Flip Turns?!

Your logic concerning if a flip turn affects your swimming may not work the way you expect. There are no flip turns in open swims b/c there is no walls!!!!(typically). All major freestyle/backstroke swimmers use flip turns. They are dramtically faster (once mastered), and allow for some timely arm rest coming off a wall while keeping up speed. Learning flip turns can be a trying experience though. I would find a coach or someone else to help learn the technique. Chris

If you know how to do sommersaults, you're pretty close to being set. when you're coming into the wall, take your last stroke and do a front sommersault, then while you're flipping, when your feet get near the wall, push off and straighten yourself out, hard to explain but ask people to help with it too, i'm sure they will.

Even after years of swimming, many of us still struggle with flip turns. In all honesty, if you don't need to learn it, don't bother. It's ok to do an open turn while you're working out at the Y. So what if Granny can do it, Granny's probably not swimming that open water mile like you are. If you are determined to learn, watch the other people swimming while you are. Ask one of them how they do it. You can't read about it and instantly know, it takes practice and it takes knowing what to practice. Good luck in your triathlon!

Thanks for all the feedback! Unfortunately those grandmas are racing open water and also passing me! Although they've been doing this much longer than I have so I'll give them that. I've tried doing the summersaults just haven't been able to get the turn into it...I think my stop and turn will look less foolish than my flipping and then standing 2 feet before the edge of the pool. If anything maybe I'll amuse others like I'm amusing those of you reading this that know what their doing! ;-) Thanks for the encouragment.

Unless you can readily learn a flip turn--to do this with speed involves a lot of turns a practice. You can learn to do a speed open turn. You don't need to stop at the wall, turn around, then take off. A speed turn is very similar to what is done in a breaststoke and butterfly turn only you don't have to touch with both hands, watch someone who does these types of turns and you will see how one is done. A open speed turn is usually faster than a mediocre flip turn and faster than the stop, turn, take off. When learning flip turns--do not practice at first going into the wall--practice the flip pushing off the wall--you will find it much easier with the added boost of speed. Later after you have perfected this then try into the wall. The line on the bottom is what you want to watch--not where the wall is. Go so many strokes and turn, stop. Pay attention to where you are when you started the turn in relation to the line on the bottom--and that "T" marking. Then next time start your turn one stroke beyond that point and see if your feet connect with the wall. Keep adding a stroke to the next until your feet do touch the wall. You then know about where you need to be to start your turn. Play around with that. If you having a hard time learning to turn without sinking to the bottom and nearly scraping your back on the bottom--use empty gallon milk jugs with the handles and a screw type lid. Hold one in each hand and your arms out like a "T" at first until you get the hang of turning over straight--try pushing off the wall and doing the turn. Once you have built some speed with that then try without the jugs. This method although looks silly, does work. Many races are lost or won on the turns--I think this would be more dynamic in one of those usually open water but early in the season done in the pool triathlons--with a speedy turn you will be farther ahead of those who do not practice that element of pool racing.

Ii have tried some flip turns , but made me dizzy. may be my age 68 . But I never did flip turn.

Instead of flipping over right away on your stomach after the turn. Try just doing the turn and pushing off on your back then slowly rotating over on your stomach. I myself and my whole team in high school were doing that after turning over and cut a bunch of time cause that's what our coach made us do over and over till we got it right. Kel,

Thats worth atry. sounds like good advice.:)

Hi! I'd like to encourage you to keep attempting to learn to flip turn; flip turns are much more efficient than open turns, not only because they save time but also because they allow you to swim continuously without breaking your rhythm. You might find executing a flip turn is much easier if you do not think of it as any type of somersault. You do not want to roll your body; you want to flip your body. Come into the wall at a fast pace, (do not breath coming into the wall as it will cause you to lose too much momentum, and do not be afraid of hitting the wall; you won’t hit the wall because you should purposefully graze it with your fingertips at the longest part of your final stroke so you know exactly where the wall is and so you know that you are the perfect distance from it to begin your turn). Once you have grazed the wall, without pausing throw that outstretched arm down under your body toward your pelvis and fold your body in half at the waist so that your whole body flips, (you will not and should not be perfectly straight of course, your legs will be bent some, which is why so many bystanders mistake a flip turn for a somersault motion instead of a force movement). Your forward momentum will have carried you the slightest bit closer to the wall so that you can push off hard and effectively as you right yourself (not deep!) under the water. Unlike trying to right yourself after a somersault movement (when you have lost your momentum and your hands might be flailing everywhere), righten-ing yourself as you push off from a true flip will feel like a natural motion. Remember, speed, force, power. Good luck!

thought everyone might find this helpful swimming.about.com/.../flipturn.htm