I have a student who is struggling with flipturns!
Former Member
So I've been a pre-competitive swim coach since May now. I love it! However, I have a student in one of my lower level classes who is really struggling with learning flipturns. No matter what I suggest or what approach I take, class after class, he is rarely able to progress to doing half of a somersault, let alone a full somersault (which he has never done).
I tell him to tuck his chin on his chest, keep his head straight, hands and arms at his side, legs up to chest in cannon ball, but no matter what, he really struggles to get his head and upper chest down away from the surface of the water, and then his legs straighten out behind him and it's all over.
Swinging kickboards out to his side as he initiates the maneuver has rarely helped.
What are your suggestions? I am stumped. :sad:
Parents
Former Member
You could have your student swim towards the middle of the pool and then flip. Sometimes new swimmers tend to be leery of slamming their feet into the gutter.
Once there's no wall to be worried about, the tumble action becomes more and more second nature. Then your student can take their new found skill and move onto the wall. With trial and error they can figure out exactly when to roll into the flip.
I've always taught my kids to use their leading hand as the guide to judge the proper distance between their head and the wall. When the stretched out arm gives an idea of how close they are, they can pull it towards their torso and use that energy to help initiate the flip.
You could have your student swim towards the middle of the pool and then flip. Sometimes new swimmers tend to be leery of slamming their feet into the gutter.
Once there's no wall to be worried about, the tumble action becomes more and more second nature. Then your student can take their new found skill and move onto the wall. With trial and error they can figure out exactly when to roll into the flip.
I've always taught my kids to use their leading hand as the guide to judge the proper distance between their head and the wall. When the stretched out arm gives an idea of how close they are, they can pull it towards their torso and use that energy to help initiate the flip.
