Advanced Finning Techniques

Tip: Build a good foundation by reviewing the basics of the frog kick and flutter kick here.

This video introduces advanced finning techniques such as the modified frog kick, modified flutter kick, backwards or reverse kick and helicopter turns.

Divers can back up, just like a car, by completing a reverse frog kick. This finning technique allows you to move away from divers, slow down forward motion as necessary, or back out of a tight spot and maintain your position in the water column without using your hands. The diver should begin with their legs straight back and their ankles together. Next, the diver flexes their ankles outwards and draws the angled fin tips outwards by spreading the knees and pulling the fins back towards the upper part of the body.

Diver’s can rotate their body on axis without moving forward, backward, or using their hands by doing a helicopter turn (sometimes referred to as a sculling kick). This is a great finning technique to use in a cave or wreck when a diver needs to turn around without stirring up silt or affecting the bottom. To complete a helicopter turn, the diver slowly moves their fins apart horizontally in an opposing back-and-forth motion, while simultaneously rotating the ankles and fin blades around their own axis.