Split fin kick style?

[jstamets]

Ok, this risks falling back into a "which is better" post, and that is not what I am asking. I am asking what, if anything, I am doing wrong with my current fin. I have a set of Atomic splits and recently returned from an ocean dive. I hit a little current and found it difficult to keep up with the Guide who had paddles when we were returning to the boat. Not to say that my kick could probably use some work, but I was a competitive swimmer for years as a kid, so I have some idea how to flutter kick. I felt like I was in first gear on a ten speed - fluttering like crazy for every single kick of the guide. The only real kick I could use when I needed to get anywhere was a sort of Side-Stroke kick, only not on my side. For those with experience with both or splits, is there a trick to getting more power from a split fin? Naturally others have blamed the splits, but I know there are others who swear by them, so I know that they work for some and, logically, there must be a way to make them work. I'll probably try a pair of paddles, but I want to be able to use my splits as well.

(BTW - I did search first, but kicking style kind of gets lost in the which is better posts).

 

[Becca_007]

I just had a discussion about different kicks recently with my dive buddy and we discovered that we don't really know which kick is best or if we are doing any of them right. We both dive with splits and he typically does a flutter while I prefer a frog. I'll be interested to hear what others say because I've read in other threads where people say you can't frog in splits and I can't be the only exception to this 'rule'.

 

[Mattleycrue76]

Try frog kicking. Flutter kicking wildly will quickley exhaust you and with split fins it's fairly easy to "power" right through them. It's much more efficient to take longer slower kicks frog kick style. It's also less silty. And yes you can do this with split fins although some will say you can't. Overall this is the reason why I dive with rigid paddle fins though. In the Puget Sound we encounter lots of current and I quickly discovered that I could get better results with a pair of turtle fins vs. the Mares Raptors that I used to dive.

 

[fairybasslet]

I have Apollo Biofins and I've learned along the way that the best kick for this particular model is a small flutter using your ankles rather than your whole leg. They served me well in Galapagos & Cocos and I don't think you go up against currents much stronger than those.

 

[elan]

It is not a problem of your fins I bet. Atomic split is quite stiff fin and gives enough thrust. I know as I had one in the past. Pay closer attention to your trim and streamlining of your gear. It makes a huge difference. All unnecessary staff hanging of you will slow you down.

 

[jstamets]

It is not a problem of your fins I bet. Atomic split is quite stiff fin and gives enough thrust. I know as I had one in the past. Pay closer attention to your trim and streamlining of your gear. It makes a huge difference. All unnecessary staff hanging of you will slow you down.

Well, my BCD at the time was too big for me (I lost weight over winter) and it was not fitting well. I am switching to a BP/W and looking forward to a tighter streamline - i have a Balance and it is nice, but it still feels bulky. Trim was pretty good and weight was maybe a little heavy, but not too much. The splits worked well for slow movement - which I prefer for just watching the life - it was when we hit current (1-2 kts) that I noticed a distinct lack of propulsion. I was able to frog kick (of sorts - still working that one out) and that worked well. Not so much on the back kick.

 

[tc]

Short rapid kicks have always worked better for me with splits, you don't get the power from kicking harder like you would with paddles, it comes from more rapid, shorter strokes (the rebound of the fin as it straightens out is where you get the power- so the more often that happens the faster you go.)

I'll often pivot just from the ankle rather than from the hip like you would in a normal flutter kick.

 

[fnfalman]

Short rapid kicks have always worked better for me with splits, you don't get the power from kicking harder like you would with paddles, it comes from more rapid, shorter strokes (the rebound of the fin as it straightens out is where you get the power- so the more often that happens the faster you go.)

I'll often pivot just from the ankle rather than from the hip like you would in a normal flutter kick.

Yep. Use more knees and ankles with very short kicks. You don't have a "burst" of speed right out of the gate but you will accelerate very smoothly and get to a very fast top speed pretty soon.

I suppose I don't need to point out that to make sure to point your toes?

Most people kick with split fins like they do with paddle fins. It don't work. You waste energy, you don't go anywhere and it frustrates the heck out of you not to mention kicking up silt.

As far as frog kicking with splits go, yes, you can do it but it's not very efficient. It's better to curl your legs up like you do with frog kicking but instead of flicking your feet back and forth like frog kicking, you flick your feet up and down like a mini-flutter kick.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I have had them both and liked both. In my humble and uneducated opinion, the "split" in split fins is just a marketing gimmick and really doesn't accomplish anything. Seems to me I read a swim test research report that compared split fins to taped-up split fins and there was no difference.

There WAS a difference between splits and blades, however: Blades deliver more power per stroke. You can see this for yourself when you look at the video of a diver "swimming up" a 29 lb. weight in a pool (on SB, somewhere).

Most "Split fins" are long and floppy, while the Jet fins are shorter and stiffer. The length versus width ratio of a fin is called "Aspect Ratio" and a high aspect ratio fin requires more energy and produces more power. This is why a Tuna has a wide, short tail and a thick, muscular body to drive it, while a Trout has a long tail and a slender, willowy body.

You can still swim pretty fast with splits, but you will be kicking much faster than with blades. This is very similar to the situation with motors and propellers, where a smaller prop can deliver the same speed as a large one by turning faster. The goal there is to match the prop size to the engine power, so that the engine can run at it's most efficient speed.

Ideally, I believe a diver should match his fins to the power of his legs. As a former swimmer, you probably are too strong for long floppy split fins and would likely be much happier with blade style fins.

 

[dwhthediver]

I have never dived Jets or Turtles, but I have dove 2 diferent blade fins(Mares Avanti X-3 and Aqualung Slingshots), and TwinJets. I will say in really stiff current, give me the Slingshots set as tight as they will go, but everything else, just let me frog kick in my TwinJets, I am not racing. Most efficient kick in a split fin is a short flutter kick as has been said before, more ankles than hips. BTW the split fins are longer...there are exceptions, TwinJets...shorter and wider