Today was the second swim practice that I tried to incorporate flip turns into my set for practice. To say that I started out horribly would be an understatement! Up until today I had only attempted flip turns in the indoor pool and I was swimming in the outdoor pool this morning, which is much shallower than the indoor pool and at 6:00 am is still dark. Apparently, this made things difficult for me!
Last week I had perfected the turn and push off, but had not been able to figure out how to get from streamlining on my back to twisting to my stomach and ready to swim again. This morning my timing and pace were off and I was barely able to get the flip in and the push off was abysmal … but I kept at it. I was determined to get back to where I was last week, perfecting the flip turn and streamlining on my back, not worrying about twisting to my stomach. Mission accomplished. Once I felt like my timing was right, I decided to work on the twist and before I knew it I was swimming 100s doing proper flip turns – streamlining past the flags like I do on my open turns!
Some turns were straighter than others – and some left me desperate for air – but I am happy with my progress. I will keep incorporating them into my workouts until I am doing all of my freestyle laps with flip turns. Maybe after I master the flip I will start thinking about butterfly …
I know flip turns are not necessary for triathlon, but they are fun and help to break up the monotony of swimming laps – and that in and of itself is enough for me!
6 comments:
Your gonna turn into "swimmer girl" at your gym now.
Hooray! Now we need to work out not breathing into and out of your turns. If you breathe right off the wall, you kill a lot of your momentum. Plus, this helps you on your cardio endurance.
Im jealous... I still haven't been able to get the hang of flip turns. I'll be honest - I feel pretty embarrassed trying over and over, but I'll get it some day!
Good job. I really need to learn how to flip turn. Most of my swimming is in an endless pool so I don't even get to practice.
One day, and soon.
THATS GREAT!! All it takes is the consistency! WAY TO MAKE THE CHANGE! :)
p.s. just a little hint on how to get from back to stomach from streamline.....just twist from your hands, your body will follow.
I'm really excited for you, Anne. I can't do a flip turn at all. I asked my swimmer-son to try to teach me, and he gave up after only a few minutes - he couldn't stop laughing at me!
I'm still working on bi-lateral drowning...er...breathing.
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