OP
Olivia Chillia
Registered
I've just finished my PADI open water certification. Possibly it does have kick illustrations in the book. I'll have to check in the a.m.
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It has worked great for me. Except under extreme need of power (strong current) I use this style almost all of the time. My speed is good enough, I do not kick up silt, and I have less problems with ham string and calf cramps. (SAC rate doesn't count with me, if mine gets any lower, check me for rigor mortis)TSandM:Is THIS the video you had in mind?
I'm glad you're trying to learn things in spite of your instructor. This is so basic and so important, I've got to wonder what else your instructor didn't teach you. Teaching should mean so much more than showing you where something is in a book, or directing you to a picture of a skill. Unfortunately, many instructors are in a rush to certify rather than teach.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...
SparticleBrane:If you are hitting things under you while "frog kicking" then you are not performing it correctly. Most likely you are dropping your knees; perhaps this will be sorted out in your cavern class. Also if your dad is hitting things, it might be time to back away from the reef a bit until he can get his buoyancy under better control.
Teaching is way more than just reducing threats to safety. There are scads of skills that new divers can and should learn: 3-4 different kicks, 3-4 water entries, etc etc etc. Unfortunately, many new divers never realize what they didn't learn (they don't know what they don't know), and interpret an instructor's personal enthusiasm (or story telling ability) as good teaching. Lots of instructors like to tell war stories - frankly, the time is usually better spent teaching basic skills and diving science. When I hear that a new diver was never taught (thus never had an opportunity to develop mastery in) important basics like different fin kicks, it makes me sad that the student has missed such cool, and important, stuff. But you're asking good questions, and you're getting good replies - that's a good thing!Olivia Chillia:MB, I'm comfortable with what we learned as far as safety in the basic OW class. I wonder whether the instructor didn't say anything about kicks because our kicks looked fine. Certainly that would be the best scenario, but I do believe I'll speak to him about it when I speak to him about not telling horror stories in the classroom.