Scuba Finning Techniques: The 5 Kicks Every Diver Should Know

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

The frog kick

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

1. Start with knees bent about 90 degrees and fins together, soles facing up.
2. Rotate your ankles so the fins point outward, then sweep them out and back in a wide arc.
3. Bring the fins together in a controlled power stroke that pushes water behind you.
4. 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 when its compact stroke suits the space and bottom conditions. Any kick can disturb silt if the fins or thrust are directed toward the bottom.

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 helps with position on ascents; holding depth remains a buoyancy skill. In current, choose the orientation and propulsion that match the flow.

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 wetsuit; in a drysuit they can help offset air that collects in your legs.

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.