I am wondering if there are ways you can get hurt doing flip turns. I have done them (slowly) and I am carefull not to hit my legs on the pool edge. I will say they are not (underlined) as easy to do as many swimmers make it look! Especially if you are coming into the wall at any speed!
I can understand world class swimmers getting every edge but other then show offing ..do lap swimmers really need to do this?
Tips on flips Please ?
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Former Member
AND keep your eyes open! I think it is a natural thing for a person to close their eyes, or at least blink, because that cross on the wall is coming up awfully fast. I use to close my eyes just as I was tucking for the flip and would always wabble over to the left. I force myself to keep my eyes open now and I go over straight every time. Also seeing, as well as feeling, 'where' I was in the turn, as opposed to just feeling where I was, when I first started learning to do the flip turn helped a lot.
I started out practicing just doing a complete flip way back from the wall then I moved up closer to the wall. Once I felt comfortable flipping up-close, I practiced flipping over, 'stopping' when I was on my back, planting my feet on the wall with my knees and hips in the correct postion, and pushing off on my back. I learned the importance of being streamed lined pushing off on my back. Its like puting on breaks if you aren't stretched out completely FLAT with your head between your arms. Then the next logical thing to practice was pushing off and twisting to prone. I did all of this practice at the wall, being just far enough back that I might take one stroke before I filpped over. After I got comfortable with it at the wall thats when I moved back, outside the flags a little ways and started approaching the wall at a slow to moderate pace. It didn't take long before I felt ready to approach the wall swimming fast.
Everyone is right... the oxygen debt is the worse part of the flip so be careful not to get in the habit of popping your head up just before the flip to sneak a little breath.
AND keep your eyes open! I think it is a natural thing for a person to close their eyes, or at least blink, because that cross on the wall is coming up awfully fast. I use to close my eyes just as I was tucking for the flip and would always wabble over to the left. I force myself to keep my eyes open now and I go over straight every time. Also seeing, as well as feeling, 'where' I was in the turn, as opposed to just feeling where I was, when I first started learning to do the flip turn helped a lot.
I started out practicing just doing a complete flip way back from the wall then I moved up closer to the wall. Once I felt comfortable flipping up-close, I practiced flipping over, 'stopping' when I was on my back, planting my feet on the wall with my knees and hips in the correct postion, and pushing off on my back. I learned the importance of being streamed lined pushing off on my back. Its like puting on breaks if you aren't stretched out completely FLAT with your head between your arms. Then the next logical thing to practice was pushing off and twisting to prone. I did all of this practice at the wall, being just far enough back that I might take one stroke before I filpped over. After I got comfortable with it at the wall thats when I moved back, outside the flags a little ways and started approaching the wall at a slow to moderate pace. It didn't take long before I felt ready to approach the wall swimming fast.
Everyone is right... the oxygen debt is the worse part of the flip so be careful not to get in the habit of popping your head up just before the flip to sneak a little breath.
