The Value of the Backwards Kick

Many people have asked me why I put so much effort into showing my students the backwards kick. In this article, I intend to explain why the backwards kick is so important to all levels of diving.

First, let’s look at using the backwards kick in a recreational environment. As we dive, we dive in teams of 2 or 3 divers per team. The backwards kick is essential to maintaining position in the water column. When the team of divers ascends/descends, it is the most critical time of the dive. This is where the majority of problems occur. In order to perform a safe descent/ascent, the team must descend/ascend together. It is critical for the team to stay together. As the team descends, depending on current/conditions, they should descend facing each other. To prevent bumping into each other or swimming around in circles, the backwards kick enables divers to quickly stay in one position, thus focusing on the team members. Same thing holds true for ascents.

These reasons are the same for recreational divers as well as technical divers who must perform decompression stops. By maintaining the team position, the divers can now turn their focus onto more important activities such as the gas switch, shooting a bag, etc.

Now let’s look at using the backwards kick in the technical/overhead environment. When performing tasks such as line tie offs, it is critical for the team keep it’s position. While one person is performing the tie off, another team member should be watching the environment around the team as well as keeping his/her light on the reel/line for the tie off. This requires significant buoyancy and trim control. Thus requiring that the backwards kick be very solid. As the team move through the overhead (either wreck or cave), it is critical that the divers do not bounce off the environment they are moving through. Moving through a wreck or cave requires significant control over your self and equipment. By being able to stay in one spot, divers can turn their attention to handling situations that may potentially creep up.

In this article, we touched on reasons why the backwards kick is an essential skill for divers of all levels. It facilitates control over yourself in the water column. Thus allowing the diver to keep a high level of situational awareness instead of trying to keep their position in the team formation. The backwards kick must be instinctive. That is, that the diver can do it without thinking about it. We are able to walk backwards if the person in front of us. We need to be able to do the same thing while underwater.

Here is an example of what the backwards kick looks like:

Dive Safe,
Duane
Precision Diving