I have seen a few drills for flip turns (one in a recent USMS SWIMMER magazine article, another as a series on GoSwimWeekly) emphasizing "weightless hands/arms" going into the turn, so that you use your core rather than your arms to get you around.
Others have told me it is critical to throw water over your shoulder as you turn, either with one or both arms, keeping your elbows locked to your side but pushing water toward your head with your palm(s) and after that motion going into streamline.
This seems to go against weightless arms/hands streamlined against your side as you go into and out of the turn.
Do people consciously throw water over their shoulders as they turn, or is this just an unconscious but natural consequence of a powerful turn?
Are the weightless arm/hand drills a good way to teach and practice flip turns? I've found these drills helpful but want the best turns I can get and wonder about other, better flippers than me.
That said, I am sure there are a million ways to do flip turns.
I searched this forum for answers to this; couldn't find anything specific, though I'm quite sure it's been discussed. If so, someone please direct me to the thread?
don't turn turning into a bunch of words
1) during the flip phase of your turn
your arms/hands help you accellerate the by moving your hands from your hip to your head in the opposite direction you're spinning
2) your hands should be near your head just before your feet hit the wall
3) turning distance
It's kind of tricky to get your turning distance right, it distance and timing vary with how fast you're swimming
Find your sweet spot, you want to hit the wall with full momentum, with your knees bent in just the right way ready to PUSH OFF HARD
you know you turned too:
a. close to the wall when you're all balled up
(don't let your butt hit the wall first) and
b. far from the wall when your feet don't or barely hit the wall
(don't scull backward with your legs straight)
Practice many turns at race pace and get your turns down
4) your hands arms should be streamlined as you're pushing off the wall
Get in a skinny streamline position
push off HARD
use your momentum to rebound
GLIDE FAST AND FAR
watch great swimmers turn
copy their movements
there's some excellent freestyle videos on youtube
think there's a link to a phelps slow motion turn SDK at
andesswimmingblog.blogspot.com/.../swim-faster-faster-session.html
have someone watch you above and underwater
watch swimmers turn above and underwater
Just do it like Mike
Years ago coaches told us on freestyle to not breathe in and out of the flags
SDK has changed this.
We're now seeing swimmers BREATHE a big breath one or two strokes before their turns
Especially if they are SDKing further off the wall after their turns.
Hold your air through your turn and SDK until you breakout.
don't turn turning into a bunch of words
1) during the flip phase of your turn
your arms/hands help you accellerate the by moving your hands from your hip to your head in the opposite direction you're spinning
2) your hands should be near your head just before your feet hit the wall
3) turning distance
It's kind of tricky to get your turning distance right, it distance and timing vary with how fast you're swimming
Find your sweet spot, you want to hit the wall with full momentum, with your knees bent in just the right way ready to PUSH OFF HARD
you know you turned too:
a. close to the wall when you're all balled up
(don't let your butt hit the wall first) and
b. far from the wall when your feet don't or barely hit the wall
(don't scull backward with your legs straight)
Practice many turns at race pace and get your turns down
4) your hands arms should be streamlined as you're pushing off the wall
Get in a skinny streamline position
push off HARD
use your momentum to rebound
GLIDE FAST AND FAR
watch great swimmers turn
copy their movements
there's some excellent freestyle videos on youtube
think there's a link to a phelps slow motion turn SDK at
andesswimmingblog.blogspot.com/.../swim-faster-faster-session.html
have someone watch you above and underwater
watch swimmers turn above and underwater
Just do it like Mike
Years ago coaches told us on freestyle to not breathe in and out of the flags
SDK has changed this.
We're now seeing swimmers BREATHE a big breath one or two strokes before their turns
Especially if they are SDKing further off the wall after their turns.
Hold your air through your turn and SDK until you breakout.
