So I was thinking today about the last time I was in the water, which was on Monday night, on my birthday if you wanted to know. I had a really bad session.
I wanted to try the kick kick glide technique that I often see on the forums. So I brought along the weight belt I borrowed from Jade and borrowed a weight from Jeroen so that I could ballast myself right. The problems started there.
I could not get the belt around my hips and make it stay there. It would simply ride up. I spent quite a while trying to figure out what was wrong, before submitting to the fact that I may have a bigger butt then most people my size. Bummer. And where the hell do you stuff the flailing ends of the belt?!
I did not bring my mask to that session, and instead brought my swim goggles and Paradisia. Bad choice. It was night, and I couldn't see shit through those tinted goggles of mine. Luckily the pool was lit, so it affected my only above water.
I started trying to swim with the technique that I thought was going to be easily achieved. Wrong again. It could not have been more disappointing. I kicked and kicked and glided nowhere. No extra distanced achieved. None. Nil. Zlich.
I had a theory formulated in my head by the end of the session as to why I could not get anywhere. It's been at the back of my head for a while now.
The reason I could not glide effeciently was because I had no mass whatsoever to glide with! I'm a skinny person, according to what others say. Physics 101. No mass = no momentum = no glide.
It is common sense. I had thought of it before, I just didn't expect it to be so significant. Bugger. What it means now is that everytime I want to do this technique, I'd have to wear a suit, then ballast it to make it neutral. This would give me more mass to glide with.
The bad part of this is that I don't like to carry my suit everywhere. It's a delicate piece of equipment. Well not really, mine is tough as hell, but I don't like to see it get creased and all. It breaks my heart. I think I'm becoming too attached to my wetsuit. Does that make me... gay?
On the brighter side of things, I'm really loving my monofin. It's treating me well.
Last words before I go off. I'm in a bit of a trilemma. I want to go to the Wellington Winter Champs, but I also want to do my instructor course, and I also want to buy a Geo. I have money for none, and don't know how I'm going to raise any.
2 comments:
Hi, i'm trying the same at the moment (two kicks, glide) and i'm not gliding either. I'm 12st 7lbs and of a good musculer build so i dont know what my excuse is. Maybe my new neck weight will help?
Hope your well, i've just set up my blog page too, after seeing evryone elses on DB i thought what the heck!
Dive safe
Chris Holmes aka bite ya!
Try filming yourself to see what's stopping you through the glide. I find wearing a wetsuit stops the weightbelt moving. I went from 8 to 5 kicks per 25m in the past couple of weeks just from filming and concentraing on fixing all the bad bits - no more effort, less in fact. I do a single kick then glide.
Hope you can make it to Wellington. Should be airfare specials as it's winter here. :(
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