Whilst stretching exercises are always a good thing, I think @Marie13 has mentioned that she's been very diligent and motivated in her fitness regime. The fact that she is able to reach her valves in a drysuit with a thinner undersuit leads me to think this is not a personal flexibility issue.
In general, people find valve drills progressively more difficult depending on the thickness of exposure suit (i.e skinsuit, wetsuit, trilam, neoprene, summer / winter thermals). This is why I tend to start people off in a 5mm wetsuit in the pool to build up valve technique and muscle memory before proceeding on to drysuit and open water.
Once basic technique and muscle memory have been achieved, any subsequent problems must therefore be a result of shoulder and elbow restriction, in this case caused by material bunching around the joints.
So, the choices are to either 1) change the drysuit / undersuit or 2) adapt the technique used to successfully reach the valves. Marie is exploring 1 already, so how about looking at 2.
If diving with thick undersuits and struggling to reach valves, I would suggest the following:
1 - In flat trim and prior to drill, briefly stretch arms and legs out as mush as possible to allow the suit(s) to move freely. I find a little (wet dog) shake also helps, but make sure your buddy knows your not oxtoxing first
. You can also reach to your waist and pull up any excess leg material a bit more, which may have shuffled down during kit up.
2 - add more air to the suit and less in the wing. This will allow the drysuit to glide over the undersuit, thus providing more flexibility.
3 - maintain flat trim, head up and arched back during V drill. This will present the valves closer to your shoulders rather than leaving a gap if hunched over.
4 - if problem still persists, use your head and neck muscles as extra leverage. It is common to see people place the heal of their right hand on the back of the head, then push their head back until their fingers make contact with the valve. However, a slightly modified method can also be used to reach the left and right posts. First, place the heal of the hand (palm facing backwards) on the back / side of the head (4 o'clock position for right post) and push back and outwards. This will guide your hand to the wheel. Once there you can grip and maintain enough purchase to effectively manage the wheel.
Although not necessarily conventional, his is a perfectly acceptable and effective adaptation. I have successfully used this method to 're-educate' a few experienced divers who had previously given up trying.
I hope the above makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll try and mock up some photos.
In general, people find valve drills progressively more difficult depending on the thickness of exposure suit (i.e skinsuit, wetsuit, trilam, neoprene, summer / winter thermals). This is why I tend to start people off in a 5mm wetsuit in the pool to build up valve technique and muscle memory before proceeding on to drysuit and open water.
Once basic technique and muscle memory have been achieved, any subsequent problems must therefore be a result of shoulder and elbow restriction, in this case caused by material bunching around the joints.
So, the choices are to either 1) change the drysuit / undersuit or 2) adapt the technique used to successfully reach the valves. Marie is exploring 1 already, so how about looking at 2.
If diving with thick undersuits and struggling to reach valves, I would suggest the following:
1 - In flat trim and prior to drill, briefly stretch arms and legs out as mush as possible to allow the suit(s) to move freely. I find a little (wet dog) shake also helps, but make sure your buddy knows your not oxtoxing first
. You can also reach to your waist and pull up any excess leg material a bit more, which may have shuffled down during kit up.2 - add more air to the suit and less in the wing. This will allow the drysuit to glide over the undersuit, thus providing more flexibility.
3 - maintain flat trim, head up and arched back during V drill. This will present the valves closer to your shoulders rather than leaving a gap if hunched over.
4 - if problem still persists, use your head and neck muscles as extra leverage. It is common to see people place the heal of their right hand on the back of the head, then push their head back until their fingers make contact with the valve. However, a slightly modified method can also be used to reach the left and right posts. First, place the heal of the hand (palm facing backwards) on the back / side of the head (4 o'clock position for right post) and push back and outwards. This will guide your hand to the wheel. Once there you can grip and maintain enough purchase to effectively manage the wheel.
Although not necessarily conventional, his is a perfectly acceptable and effective adaptation. I have successfully used this method to 're-educate' a few experienced divers who had previously given up trying.
I hope the above makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll try and mock up some photos.
