That old diver told me my fin technique was wrong, changed everything

I was working a bridge inspection job in Charleston last spring and this guy with 30 years in the water watched me kick around for a bit. He pulled me aside and said I was using too much knee and not enough hip, basically swimming like I was in a pool. I started focusing on driving from my core instead and holy cow my air consumption dropped by almost 25% on the next dive. Has anyone else had to totally retrain their kick after getting feedback from a veteran?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_mitchell807d ago

Yeah man that totally reminds me of something similar that happened to me. I was in a canoe once and this old timer just watched me paddle for like two minutes and goes "you're paddling with your arms not your torso." I thought I was doing fine but he was right. After I started twisting from my core instead of just yanking on the paddle my shoulders stopped hurting after long trips. It's wild how these little tweaks from people who've been doing it forever can make such a huge difference without even changing the gear you're using. Funny how the basic stuff is what really matters.

gavinh267d ago

My buddy had a similar thing happen with fly fishing. He spent months watching YouTube videos, bought a $500 rod, all that. Then he goes on this guided trip and the guide just watches him cast once and goes "you're dropping your elbow." Fixed it in like two minutes. Now he catches fish way more often with the same gear. It's annoying how much of this stuff just comes down to somebody watching you for five seconds who's got the experience. Makes you realize how much time we waste chasing the wrong solution.