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 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.
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.
