Scuba Finning Techniques: The 5 Kicks Every Diver Should Know

UTD teaches five foundation kicks: the frog, modified frog, modified flutter, helicopter turn and back kick. Together they move you forward, backward and around your own center without stirring the bottom. Each has a loading stroke, a power stroke and a glide. All of them depend on horizontal trim.

By Jeremiah Gardner · Last reviewed October 27, 2026

If you only know the flutter kick, you can swim. These five let you control exactly where you are.

Why does kicking technique matter?

Every kick pushes water somewhere. The flutter kick pushes it down toward the bottom and up toward the surface. That stirs up silt, damages reefs and nudges you up and down with every stroke.

These movements direct thrust to move you forward, backward, sideways or around your center, while keeping the fins clear of the bottom. That gives you three things:

Precision: you stop where you mean to stop.
Efficiency: a glide after each kick means fewer strokes and less gas.
Respect for the site: sand stays on the bottom and the reef stays intact.

They all depend on horizontal trim. If your feet hang below you, these kicks push you up instead of forward. See Horizontal Trim.

The five kicks at a glance

Kick	What it does	Best for	Silt risk
Frog kick	Efficient forward propulsion with a glide	Cruising, most of the dive	Low
Modified frog	Small, gentle forward movement	Near the bottom, close to other divers	Very low
Modified flutter	Tiny flutter from the knees and ankles	Tight spaces, very silty bottoms	Very low
Helicopter turn	Rotates you in place	Turning to face your team or exit	Very low
Back kick	Moves you backward	Holding position, backing away, ascents	Very low

The frog kick

The frog kick is the workhorse. Your knees stay bent and your fins stay high, roughly level with your hips.

Start with knees bent about 90 degrees and fins together, soles facing up.
Rotate your ankles so the fins point outward, then sweep them out and back in a wide arc.
Bring the fins together in a controlled power stroke that pushes water behind you.
Glide. Let the kick carry you before starting the next.

Think in three stages: load, power, then glide or rest. Keep the movement controlled so you can stay in trim and see what the stroke does.

The modified frog

The modified frog is a smaller version of the same motion, driven mostly from the knees and ankles. Use it close to the bottom, in a group, or anywhere a full kick would be too much.

The modified flutter

The modified flutter keeps your knees bent and moves only your lower legs and ankles in small strokes. Your fins stay high and your thighs barely move. Use it in tight spaces and over very fine silt.

The helicopter turn

The helicopter turn rotates you on the spot without moving forward or back. One fin does a small forward frog motion while the other does a small reverse motion, turning you around your own center. Use it to face your team, check behind you or turn toward the exit.

The back kick

The back kick moves you backward so you can correct overshoot, maintain team spacing or back away from a subject. It's how you hold your place in the team, including on ascents. Depth is still your buoyancy's job.

It gets its own step-by-step guide: How to Back Kick.

Beyond the five foundation kicks

UTD's propulsion material describes seven movements: frog, modified frog, modified flutter, shuffle, back kick, helicopter turn and sideways kick. The shuffle and sideways kick expand control in confined spaces and lateral positioning. Every movement has a loading phase, a power phase and a glide or rest.

Which fins work best?

Stiff blade fins with spring straps work best for these kicks. They hold their shape on the sweep of the frog kick and give you something to push against on the back kick. Split fins and very soft fins are designed for flutter kicking and struggle with all five. UTD's propulsion and back kick training requires non-split fins.

Fin weight also affects trim. Heavy fins pull your feet down in a thin wetsuit; in a drysuit, fix your suit gas before you change fins.

How to learn these kicks

Start with the frog kick. Make it smooth before you try the others.
Practice without fins first. In a pool, the motions are easier to feel without fin resistance.
Go slow. These are technique kicks, not power kicks. Rushing defeats them.
Get filmed. You can't see your own fins. A few seconds of video shows what a dozen dives of guessing won't.

Common mistakes

Dropping the knees. Fins drift below your body and every kick pushes you up.
Skipping the glide. You work twice as hard for the same distance.
Kicking from the hips. These kicks come from the knees and ankles.
Using your hands to steer. Turns should come from your fins, with a helicopter turn.

Learn them with feedback

Our Propulsion and Back Kick Extension focuses entirely on non-silting propulsion and positioning kicks while holding buoyancy and trim. These kicks are also a core part of Essentials of Recreational Diving.

Frequently asked questions

Is the frog kick better than the flutter kick?

For most of the dive, yes. It's efficient and it glides. Near the bottom, a reef or your team, the modified frog and modified flutter make the stroke smaller.

Can I frog kick in split fins?

You can try, but split fins aren't built for it, and UTD propulsion courses require non-split fins. Most divers find the frog kick and back kick far easier in stiff blade fins.

How long does it take to learn the back kick?

It varies a lot. Some divers get a working back kick in a single session with coaching; others take many dives. Practicing without fins and getting video feedback shortens the process.