Dizzying flip turns

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 13:57:02 GMT

It's not like I kept my eyes closed for the rest of the lap;) . I just pushed off the wall a little crooked. I'll keep practicing, since closed-eyes seem to help. I just need to practice the right time to open them. I'm blind as a bat without my glasses on, you'd think I'd be used to not seeing where I was going (and before you tell me about presrciption goggles and wearing contacts, I actually prefer to swim without them). And, since I felt like y'all would probably encourage me to start adding laps to my workout, last night I added an extra 200 meters. Whaddya know, this community support thing actually works :D ! Kae

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 09:50:48 GMT

Kae -- Consider opening your eyes when your feet hit the wall. I concentrated on when I re-open my eyes as I worked out today. It is actually before my feet hit the wall. I noticed that my head has pretty much completed flipping over significantly before the rest of my body completes flipping. That's when I open my eyes. But if you kept them closed until your feet hit the wall, you'll still open them with plenty of time to direct your push off.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:09:23 GMT

So, last Friday I tried flipping with my eyes closed. I didn't get as dizzy, but it was hard to tell if I was going the right direction when I pushed off the wall. Maybe I just need to save the flips for sprints (ha! like I do sprints!). As for the lovely suggestion of spending the last 30 minutes of my workout practicing flip turns, I have a feeling it would drive the other swimmers in the pool insane. Plus, it would be pretty optimisitic to assume that 30 minutes wouldn't cut my workout by half :D (I am working on that, but just not getting the oomph that I need to up my workout. I've been stuck at a mile for a couple months. I keep telling myself "today, I'll add 100" but it never seems to happen. Anyway, new year, new chance, the swim bag's in the truck, so maybe today I'll add 100). Kae

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:44:22 GMT

Originally posted by Kae1 So, last Friday I tried flipping with my eyes closed. I didn't get as dizzy, but it was hard to tell if I was going the right direction when I pushed off the wall. Kae Well, when I suggested that you close your eyes for the flip, I didn't mean to suggest that you keep them closed indefinitely. I close my eyes for the flip, but it is limited only to the immediate moment that I am actually turning over, and even more specifically, to the momet that my HEAD is flipping over. My eyes open immediately upon my feet touching the wall, if not sooner. I know that when I flip at the same moment as someone next to me, I can often see his feet touch the wall, so I know my eyes aren't closed long at all.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 17:06:18 GMT

Originally posted by Fred Johnson In my book, no one should be looking from above while I am flipping. The view cannot be pleasant no matter how great the turn! :D Oh I know what you're saying! Nobody needs to see me from that angle either! ;)

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 17:47:46 GMT

To follow up with my "open eyes" question from yesterday -- I tried to flip with my eyes open today. I had to concentrate very hard finally to make that happen. Wall after wall I would try to psych myself up and convince/remind myself that I was going to do it. It took quite a while before I could get a turn to happen with my eyes open. Maybe it's just an old-dog-new-trick thing (I've been doing flip turns with my eyes closed for over 30 years). Maybe people who always do it with their eyes open find the same thing in reverse... And the few time I flipped with my eyes open were dizzying to me. (Of course, I get motion sickness on a merry-go-round, nevermind any of the more harrowing carnival rides, so I'd say that my inner ear is not very tolerant to twirling.)

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:11:03 GMT

Originally posted by swimmer_steph Oh yeah - the man in that video is AWESOME! I can only dream of doing his flip turns... I totally agree that practice will help. I've never been a great flipper :D but for the past few weeks, I've been adding more and more flip turns into my swims and I'm getting faster and less dizzy. Who knows what they look like from above, but no one has pointed and laughed at me just yet. :p In my book, no one should be looking from above while I am flipping. The view cannot be pleasant no matter how great the turn! :D

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 15:09:22 GMT

I definitely keep my eyes open when doing the flip turn, and I have yet to get dizzy! But then again, I'm the kind of person who think is fun to go in the deep water (pool or beach) and just do flips (backwards and forwards) like a little a kid. So I guess my inner ear is more than used to it!

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 12:34:06 GMT

I've posted this before so forgive me for the repeat, but if you missed it in another thread I thought you might like to see it again. Every now and then I'll get in to swim and just don't feel like swimming a workout... for a better word I want a playout. Because I think flip turns are fun I do this playout for those times I don't want to work (ha ha, don't kid yourself) Start at mid pool, swim to the wall, flip, streamline and GLIDE as far as you can. From the spot where you stop, swim to the wall, flip, streamline and glide as far as you can. Repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat trying to get more and more distance on your glide by concentrating on a good flip and streamline. Then when you get tired of that, swim to one end or the other and sprint 50. Repeat, from beginning of playout. Occasionally switch ends of the pool so you are getting flip practice in both the deep and shallow ends. Then do the same playout, but practice your backstroke flip turn. Don't forget to throw in some underwater dolphin after the turn for added fun. As a warm down I usually do a lap of summersaults... swim for a few strokes, do a complete flip mid lane, swim for a few strokes, do a complete flip, etc until you reach the other end of the lane (now THAT makes me dizzy)

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 11:28:39 GMT

Originally posted by Fred Johnson I just watched this video. This guy does really smooth flip turns and gets great distance of the wall. Here's a thought: take a couple days during the week and for the last 30 minutes of your normal workout, practice just flipping over and over, doing what this guy does in the video. Its a little like water play but the result, I predict, will be a greater comfort level (in your brain) with the phenomenon of the flip. Oh yeah - the man in that video is AWESOME! I can only dream of doing his flip turns... I totally agree that practice will help. I've never been a great flipper :D but for the past few weeks, I've been adding more and more flip turns into my swims and I'm getting faster and less dizzy. Who knows what they look like from above, but no one has pointed and laughed at me just yet. :p

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 08:03:18 GMT

I found that focusing on a single point helps. I look at the wall, right between the knees where I am going to plant my feet.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 15:13:32 GMT

Originally posted by auto208562 To read an article and watch a video on flip turns, go to this link and read the article. Also, click on the top link to watch the video. www.goswim.tv/drilloftheweek_comments.php I just watched this video. This guy does really smooth flip turns and gets great distance of the wall. Here's a thought: take a couple days during the week and for the last 30 minutes of your normal workout, practice just flipping over and over, doing what this guy does in the video. Its a little like water play but the result, I predict, will be a greater comfort level (in your brain) with the phenomenon of the flip. We did these drills when I was an age group swimmer, usually as we tapered for SC or LC championships, to make sure we were sharp on the technical aspects of our swims (missing the wall in a 50 or 100 free means no finals for Freddy!). After 20 years of almost no swimming, the first flip turn I did felt as normal as walking to the pool, except for the sensation of the expanded mid-section. Good luck.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 12:03:47 GMT

If I don't leave my eyes open when I flip, I wobble over to my left instead of going straight over. Sometimes not having both the visual and propreoceptive feed back is what causes the icky feeling. Your brain is feeling the flip (or whatever movement) but isn't getting the same information from the eyes. But, it is, of course, whatever works for you.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 11:17:58 GMT

Do you leave your eyes open as you flip around? I don't. I don't think I could. And if I did, I'd probably get dizzy too. (I'm feeling dizzy just thinking about it.)

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 10:52:27 GMT

your inner ear isn't use to the sensation, that is what causes you to feel dizzy. When I started doing them again a couple of years ago I got dizzy too. Practice doing flips, not the turns... your inner ear will eventually get use to you turning over and over.

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 09:00:17 GMT

To read an article and watch a video on flip turns, go to this link and read the article. Also, click on the top link to watch the video. www.goswim.tv/drilloftheweek_comments.php

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 08:47:15 GMT

I also tried flip turns. But I do get dizzy . So I stopped trying. But I had never did flip turns. Although I would still like to learn , how to do them.:) :cool: :)

RE: Dizzying flip turns

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 07:56:28 GMT

Maybe you're running out of breath? Make sure you get enough air before your turn and don't exhale it all, you need to save some for the push-off. Try doing a normal flip in the water, do you get dizzy then too? If not, find out what you're doing differently.