Feelin' Froggy...

[The Chairman]

OK Kick Meisters...

My frog kick sucks... its trying to be a scissors kick, and I just can't seem to get it straight. Any suggestions would be great but I have one HUGE question. During the "propel" portion of the kick... are you pushing with the top of you foot or the bottom?

Mind you, I am in the beginning development stage and am doing this with bare feet first. Get the technique down and then move to fins. I find when I am doing my under water smim for my instructor's exam, that I am getting almost ALL of my motile power from my arms, and just using up air with my kicking. I have to make 75 ft on one breath, and I am up to 60 right now. I need my kick to actually be effective to get the last 15 feet.

Also, as I was trying to immitate my part frog buddy, I realized that I don't bend like he does. I am starting yoga classes to improve flexibility but I need answers to my kick questions now.

 

[Rick Murchison]

The frog kick you use for finless swimming is markedly different than the one with fins. To get propulsion out of just your legs and feet, you must bring the legs up into a near tuck position, then extent the legs straight out wide apart and snap them together - the thrust is primarily from the legs themselves. As for the feet, in the finless kick some thrust comes from the top of the feet during the leg straightening portion of the kick and from the bottom of the feet during the snap-together portion.
With fins, the knees are bent but not drawn up under the swimmer as in the finless kick - there is more of a rotation of the feet to take the fintips apart, and then a partial straightening of the legs with a simultaneous twisting inward of the feet to develop thrust off the bottom of the fins. There is much less leg movement than in the finless kick and much more side-to-side foot rotation to position the fins to get thrust out of them.
This is hard to describe but easy to demonstrate.
Rick

 

[Drew Sailbum]

sitting at the edge of my computer chair trying to do my breaststroke kick. :lol:

Without fins, I get the most thrust out of my frog kick by bringing the legs together. I bend at the knees, but its not much of an up-and-down motion with the lower legs. I get most of the drive from the muscles in my thighs as I bring them together and straighten my legs at the same time.

With (split) fins, I barely bend my knee at all. Just a gentle motion seperating my legs and bring them together - almost like jumping jacks in slow motion. Most of the thrust comes off the back of the fin for that one, and I rotate my feet out at the ankle just before bringing my legs together

 

[scubakat]

Hiya Pete...

Check out http://www.fifthd.com/divestore/classes/video/froglicks.htm

for some kickin' action...

-K

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by scubakat
Hiya Pete...

Check out http://www.fifthd.com/divestore/classes/video/froglicks.htm

for some kickin' action...

-K

Perfect.
Rick

 

[WYDT]

There are actually TWO frog type kicks.

#1 Frog Kick
#2 Modified Frog Kick

The frog kick can be used in larger rooms in caves and in open water when not near the bottom. The MODified Frog kick should be used where there is a possibility of stirring up silt on the bottom.

The modified frog kick is similar to the frog kick but is done without moving the legs above the knees at all or very little. Using only skulling motions with the ankles and fins pointed slightly upward.

The modified flutter can also be an effective kick in silty areas. This is done by keeping the body horizontal and bending the knees so the calves are perpendicular to the legs then using small kicks with the ankles only with the fins pointed slightly up.

DSAO!!