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Flip turn mental block

Guido P

I started master swimming in my 20s and had no problem with flip turns, improving technique and confidence over time.

Suddenly at the beginning of this swimming season I developed a fear to turn at the wall as it was too close and get hurt. I either flip farther from the wall and miss to plant my feet to push or renounce to flip and go for an open turn. Things get worse when I'm doing sprinting sets. As the wall approaches I get very anxious with a feeling that it's too close to turn safely. I'm definitely overthinking it.

What can I do to gain confidence back? Is it something that happened to other swimmers?

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  • 0

    I’m 64 now, and have a slight phobia of flip turns that I also acquired in my late 20s. “Acquired” is not exactly right. More like ‘inflicted.’ In a pool that I wasn’t yet completely familiar with, on my first or second lap, I hit my heels squarely on the deck edge/coping. It hurt like a M-Fer. I thought I’d broken my heel bones. For a long time immediately after that (months-years), doing flip turns was essentially useless. I was flipping way too far away from the wall to reach it with my feet for a push off. I’d set soft foamy kick boards at the edges just in case it’d happen again. It was quite a while until I got brave enough to flip close enough to get a push.  My timing/spacing still isn’t perfect. Consequently, since then, when I go into an unfamiliar pool (or a pool I haven’t been in for quite some time) my first few laps are gauging where I can safely flip from and NOT have a similar accident. Slow, methodical approaches to the wall where I look at the bottom lane line, the floating lane lines, and the end wall, and I make mental notes, and determine where to safely, but effectively flip. — Dan

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  • 0

    I’m 64 now, and have a slight phobia of flip turns that I also acquired in my late 20s. “Acquired” is not exactly right. More like ‘inflicted.’ In a pool that I wasn’t yet completely familiar with, on my first or second lap, I hit my heels squarely on the deck edge/coping. It hurt like a M-Fer. I thought I’d broken my heel bones. For a long time immediately after that (months-years), doing flip turns was essentially useless. I was flipping way too far away from the wall to reach it with my feet for a push off. I’d set soft foamy kick boards at the edges just in case it’d happen again. It was quite a while until I got brave enough to flip close enough to get a push.  My timing/spacing still isn’t perfect. Consequently, since then, when I go into an unfamiliar pool (or a pool I haven’t been in for quite some time) my first few laps are gauging where I can safely flip from and NOT have a similar accident. Slow, methodical approaches to the wall where I look at the bottom lane line, the floating lane lines, and the end wall, and I make mental notes, and determine where to safely, but effectively flip. — Dan

Children
  • 0 in reply to ForceDJ

    Thanks Dan! As a matter of facts I did hit my heels in my 20s too, so maybe some old fear resurfaced.

    It's a strange feeling though almost like the wall is too close and will hit my face. Completely irrational.

    I probably need to start with taking a mental break and not obsess with it. After all I don't compete in pool (just open water) and can enjoy my workout still.