Frog kick efficiency

[Angelo Farina]

Don't try this period.

Good way to permently ruin many ligaments.

This: Lower limb injuries in breaststroke swimmers - Central Coast Physiotherapy

I listen so many saying scuba is differerent, diving is swimming your opinion harmfull, or rate of the kick in scuba means it is ok. Where does some of this unsupported opinion come from when there is much evedence that your permently injuring yourselves? The rate of kick dosen't matter, the repetition does, the force of every kick matters, one mistake and ligaments, etc, are so easisly damaged, your anotomy matters, but yet again so many give advice can lead to knee replacment permenant physicial therrapy.

As I wrote dozens of times: everyone has different legs and muscles and joints.
The optimal fins and kicking technique should be adapted to the diver anatomy.
A good finned swimming instructor has studied these topics during his training and can provide each finned swimmer with proper guidance on the best fins and optimal kicking style.
Unfortunately tech divers love standardisation and push for uniform type of fins (SP Jetfins, which indeed are worse than the original Beuchat Jetfins) and frog kicking for everyone.

 

[dmaziuk]

Unfortunately tech divers love standardisation and push for uniform type of fins (SP Jetfins, which indeed are worse than the original Beuchat Jetfins) and frog kicking for everyone.

... while having no effing clue as to how to swim properly. Evidently.

 

[EFX]

Note the fins she uses

She's using swim fins. A lot of people use them to strengthen their legs. I watched the video. She has a good strong kick but her form wasn't correct. I was surprised because she looked like a competitive swimmer. At the start of the next stroke she was moving her knees outside of her ankles. The added surface area of the thigh adds drag. The correct technique, as I was taught, is to keep the knees close together and move the ankles/feet outside of the knees. As in the video the stroke is completed by making a circular motion of the feet and pushing out at the same time. Doing this keeps the thighs in line with the body producing less drag.

 

[mcohen1021]

Hi, during a class it was highlighted that I don’t have a very good frog kick efficiency.

Have you tried asking a frog to help?

 

[BlueTrin]

Have you tried asking a frog to help?

Do you know a good one?

 

[dmaziuk]

... At the start of the next stroke she was moving her knees outside of her ankles. The added surface area of the thigh adds drag. The correct technique, as I was taught, is to keep the knees close together and move the ankles/feet outside of the knees.

Most people move them out a couple of inches like she does. It's like pulling in a straight line in crawls: that's what you should strive for, but the real joints and bones don't work that way so there's always some amount of curves and arcs in there.

 

[mcohen1021]

Do you know a good one?

We occasionally get one in the pool and see them on our lake

 

[vasproud]

Hi, during a class it was highlighted that I don’t have a very good frog kick efficiency.

Apparently I don’t extend my legs far enough and as a result I don’t push hard enough to glide.

The instructor mentioned that it is probably a combination of these factors:

• I seem to be slightly negative and compensate with my lungs
• It was mentioned I am maybe too flat trim and should have my legs a bit lower actually, apparently I have sometimes too much air accumulating in my drysuit legs

My buddy mentioned that he only needs about 1 frog kick to do the same distance than 2 of mine.

Also I noticed that when I finish my kick, I don’t feel very stable, like if I was rolling a bit. It’s possible that this may be due to having a bit too much air in my legs: the diving here is around 4-5m depth average, I find it weirdly challenging to dump gas from my drysuit so close to the surface and hold legs extended long enough to dump at a shallow depth. Maybe I need to practice this more.

It has been hard to correct these because I have been having these bad habits for too long. Also I have been doing quite a bit of other adjustments recently so it’s all compounding.

I was wondering if anyone here had ideas or drills to speed up the learning process and get an efficient frog kick.

Hi,

So I would suggest a few things.

First of all, look at the free online course at sidemounting.com (also on YouTube for free too) that has the finning techniques - so you can see what you are aiming for.

Then I would (as others have said) try to video yourself making the kicks. I would do these initially on land lying on a bench or even off the end of your bed. You can set your phone up to record and then play back after you've made a few kicks to see how they look. If you position the phone and leave it on selfie mode, you can see you moving live if you get the right position of the phone.

Then of course in the water is the real test to get to see yourself.

The comment about being in flat trim seems a bit strange - that's a good thing. Being negative is of course a bad thing, and the wobble you mention is a sign of a diver not feeling stable and the body makes you move to get some feelings you are used to.

The frog kick itself has three main phases,

• the load. this is where you draw the heels up towards the bum while keeping our knees reasonably close together

• the kick. this is where you now separate your fins, then at their widest, turn your ankles in and then lowering your feet to imagine clapping the soles of your feet together

• the glide. once the fins have met and been "clapped", then point the legs behind you and point your toes so the fin blade is as flat as can be (least water resistance). the glide is a rest and should last until you come to a stop. Don't be tempted to lift your legs back up too soon as it will just add drag and slow you down.

Hope that helps and do let me know if you get to watch the videos at all.

Cheers

 

[ofg-1]

You know, if you kick them soccer style, you can punt them little suckers a long way.

 

[dmaziuk]

But if you kick real slow, you're gonna get great gas mileage: