Back kick in splits - possible? Feasible?

[Storker]

(Inspired by this thread)

Confession time: my fins are split. More specifically, I've got a pair of Subgear XPs. Yes, I know. I'ma gonna die. And all that. To my defense, I'd like to mention that I got'em when I was shopping for fins before my OW course, and I'm currently trawling the classifieds for a set of used Jetfins. I can't afford a new pair right now, I'm saving for a trilam suit that fits me and my non-standard body shape.

Anyhow, I've got a problem with my back kick. I can do flutter (at least I'm not cycling), I can do frog (sort of, and it's working fairly well), and I can do helicopter turns. But there's no way I'm able to do back kick. So, is it at all possible? Or should I just give up the attempts and just postpone it until I've got myself a pair of black, stiff paddles?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

While nearly anything is possible (except, perhaps, skiing through a revolving door...) I think you'll find that splitfins are too flexible for the back kick to be done with any real success.

 

[tomfcrist]

I am fairly effecient at the back kick....in Jets. I CAN do it in splits(Atomic Smokes) however, it is not nearly as pretty, nor as effective. Get some jets, or get on divers-supply to buy some Hog classic tech fins(basicallly Jets) fairly cheap. I think I paid $65 USD and they came with spring straps.

 

[Nwcid]

+1 for the HOG's, I have a set that I use when diving wet, so basically vacation. I use a set of Turtles with my drysuit. I got the GF a pair of Slipstreams since they fit her well and are lower weight. Of course we started with Oceanic Viper fins before we knew much about finning. I still play with them when we are at the lake or doing any kind of "surface" swimming as the paddles don't work well for that.

 

[boulderjohn]

A couple of years ago I was teaching a refresher class in a pool with a father and son, and the son pulled out a gigantic pair of Atomic slit fins with spring straps. I looked at his feet and said those fins could not be his. He had the wrong fins. I ended up giving him my fins, which were still too big for him but manageable, and I took his. The spring straps barely touched the back of my heel, and I had to keep putting them back on throughout the class. But the big surprise came when I back finned with them. I could back fin with surprising speed with them, far better than I expected. I was better in a blade fin for sure, but the cliché that you can't back fin in splits is clearly wrong.

There are two pretty different ways to do the back kick, and the ability of the fin to do it depends upon the way you are doing the kick. One way is to move the feet out in a bent knee position with the feet parallel to the bottom, using the sidewalls of the fin as the primary surface for thrust. In that case, you must have a wide sidewall on the fin. The other way is to point the toes down and out as you pull the fins forward. With that technique, you do not need the sidewall, but the fine is likely to be too soft for effective kicking.

The stiffness of the fin does make a difference. If I am using a soft fin using the second technique described above, it takes many more strokes to accomplish the same amount of movement. Split fins come in different degrees of stiffness--they are not all super soft.

 

[Diver0001]

(Inspired by this thread)

Confession time: my fins are split. More specifically, I've got a pair of Subgear XPs. Yes, I know. I'ma gonna die. And all that. To my defense, I'd like to mention that I got'em when I was shopping for fins before my OW course, and I'm currently trawling the classifieds for a set of used Jetfins. I can't afford a new pair right now, I'm saving for a trilam suit that fits me and my non-standard body shape.

Anyhow, I've got a problem with my back kick. I can do flutter (at least I'm not cycling), I can do frog (sort of, and it's working fairly well), and I can do helicopter turns. But there's no way I'm able to do back kick. So, is it at all possible? Or should I just give up the attempts and just postpone it until I've got myself a pair of black, stiff paddles?

Most people can't back-fin in jets either.

A good 90% of everything you ever heard on the internet about split fins was written by people who don't own them and have never used them. It's the same with all equipment discussions. The people who have the hardest and most negative criticisms are invariably people who don't own that gear. So you really need to take everything you hear about gear on the internet with a HUGE lump of salt unless the person writing specifies the extent of their experience and can convince you that they have some idea of what they're talking about.

For my part, I don't know what you can and can't do with split fins because I don't have enough experience with them. From what I know about finning I have the general impression that if you can move forward with a frog kick then it MUST be possible to move backwards with a frog kick if you get the form of the back-kick just right. How that compares to paddle fins, however... no idea.

R..

 

[ronscuba]

I can back kick with my Apollo's but to be honest, I don't really ever have a need to back kick. I sometimes do it on boring dives.

Other than a skill that tests technique, what are the practical uses of a back kick ? Seems like there are better, faster, more efficient ways to change direction.

 

[nimoh]

A good 90% of everything you ever heard on the internet about split fins was written by people who don't own them and have never used them.

I would revise that to be 45%, and add that 45% of everything you ever heard on the internet about split fins was written by people poking fun at the other 45%

 

[Diver0001]

I can back kick with my Apollo's but to be honest, I don't really ever have a need to back kick. I sometimes do it on boring dives.

Other than a skill that tests technique, what are the practical uses of a back kick ? Seems like there are better, faster, more efficient ways to change direction.

I use it frequently in three situations:

1) when I want to slow down or stop from a forward glide.
2) when I get too close to my buddy (or some other object) and I want to back up without turning around, which could potentially involve smacking them with a fin in the process.
3) when swimming in front of students. I sometimes find it handy to swim facing them and swimming backwards in order to keep two eyes on them.

Everyone is different about this and some people will see more utility in it than others. Obviously there is more than one way to skin a cat and until a few years ago divers weren't learning to back-fin at all in large numbers so there is an obvious style issue involved. In terms of actual *need* one would be hard-pressed to find a scenario where back-finning were the only solution.

R..

 

[nimoh]

I can back kick with my Apollo's but to be honest, I don't really ever have a need to back kick. I sometimes do it on boring dives.

Other than a skill that tests technique, what are the practical uses of a back kick ? Seems like there are better, faster, more efficient ways to change direction.

a few examples (from each of rec, tec and pro experience):

1. I sometimes move very close to a wall to take pictures, then use a back kick to move away from it, avoiding contact
2. On deco stops on a mooring line in light current, I use the back kick to hold my position
3. When leading dives in OW classes, I will sometimes swim backwards in order to keep an eye on the students