Monofin technique

Lubomir Stefanoff — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:07:36 +0000

On Sunday when I was going to try a longer dynamic apnea I decided to count the kicks per 25 meters. I made 18-20 kicks per length (50 m) which is not good at all. I am kicking too much without enough gliding, and that wastes a lot of O2…Today I was alone at the pool and didn’t train in the usual manner – (50m with 1:15 intervals, sprints, longer apneas, etc). I made some very slow dynamic apneas (40-50m in 55-1:15 seconds) and focused on the glide and the number of kicks. I found out that with only 1 kg neck weight the glide is reduced significantly – I was just going up and had to push on my lungs to stay close to the bottom and maintain a streamlined position. A few days ago I tried a 2.1 kg neck weight and I was slightly positively buoyant at 2m (close to the bottom of the pool), but it was much better. So now I have to build my own 2,5 kg neck weight a see if there is a significant decrease in the number of kicks per 25 m. I’ve watched many videos on Youtube and people seem to kick and glide so efficiently…From now on, every time I train with the monofin I’ll count my kicks and hopefully I’ll reduce them to 6-7 per 25m. Next weekend we are going to make some videos at the pool – video footage is a great way to see the mistakes you make from another perspective. I’ll post some pictures and videos. Your criticism and feedback in general will be greatly appreciated.

Regarding the max attempts – on Sunday I tried to do 90-100 m dynamic, but again came out early and still fresh at 80 meters. I’m getting used to the contractions but it takes some time. I looked on internet for exercises that train the body (and mostly the mind) to tolerate more contractions. Crazy table done on a stationary bike seems a good option for me but I’ll do more research on what others say about it. DeeperBlue forums offer great information

Lubomir Stefanoff | freediving and UW photography » monofin technique

Monofin technique