FLIP TURNS for beginners.
If you are learning to swim, doing flip turns correctly is essential for smooth enjoyable laps. There are four main things to keep in mind while practicing a turn so that you master it and then not even think about it while swimming laps.
Approach the wall.
The first a most important thing for doing a flip turn is to know the timing. The distance to start the turn is different for everyone and it also depends on your speed coming into the wall. Having said that, you should start the turn at arms length. To practice that, this is a good drill to do. Do this several times until you get a hold of the distance and you loose the fear of approaching the wall.
Burry your head
Now that you know how to approach the wall, the first movement of the turn is the head. You need to burry your head down just in time so that the turn is successful. To do this you need to pay attention to the floor. Make a mental mark of the last place on the floor you see before turning. If you are too far or too close, make sure to adjust it until it is just right and then try to always turn at that point,. Now I should also say that it is a good idea to breathe before the turn in order to float better and to have enough air to blow some of it through your nose when you are face up, other wise water will enter your nose. Right now you have a lot of information to process. So make sure to practice these two points before moving on.
Extend your arms
Now to actually do the turn, the most important body parts are the arms (and also the core, but we will get to that in the next point.) Most beginners don’t know how to do a proper flip turn because they haven’t looked at what advanced swimmers are doing with their hands. The arms actually play a crucial part because they act as a leverage for the rest of the body to turn and to not sink while doing it. So pay attention at how the hands are placed straight back and facing down. You actually need to push water downwards to do the leverage and to stay a few inches under the surface, where you ought to be.
Bring hips forward.
Now that you know the secret arms movement, the other part you might not know is that to bring your legs on top and around your body, you need to use your core muscles (That is your abdomen, lower back muscles). Engage those muscle right here, prepare your feet to touch the wall and push. To do this, bend your knees and flex your ankles on dorsiflexion.
Now you are ready! Go and practice what you have learned!
If you already dominate the flip turn but want to get better and faster, subscribe to my channel because my next video will be about advanced tips and techniques to do a perfect flip turn.
Also if you haven’t checked out my freestyle tutorials, check them out, there are great tips that can help you swim faster and more efficient.
See you next time! Swim fast!