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Extreme Dolfinism

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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You will get great thrust with bending the knees. You will also get more drag. If you need to accelerate quickly to pounce on a fish you just got with a pole-spear, it is great. If you are doing dynamics, it is not so good as the drag will eventually take its toll.

A little knee bending is okay, but I find that when I have a little knee bend in my stroke is basically when I think I have none. If I think I'm bending them slightly, I am actually bending them a lot. You may have a different feel of things. Generally, it takes video analysis of your technique to figure out what is actually going on with your stroke.
I second everything Revan said. This is why I keep saying to lock the knees. In my videos you can see a little knee bend - but this feels like my legs are straight - so concentrate on the feeling that the knees are locked straight - not with excessive rigid tension - but definitely straight. As mentioned elsewhere - it is easiest to develop this sensation in surface swimming. At depth there is a tendency to go too far in the backstroke before transitioning the motion into the upper back and downstroke. Baby steps.
 
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You will get great thrust with bending the knees. You will also get more drag. If you need to accelerate quickly to pounce on a fish you just got with a pole-spear, it is great. If you are doing dynamics, it is not so good as the drag will eventually take its toll.

A little knee bending is okay, but I find that when I have a little knee bend in my stroke is basically when I think I have none. If I think I'm bending them slightly, I am actually bending them a lot. You may have a different feel of things. Generally, it takes video analysis of your technique to figure out what is actually going on with your stroke.


Pouncing! That's the perfect descriptor for what it was like. Pouncing to get moving. While I have neither anyone to video tape me or watch my diving right now, I attempted a few work arounds to get me by. Tucking my head down allowed me to watch my feet and legs better so I can at least connect sensations with leg positions with some level of accuracy. I also tried going midway down on the pool wall and adopting a headstand style position against it. This allowed me to experiment with various fin strokes and feel the thrust created and effectiveness through the resistance in my arms pushing back against the wall. Clumsy, but it offered some feedback for various techniques.

With any luck, I'm be getting together with a friend in a couple of weeks that can watch of video me a bit and I'll be able to get a better idea of what's going on.
 
I second everything Revan said. This is why I keep saying to lock the knees. In my videos you can see a little knee bend - but this feels like my legs are straight - so concentrate on the feeling that the knees are locked straight - not with excessive rigid tension - but definitely straight. As mentioned elsewhere - it is easiest to develop this sensation in surface swimming. At depth there is a tendency to go too far in the backstroke before transitioning the motion into the upper back and downstroke. Baby steps.


Quick point of clarification: Backstroke vs. downstroke. Does the backstroke refer to the motion of the diver's body and downstroke refer to the motion of the foil/fin? Just trying to make sure I understand the terminology correctly.

If downstroke does refer to the fin, is it referencing the motion towards the back of the diver or when the fin is returning to the front?

Thanks!
 
Quick point of clarification: Backstroke vs. downstroke. Does the backstroke refer to the motion of the diver's body and downstroke refer to the motion of the foil/fin? Just trying to make sure I understand the terminology correctly.

If downstroke does refer to the fin, is it referencing the motion towards the back of the diver or when the fin is returning to the front?

Thanks!

Backstroke is when the fin moves up, downstroke when it moves down. Your 'pouncing' motion is using the fin like a large paddle - pushing against the water (foil or traditional fin). It pretty much fails to exploit the advantages of the design in exchange for the cheap thrill of felt thrust :)
 
Backstroke is when the fin moves up, downstroke when it moves down.

This is the part the confuses me: What is the reference point for up and down? Is it up relative to the diver (assuming the diver is face down performing dynamics) or the foil (since the foil is mounted inverted from the diver). Sorry for my confusion. I'm really not trying to be obtuse. The problem is that up and down are relative terms and I'm not yet sure of the perspective.

Your 'pouncing' motion is using the fin like a large paddle - pushing against the water (foil or traditional fin). It pretty much fails to exploit the advantages of the design in exchange for the cheap thrill of felt thrust :)

Maybe I like cheap thrills! :p
 
This is the part the confuses me: What is the reference point for up and down? Is it up relative to the diver (assuming the diver is face down performing dynamics) or the foil (since the foil is mounted inverted from the diver). Sorry for my confusion. I'm really not trying to be obtuse. The problem is that up and down are relative terms and I'm not yet sure of the perspective.



Maybe I like cheap thrills! :p

Relative to the diver.
 
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