So....here's the thing:
I'm actually getting decent at flipturns. I screw a few of them up, but I always know what I did wrong. The ratio of good flips to bad flips keeps going up. But, because there are usually some bad flips along the way, I haven't set any PRs yet when using flips. I'm at 1:25 100m with (some bad) flips, vs 1:22 with decent open-turns. My 50m is hi-39sec vice hi-38sec.
However....
When flipping, of course we are not breathing through the approach, turn, and pushoff. This is not a problem for me in a hard 50m/100m. But in a hard 400m, I'm dying, Man!! The accumulation of not breathing for this period every 25m has me GASPING after 200m. I crave that open-turn breath.
Maybe I will learn to handle this, but I dunno.
Even if you flip well, should you sometimes do open turns because of the oxygen situation?
Excellent advices above!
Using the flip turn (as well as being able to kick fast) will probably help you swim faster 200’s, 100’s and 50’s freestyles. The flipping O2 bottleneck during distance freestyle is very common (and seems to more so effect swimmers who’ve learned to swim as adults.) I’ve been swimming over 10 years and I still feel the punishment of flip turning while swimming over 200. But the efficiency outweighs the break in breathing rhythm.
Keep working on flip turns, in the long run they typically are better. And too many open turns might overwork rotator cuff muscles
When my lower back goes out I can’t even execute a flip turn at first
Excellent advices above!
Using the flip turn (as well as being able to kick fast) will probably help you swim faster 200’s, 100’s and 50’s freestyles. The flipping O2 bottleneck during distance freestyle is very common (and seems to more so effect swimmers who’ve learned to swim as adults.) I’ve been swimming over 10 years and I still feel the punishment of flip turning while swimming over 200. But the efficiency outweighs the break in breathing rhythm.
Keep working on flip turns, in the long run they typically are better. And too many open turns might overwork rotator cuff muscles
When my lower back goes out I can’t even execute a flip turn at first
