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ABC's for learning the flip turn
By Trip Hedrick and Clark Campbell

Nov. 8, 2006 -- Triathletes of all levels should view the flip turn in freestyle training as an essential part of their swim workouts. The flip turn can add a competitive edge to your swimming by giving you a chance to compete and race in workout sets. Adding a technically sound streamline coming off your flip turn will give you a free ride at a speed that is greater than you are able to swim.

Here's how:

Keeping it simple step by step
In its most simplistic terms, a flip turn consists of three steps: (A) The somersault/flip to a foot plant on the wall; (B) A streamline push-off; (C) A twist onto the stomach transitioning into the freestyle stroke.

Avoid the dreaded chlorine-induced head rush:
* Do several bobs holding your lips together and forcefully exhaling from the nose.
* Follow that up with several more bobs, letting go of the lips and exhaling through the nose to get comfortable with nasal exhalations.

The somersault
The key to a successful somersault involves approaching the flip while keeping the shoulders parallel to the surface of the water and not allowing any twisting of the shoulders. Try a somersault on dry land with a mat to re-introduce yourself to the motion.

Flip-turn progression
1) Jumping somersault: Standing in chest-deep water, assume a standing at attention position. Initiate the somersault/flip by jumping more forward than up by sliding your chest over the water. Next, execute a chin-to-chest, shoulders-to-thighs and heels-to-butt summersault, keeping the hands at the side throughout. See if you can feel your calves and heels slapping the water as you finish your spin. Remember to exhale through the nose from start to finish.

A common tendency for swimmers learning a flip turn is that of focusing more on the outcome of the flip turn i.e., the on-the-stomach push-off rather than focusing on the process of the summersault that places a swimmer in a position on the wall to execute a strong streamline. We have found that an outcome-based focus often drives a swimmer to drop a shoulder on the approach, creating an unwanted twist resulting in a disjointed turn. The next progression will assist you in keeping the shoulders square.

2) Hand-to-hand partner drill: In chest-deep water, have a partner stand behind you with their arms out and palms up (give me 10 position). Turn your back to your partner and extend your arms behind you and place your palms down onto theirs in a hand-to-hand position. Lower yourself to neck level in the water and while pressing on their hands slightly, drop your chin and execute a summersault maintaining hand-to-hand contact throughout. Your partner may give you a bump in your speed by lifting their hands to accelerate you through the turn.

3) Mid-pool somersault from a floating position: With hands at your side assume a floating position followed by four to six fast flutter kicks then execute a somersault, spinning quickly. If you find yourself twisting on this drill, take two empty one-gallon milk jugs positioned at your side and use them to assist your spin. This is similar to the hand-to-hand drill but allows you to assume a floating position.

4) Mid-pool somersault with strokes: Swim three strokes (hand hits) finishing your third stroke so both hands are positioned at your side followed by three to four kicks and then a somersault. Adding the three to four kicks after the three strokes assures that the shoulders are flat on the water to initiate the turn.


5) False turn at the wall: Acclimating to the wall can be done by swimming into the wall and executing a somersault, allowing the feet to brush the wall without a push-off. This will give you a feel for the distance at which you should initiate the turn. For swimmers first confronting the wall, we tend to see two common mistakes: 1) the tendency to lift the head to spot the wall and/or 2) to sneak a breath either on the last stroke into the wall or even at the wall without a stroke. Lifting the head to peek or breathe stops the momentum necessary to carry speed through the wall and pushes the hips down. A good way to avoid the temptation of lifting the head is to target the bottom of the pool where the wall and floor meet and to not breathe the last two hand hits (strokes) into the wall.


6) Flip turn with streamline push off on the back: Swim into the wall, somersault, plant the feet, extend the hands into a streamline position and push off onto the back holding the streamline. If you find yourself not pushing off in a position parallel to the surface of the water, there is a good chance that you are over rotating and may need to stop your rotation by bringing the chin away from your chest so that you are looking straight up at the surface of the water. This slight change in the head position can take place just as the heels come over the water towards the butt.

7) Flip turn with streamline transition into freestyle: Although it is desirable for a swimmer to plant and initiate the push-off onto the back the reality is that most swimmers have a natural tendency to plant the feet with the toes slightly off to one side or the other. It is fine to do this, but still necessary to avoid excessive twisting as you initiate the summersault. To get that on-your-side position off the wall, simply angle your toes to the side you are most comfortable pushing off on. Be careful not to twist the body to that direction. Use the false turn to practice the position you want off the wall.

The streamline
The goal of streamlining is to place your body in a position that offers the least amount of resistance in the water. A common mistake is over-reaching. Coaches often instruct their swimmers to stretch into a streamline position. Overstretching causes a tremendous curve in the lower back as the ribs flare outwards. The best way to streamline is to implode. Bring everything closer to the mid-line of the body and feel yourself become narrow. Squeeze the ears with the biceps and squeeze the hips as well. This position will help you preserve precious wall speed.


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These tips are included as a "bonus section" of the Swimming Technique and Training instructional DVD that is part of a six DVD Triathlete Technique and Training series from Championship Productions. This progression is structured to give you the ABC's of learning the flip turn. Once you have mastered these basic skills and are ready for advanced flip turn instruction view the videotapes from Richard Quick and/or David Marsh produced by Championship Productions www.ChampionshipProductions.com.



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