On this subject, I get the feeling that alot of people don't really have a feel
for what is happening when you are finning.  I have been using a pair of
Barracuda
training fins recently in the pool.  They have a soft shoe and a very short
stiff fin.  They give me alot of feedback as to what is happening in various
parts of the stroke (the kick cycle, not the guy using them:)
With frogkicking, the "recovery" phase requires feathering your fins as you
move into the kick position.  The kick itself pushes all the thrust directly
behind you.  With flutter kicking, there is the power phase of the cycle that
involves downward motion of the foot, followed by a recovery phase where the
foot is swung back up.  Unfortunatly, this recovery phase always has the effect
of "backstroking" to borrow a boating term.  To over come this, fin makers have
tried a variety of things to keep maximum stiffness for the power phase while
minimizing stiffness/water resistence in the recovery part.  Split fins are
the ultimate expression of this where the fins are always partly stroking and
partly backstroking throughout the kick cycle.  The result is that you can
propel
yourself forward with less effort because you are not backstroking as much,
but on the other hand, the fins are so floppy that you cannot ever powerstroke
even when you need to.  That includes fast starts, stops, precise turns, etc.
 With frogkicking, this whole problem is eliminated.  However, teaching a proper
scuba frogkick while learning everything else in OW classes would be a bit much
for the average student, hence it is not taught.
Anyway, like I said, the particular design of my training fins has really helped
me get a good feel for what happens when kicking.
Wendell

>If you want to move slowly through the water, then split fins apparently (I've

>never used them, but from what I hear) will make you more efficient, thus
>lowering your exertion, and reducing air consumption.
>
>Byron Grogan
>
>"Paul M. Deniston" wrote:
>
>> I haven't figured out what the importance of swimming fast is.  I was under

>> the impression that the goal was to slow down and take in the scenery.  The

>> only advantage I can see to using the split fins is that I would be able
to
>> swim very quickly away from a school of 90 year old women who chose to dive

>> naked (yuck!).
>>
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