Trim/Body position Practice Techniques

[dirthead]

Over the past few months I have become more and more entrigued with the DIR philosophy. I purchased the "Essentials of Recreational Diving" DVD from 5thd-X, and will be switching to long hose shortly. Today I finally had the chance to jump in the pool to try an practice the body/trim position demostrated on the DVD, and also work on some of the finning techniques. I found that for me, getting into the proper trim position, with knees up and head up, is a little awkward. I felt like I was thrusting my pelvis forward, while pushing my knees up toward the surface. Is this the correct feeling?? Once I got into the position, I felt fairly stable, but I could feel myself rolling a little from side to side when moving around the pool. My pool is fairly small, so I was almost constantly in a turn. I tried to refrain from using my arms to help turn, and just do the helicopter turn, but that will take a lot of practice.

Are there any practice techniques that are commonly used to help engrain the correct trim position? Or does it just take years and years of struggling til it finally clicks?? I felt like my knees were constantly wanting to drop and I kept breaking at the waist. I know it will take a ton of practice, but I was just wondering if there are practice techniques or drills that will help.

Thanks!

 

[Snowbear]

I found that for me, getting into the proper trim position, with knees up and head up, is a little awkward. I felt like I was thrusting my pelvis forward, while pushing my knees up toward the surface. Is this the correct feeling??

Yup, sounds like you're getting it. I've often seen folks saying to "arch your back" which by itself tends to have the opposite effect. The way you're doing it.... head "back", pelvis "forward" and knees "back" is what you are shooting for... and these actions put together will effectively "arch" your back. Yes, it feels awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it actually feels natural.

As for tips for practicing.... rather than swimming around in your pool, practice hold still. To practice achieving actual horizontal trim without the feedback of another diver or a video camera, get within a couple of inches of the bottom. If your knees or your nose touch the pool floor, you are not horizontal

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Here are a number of tips that may or may not be useful for you:

* Visualize a skydiver in freefall. Generally speaking, this is what you're aiming for

* Arch your back as far as you can. Look up with your head. Then try to relax.

* Clasp your hands. Don't scull with your hands and arms. Use your legs.

* Practice working on hover 4"-6" above a level platform or the bottom of your pool.

* Try using a frog kick, very gently...just the tips of your fins.

* If anything touches the platform or bottom it should be your chest, not your knees.

* Learn how to breath. A steady inhale, exhale cycle, pausing when appropriate, facilitates maintaining your trim.

It isn't easy, but it isn't rocket science either. Proper weighting is critical. Proper breathing is important. Relaxing is critical. Work on getting your 'zen' together. Having a buddy who can use a videocamera to show you how you look is extremely helpful. When you can put it all together and hover, relaxed, perhaps 4"-10" above a horizontal platform, then it will be a good feeling and put you in a good position to work on other techniques and skills. (Ponder signing up for a fundies course, where they go over this with much greater skill than I can offer!)

Hope this gives you a direction to move in.

Best,

Doc

P.S. Sorry, Snowbear, great minds and all that! We were writing at the same time

 

[TSandM]

I didn't think it was all that hard to get . . . ONCE you have your weighting, and weight distribution proper. The most critical thing is to do nothing. If you stop finning, and stop moving your hands, your body will quickly tell you if your weight is correctly distributed or not. If not, it is very difficult to achieve correct trim and maintain it. Once you have your weight distributed correctly, you hang in the water in correct trim, if you even try at all to achieve it.

In my Fundies class, we ranged from 8 dives to over 200. We were ALL complimented on our trim. It's a weighting thing more than anything else.

 

[smoritz0370]

I didn't think it was all that hard to get . . . ONCE you have your weighting, and weight distribution proper. The most critical thing is to do nothing. If you stop finning, and stop moving your hands, your body will quickly tell you if your weight is correctly distributed or not. If not, it is very difficult to achieve correct trim and maintain it. Once you have your weight distributed correctly, you hang in the water in correct trim, if you even try at all to achieve it.

In my Fundies class, we ranged from 8 dives to over 200. We were ALL complimented on our trim. It's a weighting thing more than anything else.

Believe it or not "nothing" is a subjuctive term. Ok, its not its an absolute term, but it is very difficult to achieve. By just moving my fin tips ever so slighlty I can negate a slightly head heavy condition except when I manage to do "nothing" in which case I am head heavy.

I am in the process of moving from doubled HP 100s to E8-130s and it is taking a suprisingly large amount of pool time to get it right. Everyone told me that E8-130s were pangea. They lied.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

As for tips for practicing.... rather than swimming around in your pool, practice hold still.

That was my only beef with the Essentials video ... these guys were constantly finning to hold position (surprising, considering who's featured in the video). I couldn't help making mental comparisons to Uncle Pug who, when I was learning the techniques, would always swim behind me and hold my fin tips to make me practice holding my trim while not finning.

To really know if your trim and body position are right, you need to quit twitching your fin tips and see what happens. If nothing happens, you're getting there ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dirthead]

Thanks for all the tips. Seems that I have an understanding of what the "feeling" of being in the proper position is. Now I guess it will just take lots of work. I would love to take the DIR-F class, but since I'm in central Texas, I don't know if there is an instructor close to me. Might have to make a trip to the Seattle area where my mother in law lives.

So for now, when I can only get in the pool, I will practice holding the position while hovering a few inches from the bottom. Making sure that if anything touches, it's my stomach. At least I will know if I am horizontal that way. I don't have anyone to video me underwater, so I will have to go on feel for now.

Do any of you know of any DIR-F instructors in Texas??

 

[Ben_ca]

Some of the guys here in the SF bay use a mirror for instant feedback. probably wouldn't work in the public pool but if you have your own it might be worth a shot

 

[dirthead]

Some of the guys here in the SF bay use a mirror for instant feedback. probably wouldn't work in the public pool but if you have your own it might be worth a shot

Hey that's a great idea. I do have my own pool, so I will give that a try.

 

[Ben_ca]

Just be careful with it... it would suck to have broken glass in the pool. Here's a BAUE Pool session using the mirror.

http://www.baue.org/images/galleries/Scooter-Pool-Day/dionna1