I have trouble flipping directly over and landing on my back for the push off. I usually flip diagonally and do an immediate corskscrew type of push-off. Are there exercises (possibly using some sort of swimming gadget) that can help me correct this flip turn flaw? -Jon
Parents
Former Member
Some thoughts:
How bent are your legs when you flip/tumble? If you tend to flip with fairly straight knees something as simple as tightening up your tuck might help.
Do you have trouble when doing backstroke flip turns? Maybe try coming off the wall doing backstroke as a drill.
Where are your hands? They should be at your side. If not, maybe they are compensating for some other balance isse.
Are your feet close together during your flip? If so, try keeping them about shoulder width apart. That might make the upside down position (when your legs are out of the water) more stable and have less tendency to fall to one side or the other.
Skip
Thanks for all the advise. My legs are sometimes bent, sometimes not too bent. If I think about it and tuck more, I seem to get better results.
My backstroke turns are horrible - each one an adventure. I have tried the drill of flipping into backstroke quite a bit - but tend to either pause, or double clutch, to make sure my legs plant properly on the wall.
My hands are not crazy busy like I've seen some swimmers, but not as quiet and by my sides as they should be, especially when I have to do a half stroke to get close enough to the wall to flip.
My legs are fairly close together - I will try your suggestion of spreading them slightly.
Jon
Some thoughts:
How bent are your legs when you flip/tumble? If you tend to flip with fairly straight knees something as simple as tightening up your tuck might help.
Do you have trouble when doing backstroke flip turns? Maybe try coming off the wall doing backstroke as a drill.
Where are your hands? They should be at your side. If not, maybe they are compensating for some other balance isse.
Are your feet close together during your flip? If so, try keeping them about shoulder width apart. That might make the upside down position (when your legs are out of the water) more stable and have less tendency to fall to one side or the other.
Skip
Thanks for all the advise. My legs are sometimes bent, sometimes not too bent. If I think about it and tuck more, I seem to get better results.
My backstroke turns are horrible - each one an adventure. I have tried the drill of flipping into backstroke quite a bit - but tend to either pause, or double clutch, to make sure my legs plant properly on the wall.
My hands are not crazy busy like I've seen some swimmers, but not as quiet and by my sides as they should be, especially when I have to do a half stroke to get close enough to the wall to flip.
My legs are fairly close together - I will try your suggestion of spreading them slightly.
Jon
