Frog kicks and feet full of air.

[BarryNL]

I notice that when trying to frog kick and ascend it's very difficult (i.e. impossible) to vent the air in your feet. Obviously, straightening the legs and angling the body up slightly solves the problem, but what's the correct technique for ridding your legs/feet of expanding air when frog kicking?

 

[Soggy]

The "correct" technique is the one that gets air out of your legs. Stop, do whatever you need to do to adjust and fix the problem, continue.

Now, a better question is there too much material in the legs or feet of your drysuit? If there is, you should have your suit tailored or, as a temporary solution, use gators and/or fin-keepers to help restrict the amount of gas that can venture up there.

 

[Rick Inman]

If you look at Soggy's avatar, his feet look like they are well above his head. But, if you were to watch Soggy's kick, I would suspect that when his feet come together at the furthest extension point of his kick, his feet would be closer to level with his body, making it easy for trapped air to slide out of the feet area.

Actually, I have no clue about Soggy, but that's how it is for me. While ascending, just a couple of kicks gets the air moving evenly within my suit.

 

[jonnythan]

Everything is easier when the gear is right and fits well.

When your drysuit fits properly, having extra air in the feet isn't a problem to begin with. However, since I assume your drysuit has some extra material in the feet and lower legs, take Soggy's advice and do what you need to do to get the air out of there. It's no problem if you go out of trim on your ascent and drop your feet to get the air out... unless of course doing so is going to cause some silt-out, which is unlikely when you're ascending in open water.

 

[Reinoud]

I notice that when trying to frog kick and ascend it's very difficult (i.e. impossible) to vent the air in your feet. Obviously, straightening the legs and angling the body up slightly solves the problem, but what's the correct technique for ridding your legs/feet of expanding air when frog kicking?

One tip I recently heard is this: lower your feet a little and make a few backward frogkicks. At the same time lift your left shoulder.