The IM Lane

Congrats and great vids - I've been trying to do the same thing on the BK/BR transition, but all the shots I've seen are like Shanteau's and I can never get the sequence right. Its like trying to do something while looking in a mirror, I always end up twisting the wrong way and head off into the lines. The sort of modified flip has been easier to do but I end up going too deep on the pull out and run out of air or it takes a long time to do so I lose time (it seems that way). Looks like perserverance wins again. Thanks! I did notice that on some of my pushoffs, I was deeper than I expected to be. I do generally push off with a downward trajectory... but I can imagine in the 400 IM scenario that I could end up running out of air.

I AM REVIVING THIS THREAD Why? Because today I taught myself the backstroke to breaststroke flip turn. I've never been able to do it with any consistency before, but now I've got it. Here's what I did. The pool was nearly empty so I moved to the center of the pool and did 10 x 25 back-to-***, starting and finishing in the middle. The first two sucked because I was trying to do something like this YouTube- ‪Eric Shanteau Back - *** Transition Turn‬‎ or this YouTube- ‪Adam Mania's Back to *** turn‬‎ and I just can't seem to get that right. So then for #3 I decided to try this instead (I've seen this technique but I had never tried it before): YouTube- ‪Tay Back To Brerast‬‎ I cheated a little bit and looked at my hand before it touched the wall, but I completely nailed the turn. There's no rotating or twisting, just touch the wall and flip straight over. Then I nailed the turn 7 more times, at different speeds and off either hand. For the rest of the workout I started working these turns into my warmdown swims (e.g. alternating backstroke and freestyle each 25, doing this flip turn on each back-to-free transition) and eventually got to where I didn't need to look at the wall prior to flipping. That is important since by putting my head underwater prior to touching the wall, I'd be risking a DQ for submerging past 15 meters. If an idiot like me can learn this, then anyone can! WOO HOO!!! THERE'S A HALF SECOND I'M NOT GIVING UP ANYMORE!!! :bliss:

I AM REVIVING THIS THREAD Why? Because today I taught myself the backstroke to breaststroke flip turn. I've never been able to do it with any consistency before, but now I've got it. Here's what I did. The pool was nearly empty so I moved to the center of the pool and did 10 x 25 back-to-***, starting and finishing in the middle. The first two sucked because I was trying to do something like this YouTube- ‪Eric Shanteau Back - *** Transition Turn‬‎ or this YouTube- ‪Adam Mania's Back to *** turn‬‎ and I just can't seem to get that right. So then for #3 I decided to try this instead (I've seen this technique but I had never tried it before): YouTube- ‪Tay Back To Brerast‬‎ I cheated a little bit and looked at my hand before it touched the wall, but I completely nailed the turn. There's no rotating or twisting, just touch the wall and flip straight over. Then I nailed the turn 7 more times, at different speeds and off either hand. For the rest of the workout I started working these turns into my warmdown swims (e.g. alternating backstroke and freestyle each 25, doing this flip turn on each back-to-free transition) and eventually got to where I didn't need to look at the wall prior to flipping. That is important since by putting my head underwater prior to touching the wall, I'd be risking a DQ for submerging past 15 meters. If an idiot like me can learn this, then anyone can! WOO HOO!!! THERE'S A HALF SECOND I'M NOT GIVING UP ANYMORE!!! :bliss: Thankyou - I was looking for the IM lane last week and couldn't find it :afraid: I can do a flip - a bit like the 3rd vid - but only in practice. I did one in competition many years ago and twisted my shoulder somehow, still it all straightened out after a couple of strokes ***, but have never managed it at speed since. I tend to get too close to the wall on the backstroke finish, so have no room to flip backwards. Probably not helped by practising in 25m pool and competing in 25yd pool this summer. I also tend to push off deep, probably because after a back flip my toes hit the wall angle downwards. My nemesis is the backstroke turn - not an issue for the 100IM, or 200LCM, but I always turn over too late. So.....anyone got tips for a rubbish backstroker on how to get more confident on those turns? I have a (very) long term goal of swimming a 400IM in competition.

Thankyou - I was looking for the IM lane last week and couldn't find it :afraid: I also tend to push off deep, probably because after a back flip my toes hit the wall angle downwards. I overcome this by touching low on the wall (reach down) which levels me off better.

Its just practice makes perfect really isn't it? Yep, that is why I'm going to make sure I do plenty of back-to-*** flip turns in every practice. Eventually it will be automatic without thinking about it, but that's not the case yet.

eventually got to where I didn't need to look at the wall prior to flipping. That is important since by putting my head underwater prior to touching the wall, I'd be risking a DQ for submerging past 15 meters. Yes, and in my opinion the girl in the video should be DQed if she turns like that in a race. It sure looks to me like she's completely submierged before her hand hits the wall.

Yes, and in my opinion the girl in the video should be DQed if she turns like that in a race. It sure looks to me like she's completely submierged before her hand hits the wall. Yeah, I like this video (which I didn't find until after my first post on this topic) much better, since it's much cleaner technique: YouTube- ‪turn backstroke-breaststroke / virata dorso-rana‬‎ I don't know what I look like from the pool deck, but that video shows exactly what I'm trying to do.

A classic. www.floswimming.org/.../6146-all-star-100-im

Take two strokes inside the flags, and then turn over. Will bear that in mind, although I then end up so far away that I'm needing to do a couple of freestyle strokes to get me there:blush: Its just practice makes perfect really isn't it? I hate practising backstroke :afraid:

Take two strokes inside the flags, and then turn over.