Did a search and couldn't find anything; apologies if this is addressed elsewhere.
I really struggle with my flipturns. What I took for granted in my youth is now quite a challenge. I find that I'm much more worn out after a swim if I've done flipturns, and I don't think I swim any faster or more efficiently when I do flipturns.
It's difficult to pace myself consistently, so my approach to the wall is the first problem I encounter. I try to have about a foot or two between my outstretched arm and the wall before I begin the turn. Even if I manage to do this successfully, I find myself sinking quite a bit during the turn, so much so that I can't flip in the shallow end of the pool without scraping knees and elbows on the bottom!
I'm a distance swimmer, so I'm not sure speeding up will do me much good in the long run.
Suggestions for a better flipturn are appreciated.
For me, there's the fear factor. The video above is great if you're comfortable doing somersaults. I'm not--not on land, not in water. I'll start into a somersault and then freeze and stop. I'm not sure why--whether the position feels so vulnerable and out of control or whether I'll hit my head on the bottom etc. I had gotten to the point where I could do them but then one day starting into a flip, I became disoriented, couldn't get myself to the surface, finally did but had an awful cramp in the process. After that, I've been terrified of them--so much so that I just decided it wasn't worth stressing about it anymore and just went back to doing open turns. I won't say that's the way to go--but I realized that if it made me so anxious when I came to the wall that I wasn't enjoying swimming or swim practice anymore, then was it really worth it to me to keep beating myself up trying to do them?
But the coach of my current group had us working on them recently--and I kept trying without success and with the same fear I had before I shut them out of my life. I suppose I could just stick to open turns and be fine w/ them. But now I wonder if it might be time to face that fear again. It's just that even thinking about it stresses me out. I think the coach is disappointed in me. I am too.
But I also know that if my body is resisting as much as it is, there's something going on that involves more than turning a somersault. Tomorrow there's a swim meet, and I plan to stick to open turns and if that slows my time, so be it. I'll do my best and enjoy the process w/out thinking about what isn't in my skill set just now.
When swimming feels good--actually great--is when I stop worrying about whom I please or don't please and just set myself free to swim. I can swim for a LONG time that way. The one-hour postal swim gave me that feeling of total freedom b/c someone was counting my laps, freeing me from that part of the swim, and the event wasn't really a "race" in the traditional sense, just an hour to myself to swim as far as I could and with only the goal of improving on a previous hour swim, nothing more. After a while, I was in a rhythm, just enjoying the feeling of swimming w/ no idea of how many laps I'd done or how much time it was taking me. Yes, I did open turns and I didn't worry about it at all. In practice, I sometimes feel like the odd person out b/c I don't do flip turns, but I need to remember that I'm progressing at my own rate, and that I don't have to compare myself with others or beat myself up if a skill comes harder to me than to others.
Have others here experienced that kind of phobic response to flip turns? If so, how did you respond? By making your peace with open turns? Persisting until you succeeded? Personally, I think both responses are perfectly legitimate. Why must we all progress at the same rate and why not acknowledge our fear, honor the desire to protect oneself, treat these things gently? If the overall goal is to swim, be fit, compete as opportunity allows, and enjoy the process, that which fosters such a goal is what's important--and is individual to each person.
That said, I haven't abandoned the idea of doing flip turns just yet. But I'm going to proceed gradually. The evening when we were to work on flip turns, I tried so many times that I left the pool dizzy and queasy--and upset at myself for failing. Since then, I've decided to try a few times following swims and practices to do a somersault, but have a stopping point regardless of "success"-- max about 5-6 attempts, no more.
If I regain my "wings" as it were, super--if not, I keep on w/ open turns and decide that I'm my own "judgment free" zone. The turns are less important to me than the swimming. And that's what I have to keep remembering.
Good for you in knowing what works for you and what does not. Swimming should be fun. Flip when/if you are ready.
For me, there's the fear factor. The video above is great if you're comfortable doing somersaults. I'm not--not on land, not in water. I'll start into a somersault and then freeze and stop. I'm not sure why--whether the position feels so vulnerable and out of control or whether I'll hit my head on the bottom etc. I had gotten to the point where I could do them but then one day starting into a flip, I became disoriented, couldn't get myself to the surface, finally did but had an awful cramp in the process. After that, I've been terrified of them--so much so that I just decided it wasn't worth stressing about it anymore and just went back to doing open turns. I won't say that's the way to go--but I realized that if it made me so anxious when I came to the wall that I wasn't enjoying swimming or swim practice anymore, then was it really worth it to me to keep beating myself up trying to do them?
But the coach of my current group had us working on them recently--and I kept trying without success and with the same fear I had before I shut them out of my life. I suppose I could just stick to open turns and be fine w/ them. But now I wonder if it might be time to face that fear again. It's just that even thinking about it stresses me out. I think the coach is disappointed in me. I am too.
But I also know that if my body is resisting as much as it is, there's something going on that involves more than turning a somersault. Tomorrow there's a swim meet, and I plan to stick to open turns and if that slows my time, so be it. I'll do my best and enjoy the process w/out thinking about what isn't in my skill set just now.
When swimming feels good--actually great--is when I stop worrying about whom I please or don't please and just set myself free to swim. I can swim for a LONG time that way. The one-hour postal swim gave me that feeling of total freedom b/c someone was counting my laps, freeing me from that part of the swim, and the event wasn't really a "race" in the traditional sense, just an hour to myself to swim as far as I could and with only the goal of improving on a previous hour swim, nothing more. After a while, I was in a rhythm, just enjoying the feeling of swimming w/ no idea of how many laps I'd done or how much time it was taking me. Yes, I did open turns and I didn't worry about it at all. In practice, I sometimes feel like the odd person out b/c I don't do flip turns, but I need to remember that I'm progressing at my own rate, and that I don't have to compare myself with others or beat myself up if a skill comes harder to me than to others.
Have others here experienced that kind of phobic response to flip turns? If so, how did you respond? By making your peace with open turns? Persisting until you succeeded? Personally, I think both responses are perfectly legitimate. Why must we all progress at the same rate and why not acknowledge our fear, honor the desire to protect oneself, treat these things gently? If the overall goal is to swim, be fit, compete as opportunity allows, and enjoy the process, that which fosters such a goal is what's important--and is individual to each person.
That said, I haven't abandoned the idea of doing flip turns just yet. But I'm going to proceed gradually. The evening when we were to work on flip turns, I tried so many times that I left the pool dizzy and queasy--and upset at myself for failing. Since then, I've decided to try a few times following swims and practices to do a somersault, but have a stopping point regardless of "success"-- max about 5-6 attempts, no more.
If I regain my "wings" as it were, super--if not, I keep on w/ open turns and decide that I'm my own "judgment free" zone. The turns are less important to me than the swimming. And that's what I have to keep remembering.
Good for you in knowing what works for you and what does not. Swimming should be fun. Flip when/if you are ready.
