Question Back kick issue

[Wibble]

By Pause you mean to keep it calm with legs bended, ready to glide ?

• Feet together
• Back kick -- pull legs up towards your head.
• Hold, 2, 3, 4 (whilst you move backwards)
• Slowly push feet back down.

Repeat...

 

[BlueTrin]

Thanks for all the responses.
1/ pool is not an option ;/
2/ trim: yes i need to improve it.
3/ will do the exercise slower. i was for sure rushing a bit
4/ strange but when i have tried without fins it actually works much better and i move backward
5/ will try with giving it a little momentum by pushing from a rock

? By Pause you mean to keep it calm with legs bended, ready to glide ?

If you look at this video there is a small pause after the movement backwards.




To be honest you don’t have to mark a strong pause but the most important is to not push forward when you move back the legs, just breaking the movement a bit before to back your legs again is enough.

For example this guy does not pause but you can see his ankles are pretty relaxed when he moves his legs again for the next back kick, he also inclined his fins to not push forward when putting his legs back in position …



I found it easier by picturing trying to move backwards using the side of your legs rather than the fins.

 

[Wibble]

OT: Anyone know what the yellow fins Steve is wearing in the top video? Are they Mares Avanti Quattro Plus??

 

[BlueTrin]

OT: Anyone know what the yellow fins Steve is wearing in the top video? Are they Mares Avanti Quattro Plus??

They look like them

MARES AVANTI QUATTRO DIVE FINS YELLOW LARGE YELLOW

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www.wirralsports.co.uk

In this video he tests the Quattro buoyancy

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[Winmit]

great. in a few days visiting Turkey for a few dives and will try all the mentioned things. Thanks

 

[dmaziuk]

"Pool's not an option" in gear, or at all? -- If it's the former, you can practice without scuba gear: on your back with a kickboard under your butt for trim.

 

[Jacob BV]

Thanks for all the responses.
1/ pool is not an option ;/
2/ trim: yes i need to improve it.
3/ will do the exercise slower. i was for sure rushing a bit
4/ strange but when i have tried without fins it actually works much better and i move backward
5/ will try with giving it a little momentum by pushing from a rock

? By Pause you mean to keep it calm with legs bended, ready to glide ?

It's normal for it to be easier at first without fins. The hardest part is resetting your fins ready for the "power" stroke without your fins pushing you forward. With no fins this isn't an issue.

I say "power" for me I get much more backwards momentum if the "power" stroke is really slow and controlled. If you try to rip and go fast on the power stroke you increase your chance of a wobble, you normally seasaw and I think because you are using the side of the fin the turblent flow caused by going fast equals less force generated. So I open feet slow, then as others have said pause there for 1-2 seconds, then slowy reset over 2-4 seconds then repeat.

You are definitely close though! And once you can do it you will use it in many situations! It's so useful and I wish at least my agency put a bigger emphasis on it.

 

[wKkaY]

I'll add that you can try to practice the kick while you're close to the bottom. Compared to midwater, it will be easier for you to tell whether you're moving backwards.

 

[Ayisha]

...If you try to rip and go fast on the power stroke you increase your chance of a wobble, you normally seasaw...

The seesaw is due to not being balanced from head to toe, which you can also see with the dropped knees.

Once @Winmit does a static trim test and sees whether he pivots head down or feet down when not correcting, and moves his weights down or up accordingly, he'll be much more stable and in a better position to go backward smoothly once the mechanics work out. Otherwise, once he starts going backwards, he'll continue to seesaw and move diagonally up or down instead of straight backwards.

I find that after you extend your legs in the first phase, as soon as you turn your ankles, you have backwards momentum, and then finish it off with the power kick and a long glide.

When I was learning to back kick, I was told to imagine 2 pillars behind me that I was to separate and push apart. Those are the movements in a back kick.

My GUE instructor placed 2 pylons behind me without fins while lying on my front on the deck of a pool. He kept retrieving and re-setting them as I practiced until I had pretty good mechanics of a back kick. He also manipulated my feet the way they were supposed to go so I could get the nuances of the directions of the heels, ankles, etc.

Practicing with a flutter board without fins helps get the mechanics down as well.

 

[inquis]

and moves his weights down or up accordingly, he'll be much more stable and in a better position to go backward smoothly once the mechanics work out.

+1. The drag -- and thus rearward propulsion -- is related to the square of the speed through the water. Fast leg movement is better as long as you don't screw it up in the coast phase.