Always going forward because I can't find reverse...

[snowdog61]

I had some Atomic splits, got a UW camera and learned how to back fin in those along with the other kicks. Helicopters were easy - backfinning was real work though and was the prime reason for ditching them for some DiveRites. I was self-taught and spent a good bit of time in the GFs pool (she had some bad scale problems and it was a good reason to put on the gear). It's a tough skill and like everything else, the more you practice, the better you'll get. If you can get someone to video you, you'll be ahead of the curve.

 

[archer1960]

I can do helicopter turns just fine as long as I don't think too much about it, but can't back up very well yet. I generally just take an extra deep breath, and let the buoyancy take me up a bit before I helicopter around to wherever I want to go.

 

[Darnold9999]

Fins make a huge difference for me. In my Volos I can barely back kick. Mostly I go backwards then on the recovery stroke I go further forward than I went back unless I really pay close attention to where my foot ends up on the back stroke and how I carefully I do the recovery so as to not push myself forward. Possible, but difficult. In my full foot fins that are just your basic moderately stiff fin I have no issues at all - don't even have to think about it. Can't really give you tips on what to do, but just be aware that some fins are more difficult to use with this kick. From my limited experience (USD Rocket fins, Mares Volos and Mares full foot basic fin) the stiffer the fin the easier the back kick.

 

[AJ]

Stiffer fins make it easier to move your legs backwords without forward propulsion. It's a matter of going slow or even slower depending on the stiffness of the fin.

 

[The Chairman]

Stiffer fins make it easier to move your legs backwords without forward propulsion.

To a point. I had a hard time with Jets and found the more supple Hollis F1s (Batfins) to be far easier.

 

[AJ]

True, but during the learning phase floppy fins make it harder. If you're skilled in back kick you might even get away with split fins. I can't but some can.

It's personal. I too like my F1's more than Jets. Don't know why, but I feel like having more control with F1's.

 

[FinnMom]

You can also try floating on your back with in a wetsuit or drysuit (something more floaty than a swimsuit), legs from hip to knee on the surface. Now swing/kick your legs (from the knee down) to the outside to move yourself forward. Watch the motion very carefully and note how it happened.

Next time out, you have your back to the sky and are underwater; it's the same position rotated 180 degrees. Make the same movement and you will be kicking in reverse. It took me two months to get a consistent, steady movement straight upwards , then another month and I finally found reverse.
Stiff fins make it easier to learn and easier to perform the movement. Once your muscles learn the motion well, less suitable fins are less of a problem.

Persons with significantly uneven leg power (replacement joints, other old injuries) might never be able to kick so evenly that this works as well or easily as for others.

 

[snowdog61]

You can also try floating on your back with in a wetsuit or drysuit (something more floaty than a swimsuit), legs from hip to knee on the surface.

now there's a great idea - you won't have as much drag on you as when you are fully submerged but AFA getting the motion down, this should do it.

 

[boulderjohn]

Stiffer fins make it easier to move your legs backwords without forward propulsion. It's a matter of going slow or even slower depending on the stiffness of the fin.

It's important for people learning this to understand why, because the principle applies to stiff fins as well.

When you are doing a flutter kick, every movement of the foot up or down propels you in a forward direction. In other kicks, you have a power stroke that moves you in the direction you want to move and a recovery stroke that prepares you for the next power stroke. You need to do the recovery stroke in a way that does not undo what you accomplished in the power stroke.

I have already mentioned one thing you need to do in the recovery stroke--do it slowly. The other thing you need to do is minimize the surface area of the fin by moving it through the water like a knife blade. You need to make sure your ankles are angled in a way that does not create resistance as you recover.

With the back kick, a common problem you see with divers is they raise their toes upward as they push backward, thus creating a forward kick as the upraised fin pushes against the water. That problem becomes amplified with a floppy fin, for the slightest bit off parallel will make the fin flop, thus creating that unwanted resisting surface area.

 

[Coztick]

Say it ain't so, Joe! My Trim, Buoyancy and Propulsion class centers around what a student wants to learn. Only two have asked to learn this and both succeeded. It's not that hard if you have a decent frog kick to work backwards from.

True story Pete!
I was lucky that my rig trimmed out really well so we worked on my pathetic propulsion. I had vector issues when trying to frog kick. Hugging the bottom kept me form dropping my knees or bending at the waist or whatever was messing with my attempts.
Only took maybe 10 minutes to start to feel some ability to create some thrust.