Propulsion techniques

[Naloria]

Proper propulsion is probably one of the most overlooked parts of diving - both by instructors and divers alike. In fact, have a quick look around you in the water and you will see that very few divers actually have a good propulsion technique. With a little patience and practice anyone can develop excellent skills and techniques and the results will astound you.

I would love to hear your thoughts about it?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

My thoughts? I'm starting to get annoyed by what appears to me to be incessant promotion of your web site. Having links to other sources of information is all well and good ... but I don't particularly like it when people use ScubaBoard strictly as a venue for promoting their own businesses. Try posting something that doesn't lead people to diving.io once in a while.

Add to that the fact that virtually every one of your posts that I've read starts out with a line that makes me ask myself what your philosophy on dive instruction is?

As someone who taught scuba for a dozen years, I can assure you that proper propulsion isn't "one of the most overlooked parts of diving" ... at least not in the part of the world where I dive and teach.

For the most part, I think your articles, by implication, promote mediocrity ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[EastEndDiver]

He's up to 4 threads to shill his website .

 

[Skulmoski]

I took the UTD Extreme Makeover to get help with my finning. Great course. I think that there is so much to cover in the PADI program that finning and other important skills like DSMB deployment are skipped. I would recommend adding these to either the AOW or making the Master Scuba Diver a 4 dive course to cover these skills. One can earn the MSD but have poor finning and have never deployed a DSMB.

Best

GJS

 

[Goingforsound]

Well the article on the website is just the eternal flutter kick vs frog and the same lame explanation we see on eeeeeveryyy website meh.....

 

[northernone]

My thoughts? I'm starting to get annoyed by what appears to me to be incessant promotion of your web site. Having links to other sources of information is all well and good ... but I don't particularly like it when people use ScubaBoard strictly as a venue for promoting their own businesses. Try posting something that doesn't lead people to diving.io once in a while.

Add to that the fact that virtually every one of your posts that I've read starts out with a line that makes me ask myself what your philosophy on dive instruction is?

As someone who taught scuba for a dozen years, I can assure you that proper propulsion isn't "one of the most overlooked parts of diving" ... at least not in the part of the world where I dive and teach.

For the most part, I think your articles, by implication, promote mediocrity ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Thanks for someone saying it!

Regards,
Cameron

 

[RainPilot]

The staff are monitoring closely, we have sent messages and if it continues we will take action, never fear.

There is a fine line though. I do agree that propulsion, especially environmentally friendly propulsion, is VERY poorly addressed by the bulk of the commercial dive schools. The article itself is not wrong, per se, and the subject is one that may lead to some interesting fruitful discussion.

Do we throw the baby out with the bath water? Well, the baby/water ratio is dropping with this poster so we shall see...

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm not familiar with the OP's other threads/posts. I have always said the OW "2 weekend" PADI course is one I would prefer not to take myself, as there is a lot to swallow in 2 approx. 5 hour pool days. Same stuff over 3 weeks is better, but still the same amount of time. Having said that, is it possible that the normal flutter kick that everyone who knows how to swim (real swimming on the surface), is something that is very easy and that most OW students do it OK to begin with? It's like "keep your legs pretty straight and KICK". Thus it's not a big concern for most students? I have seen the bicycle kick--the first time I saw it I was puzzled as to what it was. Only one in the class did it, the others seemed to know how to KICK.... Flutter kick is a bit harder--something I learned several years after doing OW. You don't NEED it to dive, so it may also become not a concern in an OW course?

 

[Scubamat]

The OP has been doing the same thing on reddit too.

 

[RainPilot]

I'm not familiar with the OP's other threads/posts. I have always said the OW "2 weekend" PADI course is one I would prefer not to take myself, as there is a lot to swallow in 2 approx. 5 hour pool days. Same stuff over 3 weeks is better, but still the same amount of time. Having said that, is it possible that the normal flutter kick that everyone who knows how to swim (real swimming on the surface), is something that is very easy and that most OW students do it OK to begin with? It's like "keep your legs pretty straight and KICK". Thus it's not a big concern for most students? I have seen the bicycle kick--the first time I saw it I was puzzled as to what it was. Only one in the class did it, the others seemed to know how to KICK.... Flutter kick is a bit harder--something I learned several years after doing OW. You don't NEED it to dive, so it may also become not a concern in an OW course?

I think you are right, since there is (or should be) a swim test requirement, most instructors will not pay much attention to the kicking if they see you can get from A to B. That included myself for many years, until i started with RAID where there is a standard requiring demonstration of a "non-environmentally-damaging" propulsion method. Once I was actually looking at the kicks, it amazed me to see the variety of weird, inefficient methods students were doing that i had never really paid attention to due to time pressures to get other stuff done.