Quick pool swimming question
1060
Member
848 days
UFTriGator posted 17 weeks ago.
Steps of a flip turn:
-Your last stroke should end up with both hands at your side
-Simultaneously dolphin kick/tuck head/throw arms up (actually the dophin kick is a fraction of a second earlier)
-Streamline and push off
Problems that you'll probably do:
-Don't put your hand out sideways while flipping. This is not a flip turn....it's more of a roll turn, which is slow and ugly. Easy way to spot a new swimmer.
-Actually, that's all I can think of right now.
______________________________________________
-Matt
Not fast enough.
29
Member
275 days
cherelli posted 17 weeks ago.
Can you do a somersault in the open water? OK, if so then that is the basis of that flip...here is a link to a Youtube video that shows it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e3tqBR1ybRI&feature=related
It won't look like this at first for you. As you can see the somersault doesn't have to be that tight once you are comfortable knowing how far out you are from the wall. Practice by doing 6-7 strokes all the way into the wall, looking underwater to get a feel of distance from the wall. Then from the same start point do 4 strokes with a somersault (you should be well out from wall), 5 strokes, 6 strokes - and you should be getting your feet closer to the wall. Do these next few turns very slowly to work out that hand motion that helps you to flip and turn (and help your feet find the wall, you need to hold the glide to help you do this a bit) - you'll find one hand may push water one way and the other in an opposite way in order to help your body turn in a certain direction so you can come off the wall on your stomach (rather than your back) which is probably the hardest bit to get....then just practice and persist, eventually it will work out! Otherwise Youtube has the touch-turn tecnique which can be just as effective and less painful to learn!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ThOauZ7Ip9w
20
Member
680 days
Apons posted 17 weeks ago.
I feel the exact same way. I'm really jealous when I see someone next to me doing a flip turn. I want to do them so bad but when I flip over I get really dizzy. I come up and my head spins and I'm totally disoriented.
I practiced a little at home just doing a somersault but again my head got all whacked out. I figure I just got a weird inner ear that doesn't like going upside down.
Now I just say screw it and forget the flip turn. I'm not as fast but I'm not going to be flipping in the lake next race anyway.:)
115
Member
192 days
ryanweeg posted 17 weeks ago.
You are all lucky, I used to flip turn when I swam until I joined my gym with a 3-3.5' depth pool. My stroke is even inhibited when I near the shallow end ( I am 6'-4"). If I was five foot I would be able to do flip turns and get a fully extended stroke too....damn!
"If one can stick to the training throughout many long years, that willpower is no longer a problem. It's Raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's beside the point. It's simply just that I have to."
-Emil Zatopek
620
Member
428 days
Iron Dan posted 17 weeks ago.
I'm with you Apons, I get so sick from doing them. It keeps me from getting to do a workout because after about 4 flip turns, I am trying not to hurl because my head is spinning so bad.
59
Member
429 days
trimas posted 17 weeks ago.
Here's a nice flip turn demo:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1388
676
Member
211 days
TriSooner posted 17 weeks ago.
Apons wrote:
Now I just say screw it and forget the flip turn. I'm not as fast but I'm not going to be flipping in the lake next race anyway.:)
This! I don't remember doing flip turns in the lake either. It's kinda like my old high school track coach used to say: Who cares if you can touch your toes? Have you ever touched your toes in a race? (He also followed us along the track yelling at us from a golf cart.)
So 325 hours a year of training and a 13hr finish gets you into the 16th percentile at Ironman Germany? Dude, wait, what?
115
Member
192 days
ryanweeg posted 16 weeks ago.
TriSooner wrote:
(He also followed us along the track yelling at us from a golf cart.)
pretty funny, haha
"If one can stick to the training throughout many long years, that willpower is no longer a problem. It's Raining? That doesn't matter. I am tired? That's beside the point. It's simply just that I have to."
-Emil Zatopek
21
Member
139 days
wmckean posted 16 weeks ago.
The thing with flip turns is if you don't do them, you are basically getting in that extra breath after stopping and starting at the wall... You aren't supposed to stop in the lake and stick your head out of the water and breath. OK. OK. I do half my swims that way, but that's another story. Flip turns just provide you with some continuity and it helps you hold your breath better :-)
1451
Member
953 days
tri-ac posted 16 weeks ago.
ryanweeg wrote:
You are all lucky, I used to flip turn when I swam until I joined my gym with a 3-3.5' depth pool. My stroke is even inhibited when I near the shallow end ( I am 6'-4"). If I was five foot I would be able to do flip turns and get a fully extended stroke too....damn!
i'm 6'-5" and swim in a 25yd gym pool with a low end of 3'-6" ("deep" end is 4'-6")...you can do it
i relearned the flip turn last fall, and i'm happy i did. sure, you don't flip turn in open water, but it makes a difference to your time/100yds (faster!) in the pool, and it uses more energy than just reaching for the wall and turning around (better aerobic workout!).
4
Member
118 days
bvptri posted 16 weeks ago.
even though you don't do flips in open water, in a pool it really does improve speed and continuity if you can get them down right..
Maybe close your eyes while you are actually flipping and you won't be so dizzy? but don't take my word for it.. i don't want to be the reason you end up pushing off into the other people in your lane.. :)
99
Member
383 days
rebekahliz posted 16 weeks ago.
UFTriGator wrote:
Steps of a flip turn:-Don't put your hand out sideways while flipping. This is not a flip turn....it's more of a roll turn, which is slow and ugly. Easy way to spot a new swimmer.
Yeah, I have the funniest looking crooked roll turn, but after more than a year of trying to straighten it out, my swim instructor decided it would just have to be my style :). But actually I do always roll anyway. I'm actually pretty fast and I get a much better idea about my goal pace than when I was stopping at the wall. And I give the lifeguards a good laugh.
Di mana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan (Where there is desire, there is a road). – Indonesian proverb
182
Member
310 days
psychosyd posted 16 weeks ago.
Learn them. If only to build your feel in the water. They will also make your times faster!!
I think the most important thing with flip turns is that they keep the fluidity of your swim going. They allow you to maintain focus better as well. I don't have any other tips that haven't been given, but I really suggest learning them.
1451
Member
953 days
tri-ac posted 16 weeks ago.
i was thinking about this thread this morning as i was swimming...the best advice i could come up with for someone learning flip turns was to remember that you're really only flipping 180deg, NOT a full somersault. what this should help clarify is that when you tuck up and roll over, your hips should not continue to rotate down towards the bottom of the pool. you are just getting you're legs and feet to the wall to push off. so for the shallow pool folks, if you're hitting the bottom, you're probably rotating too far. i hope that's helpful for someone...
also, this thread... http://www.trifuel.com/node/9739
671
Member
399 days
theShiba posted 16 weeks ago.
When I am flipping, I focus on my chin. When I was first learning, my major mistake was that I didn't tuck my head and ended up doing a really sloppy incomplete flip.
Let your head lead... the more you tuck, the tighter your flip will be. And remember, there's no judges or officials in the gym, so nobody's going to DQ you for an illegal turn.
400
Member
302 days
Sully800 posted 16 weeks ago.
My tip for improving flip turns: As you approach the wall, put both arms in front of you. As you flip forward, your arms will be traveling the in the opposite direction, so your body seems to be passing between your arms. I heard it described like wickets in croquet: keep your arms straight and pass your body in between them. Before I had that image I would always get disoriented and flip to the side too early....after that, all it takes is a lot of practice and you will get smoother and more efficient as your learn to correct your body position and timing.
Since we're on the topic of swimming, anybody have simple instructions for doing that flippy-bounce-off-the-wall-turn-around maneuver? I keep having to stop, grab the wall, turn, and push and I'm a bit jealous of the old people in the lane next to me who can barely walk but look like olympians in the pool.