This question has come up offline so I thought I'd post the question to find out the rule about this transitional turn between the IM's back and *** since I no longer do IMs.
Years ago, a flip turn between back and *** was allowed; it was not the new "freestyle" back turn, a swimmer could touch the wall in backstroke, and then flip over to enter the breastroke. Now I believe more swimmers are backstroking into the wall and open turning into the breaststroke portion of the IM.
For all of you Im'ers out there, what is now legal: both turns or does a swimmer have to do an "open turn"?
Donna
I swim all the IM's. Depending on the length I do either a flip or an open turn. I really need the air in the 400 IM, for the 100 and the 200 its less important. I wish I could master Phelps' back/*** turn. I have watched that video snip at least 1000 times (seriously) trying to figure it out and I have yet to duplicate it in the pool. First, he does it so fast its hard to see the mechanics, second, I can't seem to place my hand on the wall properly. On the last backstroke stroke, he crosses the hand over his head to the opposite side of his body, touches AND gets a big breath just like an open turn, but then he flips sideways and pushes off on his stomach nice and deep and ready for his breaststroke pullout. I can sorta see what he is doing but I can't actually do it myself in the pool! It's incredibly fast.
I swim all the IM's. Depending on the length I do either a flip or an open turn. I really need the air in the 400 IM, for the 100 and the 200 its less important. I wish I could master Phelps' back/*** turn. I have watched that video snip at least 1000 times (seriously) trying to figure it out and I have yet to duplicate it in the pool. First, he does it so fast its hard to see the mechanics, second, I can't seem to place my hand on the wall properly. On the last backstroke stroke, he crosses the hand over his head to the opposite side of his body, touches AND gets a big breath just like an open turn, but then he flips sideways and pushes off on his stomach nice and deep and ready for his breaststroke pullout. I can sorta see what he is doing but I can't actually do it myself in the pool! It's incredibly fast.
