Flip Turns

By Terry Laughlin

A good flip turn isn’t just a way to get in and out of the wall; it’s a link from one lap to the next. Each good turn sets you up to swim efficiently on the lap that follows. A poor turn forces you to scramble; trying to make up for it, you’ll take more and faster strokes before you find your rhythm again. That momentary loss of control and the extra energy you spend trying to set things right can quickly start a frustrating spiral of slower, more exhausting laps, leading to more poor turns.

The elements of a great flip include speed, ease and momentum. Speed is obvious. The other two are less so:

Ease: With an efficient flip, you should be able to do turn #65 as well as you did #1 in a mile race. If each turn is hard work, they become progressively more ragged which sets off the spiral mentioned above and your stroke falls apart as quickly as your turns.

Momentum: Throw a rubber ball against a wall. Throw it slowly and it comes back slowly. Throw it fast and it comes off fast. Great turn mechanics maintain momentum through the somersault and off the wall. The mechanics that produce the best turn include impeccable, automatic approach timing, an efficient somersault and a balanced, streamlined pushoff/breakout.

Approach timing: This determines how fast "the ball hits the wall." The most critical element is to avoid deceleration going in. First, you need consistency, acquired from practice. You need to "know in your bones," without thinking, precisely the right moment to start your somersault. Your goal: unbroken stroke tempo from flags to wall and no glide after the last stroke. You cannot count on having precisely the same stroke timing as you finish each length so you must constantly practice anticipation and adjustment. Thousands of turns, each done with your fullest attention, gradually teach you how to make unconscious and subtle adjustments in stroke length and tempo over the final five yards to roll immediately into your somersault from your final stroke..

Somersault: Like a diver doing a 3 _ from the 3-meter board, the key is a tight tuck and compact turn, a straight non-twisting tumble and finishing your roll. A loose or open tuck increases water resistance and slows your roll. Twisting somersaults also increase water drag and cause you to finish on your side or stomach. Opening too soon makes your legs fly high over the water, dissipating momentum before you hit the wall.

In the best somersault, you roll through the smallest possible space in the water, as close to the surface as possible, keeping your nose as close to your legs as you can, roll just as straight as if you were doing a forward tumble on a gym mat, and stay tucked until the last possible moment. Your legs should still be compact as they hit the wall, with all their "spring" intact, and your toes should be pointing up.

Pushoff: You have simple goals on your pushoff: to start your first stroke beyond the backstroke flags (at least five yards out) and to carry as much of your "wall speed" as possible into that stroke. First, push off deep enough to avoid drag by gliding under the waves you created swimming into the wall. Second, establish a straight, balanced streamlined body-line on the pushoff to ensure that you break out into a balanced, streamlined stroke.

Practice: You can substantially flatten your turn-learning curve by isolating the three elements and practicing them separately. Practice your approach timing of stroke-and-roll-without-pause in the middle of the pool so you won’t be distracted by fears of hitting your heels and can concentrate on just doing that well. Practice the somersault by itself, both from a standing start (as shown on p TK) and from a swimming start. And practice pushoffs without the turn, starting in the same tucked, toes-up position shown here. Doing each well first will increase the chances of doing the assembled turn much better.

Captions:

1. Maintain unbroken stroke tempo (or even increase it slightly) on your last two strokes. Your final stroke should lead, without pause, to the beginning of your tuck-and-roll.

2. As you are completing your last stroke, lean on your chest to raise your hips and legs, and tuck your chin to initiate the roll. Imagine you will bring your nose right past your knees and feet.

3. Stay shallow! Tuck tightly to roll through the smallest possible space in the water. Having your legs slightly apart can help reduce water resistance as they pass through the surface.

4. Use your hands to add leverage. Try to "throw the water past your ears." And keep your legs compact; your feet should barely clear the surface as they go over.

5. Roll straight and finish still in your tuck Keep your toes up and your legs powerfully coiled as you hit the wall. After "throwing the water," keep your hands close to your head, poised to reach overhead.

6. "Bounce" off the wall. Strike the wall on your toes and the balls of your feet, so you can push off and extend into streamline without pause. Imagine you’ll begin to bounce off the wall a millisecond before your feet even hit.

7. Stretch off the wall on your side, extending yourself into a long, sleek, balanced needle shape with one hand covering the other, biceps pressed against your ears and two legs trying to become one.

Happy laps!