Force Fins- Types of Kicks

[joel_pratt]

I wanted to find out from force fin owners and prior owners if you were able to use force fins (pros or originals) effectively for the following kicks;

Frog
Modified Frog
Backwards
Helicopter


I am not interested in the "Jets/Turtle fins are better" debate. Just looking for the above info.

Thanks!!

JP

 

[MikeFerrara]

I haven't used force fin in a long time cuz I didn't like them. It was long enough ago that I couldn't say much about specific kicks though

What do fins have to do with hovering?

 

[Scubatooth]

joel

i use force fins (pros, extras , and accelorators (tried i dont own a pair)


you can do all of the kicks that you mentioned in your post it just requires that you modify you body and leg positions to get hte most out of them

1. frog: it is done the same way as with normal fins but it will be more effective because FF are shaped like the tail of a fish. no real change in fin style.

2. no difference in performace (same comments as above)

3. this is the unique one to FF because you dont have to use your full leg to back up in FF, just use your ankles instead of your legs and you will back up just right.

4. no difference (same as above)

as for kicking even normally you dont have to use your full leg you only need to kick from the knees down (saves from getting cramps) this is because you get the most out of tyour kick cycle while you are propelling water behind you once you go past you legs going level with your body you are not propelling yourself forward but directing it straight down giving no advantage at all.

if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Dan

 

[blackice]

Scubatooth once bubbled...
joel

1. frog: it is done the same way as with normal fins but it will be more effective because FF are shaped like the tail of a fish. no real change in fin style.

2. no difference in performace (same comments as above)

3. this is the unique one to FF because you dont have to use your full leg to back up in FF, just use your ankles instead of your legs and you will back up just right.

4. no difference (same as above)

Dan

Scubatooth said it all, these fins are versitle and can do most kicks and then some... they are very effective, some people just dont give them the chance they deserve.... and if they do they are generally suprised that they work and work well.

 

[Todd]

Hi Joel:

I own a pair of Tan Deltas and my experience parallels Scubatooth's report. Many dive shops will let you try a pair before making a purchasing decision.

Sometimes people make fun of me, but they sure seem to work hard when diving .

Todd.

 

[Scubatooth]

Todd once bubbled...
Hi Joel:

I own a pair of Tan Deltas and my experience parallels Scubatooth's report. Many dive shops will let you try a pair before making a purchasing decision.

Sometimes people make fun of me, but they sure seem to work hard when diving .

Todd.

i was able to do the same thing when i first tried FF. When i asked about them the shops owner set up a private session at the pool they used for training to try them out (how many shop owners you know will do that for one person) and he let me try out all of the different force fins (from pros to accelorators) so that i could pick the right pair for me.

for which i choose a set of Pros, and this fall will be getting another set of pros, but in a tan delta material and a set of extra force in black (non tan delta) with whiskers.

After using force fins for the longest time i find it hard to use normal fins because it just isnt as effective and efficient to me plus it then effects my breathing rate because the fins are as efficient.

blackice once bubbled...


Scubatooth said it all, these fins are versitle and can do most kicks and then some... they are very effective, some people just dont give them the chance they deserve.... and if they do they are generally suprised that they work and work well.

when i started using them i could use them as effectively as my instructor could but once i got used to them i use less energy and go the same speed going full tilt, and it shows becaue my air consumption has dropped. it takes about 5-10 dives to get used to them, and now that im used to them some times during my dives i have to check to make sure they are still on my feet , because i cant feel them.


Your mileage may vary.

 

[etype]

when i give somebody a pair of force fins i always tell them to forget everything they know or heard about finning because the kickstyle is very close to swimming in barefeet, with slight modifications. So i tell them to kick like they are in bare feet and the modifications needed to get the most out of these fins will become apparent and will develop naturally as you realize you are getting excellent forward thrust.

My own style of swimming with force fins is exactly as it would be with bare feet if i could get thrust out of bare feet without doing frogs to gain a momentum thrust. Bare foot kicking seems to decline in force to nothing, so kicking with the foot is just prolonging the momentum of a frog and an arm sweep.

So my swimming kick with forcefins is a slight knee bend, ankle kick, there is no need for frog kicks...as any force fin diver can tell you it's amazing and extremely pleasant how you bullet along underwater with such ease on a kick generally used only to prolong momentum.
Wide frogs can give you a burst of thrust but the energy/propulsion ration is nowhere as good as slight knee bend/ankle kicks.

i've often seen force fin divers who are streaming along put their feet together and start to do mono fin type kicks. It's not effective i believe but i know with forcefins you can attain speeds unattainable with other fins (unless you condition yourself incredibly) and yet the feeling is so natural and easy you get the feeling you can cross the line and start mono finning like a real fish.

 

[aaen]

Are force fins a ggod fin for a beginner to buy. I have read alot of good things about them, just not sure if it would be worth it to buy them as my first set of fins. Also I am a fairly big guy, weigh about 250lbs. Was wondering if they would provide enough power to push me though the water easily, where I am not as streamlined as some divers.

Thanks

Steve

 

[etype]

are forcefins good for a beginner? Yes.
Will they give you enough power. Yes.
The thing is, you have to decide if you want to pay the $ for premium fins. But then this is how you move through the water. \
If you want excellent gear... you have a choice between split fins or force fins. Rodale's did a survey where they rated split fins much higher than force fins. Which caused me to test some of the splits they rated higher (that local well stocked LDS;s had). I think forcefins are still better. Rodale's just doesn't like Bob Evans since he wouldn't submit his fins free for their tests. And Rodales must always be taken with a few grains of salt if not the whole shaker.

Splits are good fins though...the idea behind splits began when they realized forcefins outperformed conventional fins by a wide margin. They tried to attain what force' had by lessening the drag and making the fin more flexible and elastic.
It would be good for you to try them both....however forcefins take a conditioning to find your best kick. You'll kick twice as much with forcefins but you have no drag...thus no cramps and no strain. Personally, i think whether your 250 or 112 lbs. if you want to kick through the water with next to no resistance or muscle strain and be able to move from point to point with speed and ease....then you want force fins. Split fins are excellent, they have good speed and manueverablitly...but there is still that foreleg cramp drag when you try to swim as much as you would in force fins. If you have really developed leg muscles, as many divers do, you may prefer Splits as they are closer to conventional fins. I prefer force fins for their ease of putting muscle power to forward propulsion...and so i recommend them.

 

[nyresq]

I am also a large guy, 6'2" and 240lbs. I have a pair of tan deltas. been using them for over 5 years. Will buy another set if these ever wear out.
Started diving with a pair of mares avantis, wasn't enough power for fins that were way too long. So I tried a pair of jetfins, splitfins from two different makes and finally force fins. With my force fins I can smoke guys half my size and weight in speed races.
The reason behind force fins power is the kick and snap of the fin. Your power with FFs is all in your thigh muscles, you use your thighs to pull your bent knee-leg straight, when it reaches full extention, the fin snaps foward on the follow-through, you draw your lower leg back in a nice easy motion because the fin bends very easy in this direction, and when you start motion in the extention of your thigh again the fin snaps back the other direction. Your hips, butt and hamstrings do very little work with FFs unlike regular fins that make you stiffen your legs on each stroke in both directions. Your thigh muscles are quite a bit larger than your hamstrings, so why not use the large muscles for propulsion. It makes sense and anyone who trys a set of force fins and is shown the PROPER WAY TO KICK with them will love them. Half the size of standard fins, you can walk in them, climb ladders with them, and fin backwards better with them than any other make out there, especially for newjacks.

People dislike force fins because they are unconventional looking, and those that have tried them and don't like them have never been shown the proper way to kick with them.
It is essential you be shown the proper way to kick with them, because if you try to kick the same as regular long fins you won't get half the power out of them that you should be getting.

Try a set with some instruction on how to use them and you'll be sold. For wreck diving(because of compactness and the backward ability), or any where you might have to climb a boat ladder they are worth their weight in gold.:mute:

nuff said