valve drills and cold water

[sarysa]

Ok, guess that was unforgivably lazy of me, but I went to the site and found the full link:
http://www.divefitness.com/html/articles/article_pdfs/should_stretch.pdf (you've got to be kidding me, the forum truncates it. haha...but it's clickable.)
Seems useful.

 

[Captain12Pk]

Some things to think about:
First, at this beginning level; practicing "Semi-regularly" just isn't gonna cut it. On a training day we'll probably do upward of 20 valve drills per diver. And when I was at your level, We were practicing at least one day every week. Don't worry too much about speed. Keep practicing. Comfort and confidence with your abilities will come with practice. Speed will follow naturally.
Water temperature is what it is. You'll need to adjust to it. Being able to do a valve drill with no mask is an important skill. Keep practicing.
Exposure protection is what it is as well. You need to be able to execute the drill in whatever suit you're in. Make sure your suit is fitted properly. Again, you will get used to the feel with more time.
As stated, proper trim is critical. But stretch those shoulders out. Every day. It only takes a minute or two. Also, think of keeping your elbows close to your body as you reach over toward the valves. Just lift your arms straight up and your hand will hit the valve. If you can't reach it, use the other hand to push the elbow up to the valve. Does that make sense?

Keep practicing. Good luck.
K

 

[waterpirate]

If the Harness and the exposure suit are not the issue.... that leaves only you. When I first started I was instructed to not ease into the reach for the valve, but to throw your arm back and over in one motion to get there. Technique is also critical, I move my hand just past the side of my face and then roll my palm outward to grasp the valve. Hope this helps.
Eric

 

[ajduplessis]

Ajduplessis: Christolube
Interesting. The doubles were assembled by my LDS, so I'll ask them. Aside from getting mildly stuck at fully closed/open, though, I seem to have more trouble getting my hand into a good turning position than anything.

Try to "tuck" your elbows inwards when reaching for the valves. Imagine putting your hands behind your head, but your elbows pointing forward and not sideways. Does that make sense? Your shoulder joint have a bigger rotation stretch this way.

 

[Captain12Pk]

Exactly! So your elbows are essentially pointing forward.

 

[rongoodman]

Is speed an agency requirement for you? It seems to me that being able to do it while holding position and keeping an eye on your buddy is more important. (Slow is smooth--smooth is fast.) Agree with pointing your elbows forward, not out. Keep you head up too.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Key Gear Points to Check: Harness (you already did), Drysuit Fit(should have same flexibility that you do out of the water), Band Positioning

Technique for Trim: Head up, arms out in front, stiffen shoulder blades, crunch butt cheeks, angles toward butt, point toes

Finning: Must be able to do all finning techniques (flutter mod flutter, frog, mod frog, reverse, helicopter turns), being able to do all these add to balance and control

Technique: Line hand up with nose and reach straight back overhead, then flare hand out to valve, keep breathing smooth and keep track of reference point. Practice, practice, practice this stuff does not come overnight.

It is a combination of all these things that allow us to hold and do valve drills in trim. This is really hard to diagnose on-line and if you just did a class then your instructor should have covered this and been able to give you feedback with what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong and how to fix it. IF your answer to all of the above items is "Yes, all is good" then NO it is not and you need to seek out an instructor who will give you honest feedback and how to fix it. What did your instructor tell you??

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Ajd I agree on your christo application, and saltwater where op is diving, clean and replace as it will get sticky after so many dives, And I wash as good as you can.

Maybe I missed but adjusting position of Isolator makes that one easier for me.

 

[sarysa]

several: Elbows forward, stretching, etc.
I think I've been pretty good with the elbows, but next dive(s) I'll micromanage my valve drills and experiment with exact elbow positioning. I haven't been jutting them out but their position has been at a slightly outward bias.
Same goes for my curling exercise.

rongoodman: Is speed an agency requirement for you?
It's an agency requirement. I believe it drops down to 40 seconds in later courses, but the agency's variation doesn't involve sucking the hoses dry (i.e. getting the true "out of air" sensation) like others seem to. It's a simple, straightforward regimen.

Wayne at DiveSeekers: valve drills at trim
At trim, I can perform at agency standards for my level, but I love the amount of detail you put into your description of proper trim. Interesting read.

 

[rongoodman]

Breathing down(or purging) the hose after you shut off the post isn't done to get the "out of air" sensation, it's done to eliminate a possible source of continuing bubbles which might complicate further troubleshooting.