Ziggys_Friend
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Newbie goes to DIR-F (part 2) Day one
For those interested, I'm finally getting back to last weeks DIR-F class as seen through the eyes of a Newbie. As this class has been covered in depth before (See Mot2vation's excellent series (see "The Assimiliation Continues" - Parts 7a-7d) (I couldn't have said it better okay, I couldn't have said it as well) So I'm going to assume you've read those, or at least leave many of the class details out that he's already covered. Also, you might want to read DiverBuoy's ongoing "DIR-F Catalina Report." What's left? Well, probably the ramblings of an wet behind the ears diver, but I digress
Splashdown minus 4 hours:
Funny thing, but even as I'm going over with Mot2vation on the Cat Express I'm still thinking about why I'm taking this class sure, I'm excited, but I have a pretty good idea how little I really know about diving so why am I going? For me it came down to simple skill development. I've taken five other classes (OW, AOW, Deep, Night, Nitrox) and while I've learned to dive, no one has ever really spent time teaching me skills. Oh, I know what buoyancy is (or thought I did), but when Mot2vation and I were practicing the basic kicks I didn't even know what 3 of them were! So, in the end I'm not going to learn dive profiling (actually I didnt really know what that was and only now are the clouds slowly clearing), I didn't even go primarily to learn about DIR and have my new BP/Wings fit right, though I wanted and expected to - I went for basic skills.
Splashdown:
We've arrived, met, argued over the beds, eaten and now what we've all been waiting for begins MHK is working the room as we learn about each other and his politely assertive teaching style (when he asks you a question he expects you to answer it!). People share their dive experience only lets all class dives, teaching dives and Caribbean dives don't really count either So, we come to my dive history and fortunately here I'm on solid ground. I immediately dive under the bus, "what dive history? remember guys, I'm the Newbie heck, I dont even know what the questions are yet!" Note to file, why would a Newbie surrounded by seasoned dive veterans even TRY to impress I've already figured out the "Newbie Key." No habits = no bad habits!). For the record, I'm going into this with 23 dives logged and only one of them not in a class or practice setting we call that a blank slate. Look, I'd already figured out the deal I'm there to make the rest of the class look good! But you see, I have a secret too, no body else is coming from as far behind so how can I help but improve.
As we get into the class materials MHK really does the teacher part quite well and I find none of the concepts are all that difficult. True, I've read JJ's book and I've been reading about DIR online for some time so it's not all that new, but still I'm seldom lost (enjoy it while it lasts). As I continue to listen one clear "bottom line" keeps coming through. MHK knows we know how to "dive" (or as he uses the skiing analogy, we can get down the hill), but this weekend is about showing us how to carve the hill like a pro. DIR is not just a different gear set-up, training, kicks or even another concept of the team work, it's about taking diving to a level of precision and skill that keeps you ALWAYS in control.
Again and again we hear about basics and perhaps even more importantly, the "why" behind DIR. All through class MHK will encourage us to ask questions and one thing I noticed, he never said "because it's the DIR way." Perhaps that's one of the biggest differences about talking DIR online and going to a class, again and again online I've heard "thats just the way DIR does it" without the reason, but I never heard that once last weekend. Whether it was about choosing fins, the type of kick used, or our pre-dive checklist, there was always a clear reason. Oh, sometimes there is no "DIR" official way (such as exactly how to attach your SPG SS Snaps) and certainly people can argue with their reasoning, but it's always there.
So what specifically did I learn Friday night? Well, I learned the basic kicks used in DIR diving (frog, modified frog, modified flutter, backwards kick and helicopter turn). More importantly, in talking about fins and the various "DIR kicks," I found out they really have good reasons for using the Frog Kick over the flutter kick and for choosing traditional fins over split fins. Again, this was not a case of "that's the DIR party line." I learned that as a diver moves underwater, our bodies break the water and kicks such as the Frog kick take advantage of the slipstream whereas, the traditional flutter kick actually works against it. MHK also reminded us about the need to keep our underwater environment silt free, another reason to stay away from the flutter kick. Finally he spoke of the difficulty of even doing kicks such as the backwards kick with split fins.
Splashdown plus 1: (to be continued)
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For those interested, I'm finally getting back to last weeks DIR-F class as seen through the eyes of a Newbie. As this class has been covered in depth before (See Mot2vation's excellent series (see "The Assimiliation Continues" - Parts 7a-7d) (I couldn't have said it better okay, I couldn't have said it as well) So I'm going to assume you've read those, or at least leave many of the class details out that he's already covered. Also, you might want to read DiverBuoy's ongoing "DIR-F Catalina Report." What's left? Well, probably the ramblings of an wet behind the ears diver, but I digress
Splashdown minus 4 hours:
Funny thing, but even as I'm going over with Mot2vation on the Cat Express I'm still thinking about why I'm taking this class sure, I'm excited, but I have a pretty good idea how little I really know about diving so why am I going? For me it came down to simple skill development. I've taken five other classes (OW, AOW, Deep, Night, Nitrox) and while I've learned to dive, no one has ever really spent time teaching me skills. Oh, I know what buoyancy is (or thought I did), but when Mot2vation and I were practicing the basic kicks I didn't even know what 3 of them were! So, in the end I'm not going to learn dive profiling (actually I didnt really know what that was and only now are the clouds slowly clearing), I didn't even go primarily to learn about DIR and have my new BP/Wings fit right, though I wanted and expected to - I went for basic skills.
Splashdown:
We've arrived, met, argued over the beds, eaten and now what we've all been waiting for begins MHK is working the room as we learn about each other and his politely assertive teaching style (when he asks you a question he expects you to answer it!). People share their dive experience only lets all class dives, teaching dives and Caribbean dives don't really count either So, we come to my dive history and fortunately here I'm on solid ground. I immediately dive under the bus, "what dive history? remember guys, I'm the Newbie heck, I dont even know what the questions are yet!" Note to file, why would a Newbie surrounded by seasoned dive veterans even TRY to impress I've already figured out the "Newbie Key." No habits = no bad habits!). For the record, I'm going into this with 23 dives logged and only one of them not in a class or practice setting we call that a blank slate. Look, I'd already figured out the deal I'm there to make the rest of the class look good! But you see, I have a secret too, no body else is coming from as far behind so how can I help but improve.
As we get into the class materials MHK really does the teacher part quite well and I find none of the concepts are all that difficult. True, I've read JJ's book and I've been reading about DIR online for some time so it's not all that new, but still I'm seldom lost (enjoy it while it lasts). As I continue to listen one clear "bottom line" keeps coming through. MHK knows we know how to "dive" (or as he uses the skiing analogy, we can get down the hill), but this weekend is about showing us how to carve the hill like a pro. DIR is not just a different gear set-up, training, kicks or even another concept of the team work, it's about taking diving to a level of precision and skill that keeps you ALWAYS in control.
Again and again we hear about basics and perhaps even more importantly, the "why" behind DIR. All through class MHK will encourage us to ask questions and one thing I noticed, he never said "because it's the DIR way." Perhaps that's one of the biggest differences about talking DIR online and going to a class, again and again online I've heard "thats just the way DIR does it" without the reason, but I never heard that once last weekend. Whether it was about choosing fins, the type of kick used, or our pre-dive checklist, there was always a clear reason. Oh, sometimes there is no "DIR" official way (such as exactly how to attach your SPG SS Snaps) and certainly people can argue with their reasoning, but it's always there.
So what specifically did I learn Friday night? Well, I learned the basic kicks used in DIR diving (frog, modified frog, modified flutter, backwards kick and helicopter turn). More importantly, in talking about fins and the various "DIR kicks," I found out they really have good reasons for using the Frog Kick over the flutter kick and for choosing traditional fins over split fins. Again, this was not a case of "that's the DIR party line." I learned that as a diver moves underwater, our bodies break the water and kicks such as the Frog kick take advantage of the slipstream whereas, the traditional flutter kick actually works against it. MHK also reminded us about the need to keep our underwater environment silt free, another reason to stay away from the flutter kick. Finally he spoke of the difficulty of even doing kicks such as the backwards kick with split fins.
Splashdown plus 1: (to be continued)
<//><
