Horizontal trim

[HowardE]

I don't really know how to describe how I maintain good positioning. I just....do it....

I honestly believe that envisioning yourself in a trimmed position is a major part actually being trimmed. I think mind over matter can make a big difference.

I don't have to clench either.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin....I have done all of those things...90 degrees with legs, back arched...Definitely no ankle weights...I am in the pool with dive students all of the time...My issue is not neutral buoyancy or horizontal trim while in motion...My issue is mainly the fact that my legs sink while hovering stationary. I just can't seem to hover horizontally. I can stay neutral and stationary all day long, it is just in a vertical position... One thing I haven't done yet is place weight more "north"/on my tanks and I am going to try that...I think alot of the problem has to do with weight distribution over 6' 4" of frame and the difficulty of finding a good center point...Any suggestions of weight attachment to tanks or any other "northern" areas...



Yeah...I have adjusted my tank position upwardly on my bp/w...Still negative on the legs...

Take an ankle weight (or two) and wrap them around the tank valve, see if that helps.

If it does you need shift your weight distribution "north" You can also try moving your wing down relative to your plate.

Tobin

 

[RJP]

I think sometimes people mistakenly feel that when they are "perfectly trim" that their legs are "floating away."

It's a very "un-natural" feeling at first to have your knees bent 90deg with your feet above your knees, and this can feel like your feet are floating up. I'd bet that if you had someone take a picture of you when you feel like your legs are getting away from you you'll see that you're just about right.

Are you frog kicking or flutter kicking?

As to the earlier comment about "forcing" yourself horizontal while swimming, that comment is also quite true. While moving you can make slight adjustments that "correct" for your legs being too high or too low. This can be mistaken for being "trim" when in fact you are merely in a state of constant re-adjustment. If you can correct this you'll also find that swimming/finning is much less work than it is now as well.

Good luck - Ray

 

[rawls]

RJP...

I have been diving long enough to know whether or not I am forcing myself horizontal while swimming...Once again...I am not forcing myself to swim horizontal. I don't know where you guys are getting the idea that just because one has trouble being stationary in a horizontal position that they by default are forcing themselves to maintain horizontal position while swimming...This is not a "true comment"

 

[rawls]

How negative are your fins? Have you tried lighter fins? Try adding a few #s to the top of your plate (perhaps with a few zip-ties).

My freaking computer keeps pasting this...

 

[cool_hardware52]

I think sometimes people mistakenly feel that when they are "perfectly trim" that their legs are "floating away."

It's a very "un-natural" feeling at first to have your knees bent 90deg with your feet above your knees, and this can feel like your feet are floating up. I'd bet that if you had someone take a picture of you when you feel like your legs are getting away from you you'll see that you're just about right.

I agree, that's very common. Most people "feel" trim when they are about 30-45 degrees head up. Being truely horizontally trim is a weird feeling at first, you can't see forward very well, and you are sure you are about to tumble forward. (Most humans are hard wired to be a bit concerned when their feet are higher than their head:11: )

That's why I encourage people to use the flat horizontal bottom of a big pool as a reference.

Tobin

 

[cool_hardware52]

RJP...

I have been diving long enough to know whether or not I am forcing myself horizontal while swimming...Once again...I am not forcing myself to swim horizontal. I don't know where you guys are getting the idea that just because one has trouble being stationary in a horizontal position that they by default are forcing themselves to maintain horizontal position while swimming...This is not a "true comment"

Rawls,

I'm not looking to pick a fight here, but the "Gold Standard" for "Trimmed out" is the motionless hover. You can hid a lot of sins when you are on the move, both in buoyancy and trim. It's when you need to hover that weight distribution is the key.

Tobin

 

[ianr33]

How about changing the stainless BP for an aluminum one and putting a 4 lb weight on the top cam strap?

 

[SparticleBrane]

If you can convince a pool owner to let you hang a mirror down into the pool, go for it. Mirrors are fantastic for instantaneous feedback; you can see exactly what you're doing, while you're doing it.

For example--me filming an OW class...

 

[RJP]

RJP...

I have been diving long enough to know whether or not I am forcing myself horizontal while swimming...

Obviously not.



I think you are objecting to the word "forcing" as if it implies some sort of negative connotation. As Tobin - and others - have pointed out, if you are not horizontally trim when motionless you're not trimmed out properly. The fact that you "must" swim to achieve horizontal trim demonstrates (by definition) that swimming "forces" your non-horizontal position into trim.