Help with proper trim technique

[Mtbr]

What's more important in achieving proper trim: Relying on technique - e.g. with arms and legs, or more on proper dialing in on equipment?

I am leg heavy, and I've been arching my back to compensate for the falling legs. I'm not sure if this is the correct method because my lower back felt sore afterwards

 

[mwhities]

I'd say a little of both. Your rig can help you get into trim, your posture will help fine tune it.

At least that's what I've done to get semi trimmed out well.

I'm leg heavy as well, I moved the tank up and never thought I could dive it like that but, I can dive it and I'm trimmed out. Also, are your legs pulled up (think 90degree bend) or stretched out?

Michael

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

Technique is always more important than gear. Having properly adjusted gear can help get you started a little quicker on developing the right "feel", but ultimately it's your own ability (and dedication to getting better) that determines how well you do.

And arching the back is absolutely the correct way to get the right trim - that plus bending the knees, keeping the feet and fins up, and extending your arms forward. It's not a natural position for most people, and it can feel a little sore afterwards if you are not used to doing it. Just practice at it some more and eventually it will not bother you so much.

 

[TSandM]

Using correct body position can compensate to a surprising degree for unbalanced equipment, but the amount you take out of your body will be reduced if the static balance of your equipment is closer to correct.

It is also important HOW you "arch your back". If all the extension is coming out of the small of the back, back pain is almost inevitable. The extension has to involve your whole spine. Danny Riordan told me that, when he is diving, only his shoulders and his butt touch the backplate. When I worked on achieving that, I got an "arch" that caused some muscle fatigue, but no back pain.

I will say, though, that in Fundies, I got dinged repeatedly for dropping my knees/feet when I was task loaded, and I found out afterward that my equipment was unbalanced. I would maintain my trim by effort when I could think about it, but it would fail when I was distracted. Balancing the equipment meant I could think more about something else before my trim would deteriorate.

 

[do it easy]

I think technique and gear set up are both important. Heavy legs are easier to correct than floaty legs.

Note the techniques given above. Also, if you dive dry, you could fluff your suit and let some air out of your wing to make your legs more buoyant. Of course, this will only go so far. Other options include shifting/changing tanks and moving weight to a heavier BP/channel weight, assuming you have weight you can move higher.

 

[LG Diver]

As others have said, there are right and wrong ways to arch your back. As was explained to me by Beto, you don't want to hyperextend your lower back, as this is a recipe for lower back pain for sure. Instead, you want to focus on tightening your glutes, which will bring your knees up. Not a full-on Suzanne Sommers Thighmaster clench, mind you, but enough of a tightness to bring the knees up. There's nothing wrong with moving a little weight around to help out, though.

 

[robzr]

If you're diving Jets / Turtles, you may also want to consider less buoyant fins like Slipstreams, Diverites or Salvos. I have the opposite problem as you, with my Dive Rite fins I'm constantly finning a little up to keep myself in trim, even when I have the right cracking walnuts while staring straight ahead posture. Everyones body is different and their center of gravity is therefore different.

Rob

 

[dlent]

If you're wearing heavy fins like Jets, keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and do a modified frog kick instead of a regular frog kick. The closer you keep those heavy fins toward your center of gravity, the less you'll be leg heavy. You could also moves your doubles higher to move your center of gravity forward.

 

[b1gcountry]

Technique can overcome a lot, but sometimes you just wont' be able to fight it. You need your weighting at least in the ballpark in order to feel comfortable maintaining your trim. If I can't keep my feet up, one thing I learned to do was to sort of scull my fins back and forth without moving. Kind of like a frog / back kick at the same time. The thrust gets directed downward, but it is very annoying to have to do. When I'm diving warm freshwater, I don't have enough weight to trim out, so I purposefully dive a few pounds overweighted so I can keep my feet up more comfortably.

Tom

 

[tceylan]

I'm a recreational diver, but

Fighting an unbalanced rig every dive is not fun... Every dive I pay attention to why I am doing a certain move (versus just hovering motionless) and then I take the necessary
steps in the next dive to make sure I fix the imbalance. By doing this, every dive I get less
and less tired after the dives... I enjoy diving more and more...

But just because I'm using a different type of tank or exposure suit, if I am upside down when
my teammate gives me an OOA then we have a problem.... You should be able to fix your
trim issue with technique....

I'm leg heavy and I use jet fins. Moving the tank higher if possible
and/or using trim weights solved
my problem. I typically put a little bit less than 1/3 of my lead weight to the upper tank strap on the BP.