres is but it sounds big!

Gilboa (I just checked on their site ) is 14+ acres... so you definitely have me beat! And I think that acreage includes "the deep side" where you are not supposed to dive without filing a dive plan with the offices blah blah blah... plus, it's cold! I just did two dives up there and the water was wonderful, but I am too much of a wimp to dive below the 18-20 ft thermocline for long!

Oh- whooops- there's a change of subject for ya...

I like to kick... kicking is cool!

BTW what quarry is that?

 

[SparticleBrane]

Fantasy Lake

If you have Quicktime, check this out. It should give you a good sense of the size.

 

[maj75]

Really depends on where you are diving. In the Keys, the current can sometimes be too strong for anything but a strong flutter kick. The frog kick/glide cycle is too slow to make progress.

When the current is running strong, silting is not so much of a problem.

 

[xScubaStephx]

I usually do the flutter kick, but since Im about to be cavern certified, I have been frog kicking, but in the ocean, it seems like, when you frog kick, your legs bow out at the knee, and when your hovering above the reef, you may hit some things. I was looking at my dad, and he was frog kicking, and i saw that he would sometimes hit things, that you wouldnt if you were using the flutter kick. There is another kick, called the shuffle. your knees are bent and you just flick your fins up and down. That was the best one to do, since i was doing a drift dive, which i must say, was preety awesome. Who are you getting certified with? You didnt have a book, telling you and showing you how to kick?

-Scuba Steph<33