How in the world do you approach the wall on the right side of the lane, flip, and depart on the other side without running into someone?
Up to this point, I guess have led a fairly charmed Masters Swimming life. On all the teams I've swum with, it was rare to circle swim. No more! I'm now swimming LCM with half a dozen others sharing the lane, which is great, but I can't flip turn now to save my life.
Normally, I come straight into the wall, flip straight over onto my back, come straight off the wall, and roll over in the streamline. That won't cut it in circle swim. How do you do it? I have to either lead the lane, and sneak over to the left coming into the wall, or go last and stay on the right.
What's the technique?
Occasionally there will be some USS kids swimming in the pool that I go to, and they share a lane when they swim. In watching them swim, specifically turns, they tumble into the wall on the right side, and as they push off they do so to their right (at an angle) to the left. Not really an answer, but an observation.
I always had problems doing this (which is probably why I seldom did flip turns when I was younger and swam with a team). I'm sure it's a practice issue and can be learned with perseverance; I'm fortunate enough that at worse, I've only had to split a lane with one other swimmer, and we both pick a side and go because of the differing swim speeds.
:bliss:
If you group yourself in a lane with people of the same speed and everyone waits 5 seconds (at least) between each swimmer it can work.
If the person behind you takes off on your feet and they're your speed you will hit them.
I just try and swim with the same people each practice. :applaud:
Go a little off to the rt to start the flip, then as you push off angle to the other side of the lane. One of the lane "secrets" is to leave enough room for the swimmer ahead of you to complete the turn before you enter.
Former Member
I wish I knew :dunno:
I'm unattached, so I do all my workouts on my own in a public lap swim, where I can't even be sure the other swimmers would even realize I'm going to flip turn and I can't predict where'll they'll be when (and if) I do.
I just do open turns when the pool is crowded and save the flips for when I have plenty of room (say, if no one else is in the lane).
Nopt the answer you're looking for, I know.
If you leave at least five seconds apart (and are spaced properly so that you aren't then on someone's feet), you can swim toward the middle or even left of the lane after the flags as you approach the wall, then flip straight off. Trying to flip on the right and then streamline over to the correct side of the lane will likely cause a collision.
I can tell you I struggle with this since I don't normally share a lane and then I occasionally swim where I do. After I flip I roll clockwise which I think makes it harder than rolling the other way which should take you to the right of the lane. As a coach I would always teach the flip turn the way which makes circling easier.
Former Member
You will figure it out.
Creep to the side you want to exit, and angle off on the push-off if you aren't able to go over far enough.
When I'm tired I find myself tangled up due to the fact that I'm twisting one way when I'm used to twisting the other. Kind of like bilateral breathing but different.
My problems come when I'm on sombody's heels and someone is on my heels, and we are swimming at a high intensity.
After a swimwreck most just say, "I'm sorry".
I've tried all the sneaking over stuff and often there isn't enough room. I guess I should try to roll a little left instead of straight over? That should be entertaining; I normally have to fight rolling right. That has the disadvantage of rolling straight into oncoming traffic. My Mom says I was a lefty when I was little, but back then it was standard to beat it out of you. Maybe I can nurture the lost Lefty within.
I learned to do flip turns only this year (age 58). Now I feel like I've been doing them all my life! In my masters' team, we always circle swim with a five-second delay between swimmers. I found when I was first starting that I did okay as long as there were only two or three people in the lane. Any more than that and I would get too nervous to concentrate and would then revert to open turns. After a couple of months, however, I learned to relax and not worry, especially about the person coming after me (they can see me—I can't see them). I usually try to hit the wall dead center, turning slightly inward after the 5-yard marker and heading slightly outward after I kick off. That keeps me close to the lane ropes both coming and going.
Former Member
After once going face-first into a teammate, I learned how to do avoid another crash.
Peek after doing a flip turn to see where the next guy is, angle, and finish off of the wall a little deeper than usual. It ain't pretty, but it works.
