Roll left or right in flipturn????

I taught flip-turns for years and told swimmers after they flip just be sure your hands point in the direction you want to go (streamlined) and the feet should be at 45 degrees. Now I tell them to get off on their back and as they streamline, use the optimum free or dolphin kicks (which ever is faster) and then turn to the stomachs. We time our turns to see what kind of turn is faster, to stay as objective as possible. The turn that produces the best time is always a little different then everyone elses.

Just noticed Thorpe rolls my way, so maybe I won't try to change. I think for circle swimming, the other way is better because you can immediately see the lane rope and adjust to it. A few times yesterday I almost killed the oncoming swimmers. I just don't do it enough. It sounds like the other way is preferable though. My upper body is already rolled 60-90 deg when my feet push off. If I push off completely on my back, there is not enough momentum to roll where I want to be on breakout.

I don't have a prefered side for flip turns. Whichever side is dependant on where I am in the stroke. For *** and fly, I turn left, and am akward turning right. I find a lot of coaches have trouble with that because most people turn the other way.

I try to practice swimming straight into the wall and straight out so that I will do that in a meet. The best way to do this when circle swimming is to cross over to the left side of the lane once the last swimming going opposite you passes, then turn on the side of the lane you will be swimming next. Also that way if you have someone drafting on you, you won't have to worry about pushing off around them (theoretically). Watch the distance swimmers at a meet sometime, they are all circling in their racing lane, just because that is the way the practice. By the way, I roll to my left but it is probably because I am left handed.

I try to practice swimming straight into the wall and straight out so that I will do that in a meet. The best way to do this when circle swimming is to cross over to the left side of the lane once the last swimming going opposite you passes, then turn on the side of the lane you will be swimming next. Also that way if you have someone drafting on you, you won't have to worry about pushing off around them (theoretically). Watch the distance swimmers at a meet sometime, they are all circling in their racing lane, just because that is the way the practice. By the way, I roll to my left but it is probably because I am left handed. I would suggest practicing turns in a simulated racing situation. After or before practice when no one is in the lane try rolling to both sides an equal number of turns coming in from the middle of the lane...always take your first stroke with the lower arm and don't breathe for 2-3 strokes. Also, practice turns from a run into a dive from the side of the pool to simulate full speed/race conditions.

different swimmers do it different ways I push off with my left side down which I think is better for counter clockwise circle swimming (cause your back is facing the oncoming swimmers) but there's many swimmers who roll to the other side and push off right arm down which means their belly is facing oncoming swimmers in the same lane it's really about what feels best, it's the same as being regular or goofy foot in surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding or if you're right or left handed ande I would do a poll but don't know how. My pool does not circle swim. I have my own lane. When I learned to flip turn I roll to the right i.e. when I roll I will be looking left when I break out. When I occasionally circle swim, I find this to be aqward and have difficulty heading to the right side of the lane on pushoff. My question is, do coaches prefer teaching one over the other?

I think it is more preference and comfort, especially in practice. One thing to note though, is that if you pull with your bottom arm off your streamline you get a whole lot more roll than just what you create from your core/momentum. This might tip the scales in favor of having the dominant arm down, because that would allow you to push off more on your back. It likely isn't that big of a difference, so you might as well just stick wtih what you are doing.

I think all that coaches prefer is that you flip straight over and push off on your back... the roll is more a comfortability and familiarity issue. I roll the opposite way you do, which, yes, is a lot more efficient for circle swimming. The blue muppet rolls the same way you do. If the two of us are going side-by-side in a workout, neither's turns are any faster than the other b/c of the roll. I did once try to swim a workout working on my rolls the other way, and it was disasterous. Keep doing what you're doing. If it helps, when you circle, as you're approaching the wall, cut over to the other side of the lane so that when you flip and push off, you're already on the other side of the lane and can push off straight.

All this talk of circle swimming! When I coach small fry to high school kids I try to teach them how bad circle swimming is for them, and how habitual behaviour, like circle swimming the same way all the time, impacts their competition swims. While necessary in crowded situations, one can always help remind their swimmers just how bad a habit circling is by having them circle their sets first counter-clockwise (normal?), then the next set clockwise. They not only "feel goofy" and mash into their friends the first few times they go opposite to the normal routine, but they start to realize just how much they have modified their in-and-out of the wall stroke and turn routine to accomodate circling. Ideally, side-by-side lane sharing is best. Try reversing the circle in a practice for a set or two! You may be surprised at what you find/feel.

Ideally, side-by-side lane sharing is best. Unfortunately we can have 20 swimmers shoehorned into 3 lanes on a Tuesday evening, sort of rules out swimming sides. As for suggesting a set swimming, "The other way round", I would welcome it (lane 2 swimmer, have to swim anticlockwise, prefer to tumble clockwise) but I suspect that the damage to lane 1 egos would be more than the club (or the coach) could bear! Al.