Flutter kick technique

[amajamar]

Does the flutter kick originate from the hips or the knees?

I ask because I have been getting calf and hamstring cramps when finning for a long time, such as swimming into shore at the end of a dive. When moving around slowly it isn't a problem. I use a standard plank fin, (Genesis Aquaflex).

My regular dive buddy says that I tend to kick with my hips, and I don't know if I do that out of poor technique or lack of leg strength. (Probably both!)

I dove with someone with split fins this weekend and he was very fast, however, I noticed he was kicking from the knees and very rapidly!! I could never kick my fins that fast, there is way too much resistance.

He swears by his split fins, but I wonder if there are really all that...

 

[del_mo]

Keep you knees straight, toes pointed and kick from the hips. Use your thigh muscles. Split fins are great for a lot of types of divers, including those who don't know how to kick properly. Your legs cramp for any number of reasons. Not hydrated, low potassium, too stiff fins.

 

[amajamar]

Yeah, I think that those fins are pretty stiff. I have a friend who swears by the Mares Volo's. They seem pretty flexible.

 

[Rockhound76]

...... Split fins are great for a lot of types of divers, including those who don't know how to kick properly. .....

Hey, hey, hey...I resemble that remark (but I agree, as well).

With my stiff jetfins and my wenoka blades (VERY stiff) the best method is to use the hips and "power stroke". With the jets especially, if the stroke is right, you'll feel yourself rocking ever so slight as you move along. Too much "calf" and too much bent knee and you'll cramp up for sure (and be really inefficient). You'll also cramp if you haven't worked those muscles in a while. For prep, try leg lifts and quad workouts w/ a some calf raises if you feel your calves are weak.

With my atomic splits, a from-the-hips kick is inefficient. A flutter kick with the arc of the fins never leaving your "drag zone" is pretty darn fast.

I love my splits, but I feel goofy as all get out swimming in them. But, no doubt, in a straight line, they're fast and cramp-free.

 

[TSandM]

I have found that, for me, the flutter kick in my Jets is an uncomfortable kick that requires far more effort than it generates in velocity. The splits were much more accomodating for that kick. But I don't flutter kick much, and when I do, it's a modified flutter that's done from the knees and ankles. That's not a velocity kick, but a finesse kick for getting through narrow places. I can generate a fair amount of velocity with a frog kick, but honestly, I can't keep up with a vigorously full-leg flutter kicking splits wearer. But then, why would I want to?

 

[amajamar]

With my atomic splits, a from-the-hips kick is inefficient. A flutter kick with the arc of the fins never leaving your "drag zone" is pretty darn fast.

Would that be more from the knees down and less hip motion?

 

[LiteHedded]

I have found that, for me, the flutter kick in my Jets is an uncomfortable kick that requires far more effort than it generates in velocity. The splits were much more accomodating for that kick. But I don't flutter kick much, and when I do, it's a modified flutter that's done from the knees and ankles. That's not a velocity kick, but a finesse kick for getting through narrow places. I can generate a fair amount of velocity with a frog kick, but honestly, I can't keep up with a vigorously full-leg flutter kicking splits wearer. But then, why would I want to?

great question!!

 

[Rockhound76]

Would that be more from the knees down and less hip motion?

Yup. With splits, you use less hip, more calf (atomic has a good video on the technique).

Jet fins and big board type fins require the power best generated from the thighs.

Btw, I can finess equally well with either type of fin. Lately, I've been preferring the splits, especially since I've learned I can (indeed) back up with them. My cadence with the splits can be higher if I want to go fast, but for slow trolling along a drop-off or reef, they work equally well (I hate "Loyt Britches" dive buddies..you know, the ones who kick like crazy everywhere they go).

Still, when I want to really FEEL the fins, I put the jets on for a dive. I love those fins, if only for the nostalgia of it (I bought them in '76 and they still work great).

 

[SparticleBrane]

I can generate a fair amount of velocity with a frog kick, but honestly, I can't keep up with a vigorously full-leg flutter kicking splits wearer. But then, why would I want to?

Don't want to plow the back 40?

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Kick from the hip. Put more power on the fins when your legs are coming together, and less as they part. Drink plenty of water before the dive to reduce dehydration. There is physical conditioning involved, so give it time and practice.