Competitive swimmers out there - can u frog kick?

[sjkoen]

I am a competitive swimmer and have been since I was five years old. Do any other competitive swimmers have trouble with frog kick?

I've always just fluttered and occasionally some fly kicks for fun. Never gave it much thought because I don't tire out or have trouble in current (i use a 2 beat kick in free, so im not a particularly strong kicker when swimming), haven't been in close conditions or near bottom in my diving and am always finishing with more in the tank than anyone else.

But now that I'm heading out for some muck diving (been using Scubapro Gorilla Sport fins), I've been trying to frog kick and I'm simply awful. I think my breaststroke muscle memory is just too strong to overcome and I don't want to push it too much or I might mess up my IMs.

Anyone else have similar experience?

I figure I'll just fo modified flutter when I'm worried about kicking up silt.

 

[lowwall]

I am a competitive swimmer and have been since I was five years old. Do any other competitive swimmers have trouble with frog kick?

I've always just fluttered and occasionally some fly kicks for fun. Never gave it much thought because I don't tire out or have trouble in current (i use a 2 beat kick in free, so im not a particularly strong kicker when swimming), haven't been in close conditions or near bottom in my diving and am always finishing with more in the tank than anyone else.

But now that I'm heading out for some muck diving (been using Scubapro Gorilla Sport fins), I've been trying to frog kick and I'm simply awful. I think my breaststroke muscle memory is just too strong to overcome and I don't want to push it too much or I might mess up my IMs.

Anyone else have similar experience?

I figure I'll just fo modified flutter when I'm worried about kicking up silt.

My specialty was breaststroke and I didn't have any trouble adapting. The kick is different, but the feedback from the fins is a constant reminder that you aren't doing breast.

The cadence is also very low in scuba. You can concentrate on each kick if you want until it becomes automatic.

Edit: For some pure fun when you are well away from the bottom, do dolphin kicks. You can really fly with fins.

 

[rhwestfall]

Daughter (former collegiate swimmer) did frog kick from day one of her scuba lessons. Wasn't too hard for her to "do it right"... Blew the instructor's minds....

It was hysterical with the swim test. She did it as an IM. Was almost done as everyone was just maybe half way through it. Thing is, she was done, and resting at the wall, and one of the instructors chastised her, saying "I told you not to go too hard, and now you are not able to finish". She looked at him and smiled, saying, "um... I'm finished." He didn't want to believe her until someone else backed up her statement.

 

[scubadada]

I was also a competitive swimmer from an early age. I had no problem with frog kick. It is very easy to feel the pressure against your fins with a good frog kick, the feedback makes it simple.

 

[lowwall]

It was hysterical with the swim test. She did it as an IM. Was almost done as everyone was just maybe half way through it. Thing is, she was done, and resting at the wall, and one of the instructors chastised her, saying "I told you not to go too hard, and now you are not able to finish". She looked at him and smiled, saying, "um... I'm finished." He didn't want to believe her until someone else backed up her statement.

Doing the swim test as an IM is brilliant.

As a former collegiate water polo player, I elected to show off during the water tread and did the whole thing with my arms in the air.

 

[sjkoen]

Thanks everyone! I think I'm putting too much emphasis on trying to match the knees bent, heels up position in the demonstration videos I see.

 

[sjkoen]

Doing the swim test as an IM is brilliant.

As a former collegiate water polo player, I elected to show off during the water tread and did the whole thing with my arms in the air.

Did you hold up a chair too?

 

[sjkoen]

For some pure fun when you are well away from the bottom, do dolphin kicks. You can really fly with fins.
[/QUOTE]
Fly kick is so much fun!

 

[lowwall]

Did you hold up a chair too?

Do I look like a goalie?

 

[Landau]

Competitive breaststroke here. Took me a long time to get used to pushing with the bottom of my feet/fins in frog kick instead of the sides of my feet/ankles in breaststroke.

To me the key was fins stiff enough that I could feel their position and what edge I was pushing with.