In my experiences with swimming in public pools, I have learned that the easiest way you can tell a "swim team raised swimmer" and a "non swim team raised swimmer" is whether or not they are doing flip-turns during their pool workouts. Now, let me give some context here so that you don't go closing this page because you are offended. People have many different reasons for not doing flip-turns. Whether it hurts their ears or their back, makes them dizzy, or they get water up their nose are all common (and reasonable!) excuses. However, you would be hard pressed to find someone who competed on a swim team and did not do flip-turns. And it probably wasn't because it made them faster. It was probably mostly because of threats from their coach! I know many swimmers that have been threatened by their coach about missing flip-turns. As a coach myself, I am guilty of threatening my swimmers with extra lengths, massive amounts of butterfly, and longer practice times for missing flip-turns. For those people who know how to do flip-turns, and are not physically hurt by doing them it should be common practice to do them at the end of each length. Kind of like washing your hands after going to the bathroom. It is just a good habit.
There are many things to think about during a flip-turn that can make it confusing.
Beginning the somersault at the right distance away from the wall
Planting your feet firmly on the wall
Pushing off straight
Ending up on your stomach
All of these things can seem tricky (especially when you are first learning how to do flip-turns) but they all seem really simple once you have enough practice. Remember: muscle memory is very important in swimming.
Step 1: Beginning the somersault at the proper spot
No doubt, if you have swam in a pool you recognize the famous black "T" painted on the bottom of the pool. How can you not notice something when it is all you stare at for hours on end? Back and forth. Back and forth. Anyway...back to the point. This "T" is on the bottom of the pool for a reason. It is so that when you are looking at the floor of the pool, you have an idea of when the pool stops. Comes in pretty handy when you want to avoid running head first into the wall! This is a good reference to use for your flip-turns. If you flip a little too early and your feet barely make contact with the wall, remember where you were in relation to the black "T" and get a little closer when you flip. Same thing goes if you flip too close to the wall. How close do you want to be when you flip? Ideally, your knees and hips will be at about a 90 degree angle (below)
This will likely give you the most force on your push off. More force=more distance=faster swimming.
Step 2: Planting your feet firmly on the wall After you flip over, you want to get a nice solid base to push off of. This starts with the correct feet placement. The best spot for your feet is about shoulder width apart and slightly above your core (like the picture above). This is anatomically the best base for your muscles to push off of.
Step 3: Pushing off Now that your feet are planted on the wall, it is time to push off and start swimming the other way. You want to push off facing the surface of the water (aka on your back). This is because when you flip over, you naturallyend up on your back. So why waste the time rolling over on to your stomach? You want to push off on your back and then roll like a torpedo on to your stomach. As you are rolling, you can begin your dolphin/flutter kick. The number of kicks and the type of kicks you do is solely based on the individual. Personally, I do about 3 dolphin kicks and then flutter kick right before I take my break-out stroke.
Thanks for reading! It's no fun to get FAST, just fun to be FAST!
