Alternate kicks

[ScubaJackie]

I have heard alot about useing the frog kick while diving to avoid stiring up sediment and advoid kicking reefs and things like that. This all makes sense and seems like a very good idea.
I have a very bad knee. I cannot swim breast-stroke (frog kick) anymore (i was a competative swimmer for years) and I cannot tread water useing the egg-beater kick. I tried to frog kick on my last dive, it hurt alot and the few kicks I did left me bearly able to walk afterward. Like I said, my knee is real bad. So is there another kick that can be used while diving that will not stir up the bottom, but will also not put lateral stress on my knee? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how to modify the flutter kick? Thank you all for your time.

 

[lamont]

I have heard alot about useing the frog kick while diving to avoid stiring up sediment and advoid kicking reefs and things like that. This all makes sense and seems like a very good idea.
I have a very bad knee. I cannot swim breast-stroke (frog kick) anymore (i was a competative swimmer for years) and I cannot tread water useing the egg-beater kick. I tried to frog kick on my last dive, it hurt alot and the few kicks I did left me bearly able to walk afterward. Like I said, my knee is real bad. So is there another kick that can be used while diving that will not stir up the bottom, but will also not put lateral stress on my knee? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how to modify the flutter kick? Thank you all for your time.

There is a kick called the modified flutter kick where you bend your knees at roughly a right angle so that your feet should be up and parallel to the bottom and then you kick primarily with your ankles. It isn't a very powerful kick and isn't quite as anti-silting as the frog kick, but its better than fluttering...

 

[ScubaJackie]

Thank you. I will try this. I am not tring to set any speed reacords with this. Just trying to be a curtious (sp) diver and not look like a complete idiot.

 

[ScubaJackie]

Wow I can not spell today...sorry

 

[Monkey Knife-fight]

Yeah i just bend my knees a little and use a flutter type kick. I'm no cave diver but i can cruise with my nose practically touching the sand and not stir anything up. I dunno how fast it is but i don't tend to race UW.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Sometimes when I need to switch strokes (due to a bad knee as well) I do a dolphin/mermaid stroke; keep both knees and legs closely together and kick with both legs at the same time (Up and down). After a few kicks, you really pick up speed. In fact, when I need to get somewhere really fast, thats how I get there.

For what it's worth.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[lamont]

Sometimes when I need to switch strokes (due to a bad knee as well) I do a dolphin/mermaid stroke; keep both knees and legs closely together and kick with both legs at the same time (Up and down). After a few kicks, you really pick up speed. In fact, when I need to get somewhere really fast, thats how I get there.

For what it's worth.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

I do a modified dolphin kick sometimes -- its kinda like the modified flutter only you move both in synch with your knees bent...

Given the way that fins normally come off your foot, if you're doing a normal dolphin kick, you're going to get considerably amounts of water heading down to the silt... Probably better than a flutter though...

 

[Guba]

I sympathize because I also have mobility issues. Mine tends to be in the hip, but it makes the traditional frog kick painful. I use a modified scissor kick that doesn't stir up sediments and still gets me where I need to be. I keep the "down" fin more or less motionless and bring the "up" fin down to meet it, alternating which leg is up and which is down. Works for me, with no pain.

 

[JeffG]

Given the way that fins normally come off your foot, if you're doing a normal dolphin kick, you're going to get considerably amounts of water heading down to the silt... Probably better than a flutter though...

When I saw it being done, it was worse than a flutter but the intervals between "blasts" was slower

 

[ScubaJackie]

Ok so my understanding thus far is a bent knee flutter kick, or a modified scissors kick. Am I right in thinking that one would not kick too hard with these kicks? It would be a fairly gentl short kick? Thank you everyone!