Have you ever watched a swimmer complete a flip turn? It looks effortless and graceful like the swimmer has become one with the water. Now, you want to learn how to do it too, right? Sure, it can feel intimidating if your swimming skills are still in their early stages. But don’t worry! The flip turn isn’t as difficult as it looks.
Once you know what to expect and practice correctly, you’ll be able to nail it in no time! In this article, we’ll try to share some tips on swimming flip turns for beginners. We’ll also share some other things related to it. So, why late? Let’s get started with it.
What Is Flip Turn in Swimming?
Flip turn is a technique used in competitive swimming to quickly change direction and maintain momentum while swimming laps in a pool. It is also known as tumble turn. It is commonly used in freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke, and is considered an essential skill for competitive swimmers.
The flip turn allows swimmers to maintain their speed and momentum, as they do not have to come to a complete stop and push off the wall to change direction. It enables swimmers to swim laps more efficiently and effectively, as they can maintain their speed and rhythm without breaking their stroke or losing time by stopping and starting again.
Swimming Flip Turns for Beginners- Tip to Follow
Flip turns can seem intimidating for beginners. But with practice and proper technique, they can become a valuable tool in improving swim times. Here are some tips on swimming flip turns for beginners. Check out these tips and make yourself a pro.
Approach the Wall with Speed
To start off with a successful flip turn, you need to approach the wall with proper speed. But make sure that it won’t be too slow and not too fast. When you’re close to the wall, take your last two strokes more powerfully and push off outward at a 45-degree angle. It will help you to generate enough force that would carry you over the top of the wall.
Once you have gained enough momentum, it is time for the flip turn. Remember to tuck your chin and bend your knees while keeping your arms alongside your head. It will help you to achieve a streamlined position. Keep your hands close together with palms flat to further encourage the streamlined shape. Just before reaching the wall, extend one arm forward and rotate your body. When both feet touch the wall, twist your hips and press off with a powerful thrust from both legs.
Time Your Flip
One of the best tips for swimming flip turns is to time your flip correctly. You want to make sure you don’t hit the wall before you flip, but also that you don’t wait too long. To create optimal power and movement, it’s important to approach the wall with speed.
Aim to execute the flip just before reaching the wall. After that push off it with a strong kick and push your arms forward in a butterfly stroke-like motion. With practice and repetition, you’ll be able to time your flip turn perfectly and gain a competitive edge in races.
Use Your Arms Wisely
Making a successful flip turn starts with being able to effectively use your arms. No matter your swimming ability, you need to use your arms correctly in order to execute a successful flip turn. Follow these tips how you can use your arms perfectly:
- As you approach the wall, keep your arms tight and pointed in towards your chest.
- When you reach the wall, plant your palms on the surface of the pool and pull yourself off the wall quickly and powerfully.
- Push away from the wall with equal force both on the outside and inside of each arm. This will help you get maximum speed at the start of your turn.
- As you perform the flip, focus on initiating it with an explosive push from both arms as well as a strong kick from your legs. Make sure that your body stays tight during this movement, as it will help you streamline more efficiently in order to reduce drag and improve speed while underwater.
- Once you complete the flip, stretch out both of your arms fully above your head in order to get maximum reach through your turn – this will help maximize distance and speed out of every flip turn.
Streamline Position
It requires you to tuck your chin, point your toes, and keep your arms close to your body while you flip. This will help you create minimum drag in the water. It enables you to stay streamlined and reduces the time it takes for you to reach the wall.
To maintain the streamline position throughout the flip turn, allow yourself time to prepare. Make sure that you are getting into position as soon as possible even before starting the flip.
The sooner you get into it, the less resistance you’ll create in the water and the faster your turn will be completed.
One thing that can throw off a streamline position is an uncontrolled bend or kick of knees or ankles when pushing off from the wall or initiating a flip turn.
When pushing off from one wall after completing a lap, strive for knee control by focusing on keeping them together and pointing them directly out behind you instead of letting them fan outward. It helps to reduce drag so that you can properly maintain a streamline position for faster times.
Remember, you don’t need much space or room between your arms and body. Just enough to provide a clear vision ahead of where you’re swimming next is enough.
The tighter and more consistently you move through this position, under control, and with minimal resistance, your swimming technique will get better each time!
Breathe Strategically
The last tip for conquering the flip turn is this: breathe strategically. Because flip turns involve a considerable amount of movement, learners should practice breathing regularly and rationally.
The idea is to make sure you get enough oxygen but don’t tire yourself out. Here are a few tips to help with your breathing as you practice your flip turn:
- Take a deep breath during the approach to the wall and hold your breath through the flip. This allows you to keep some oxygen in your body during the flip, letting you stay underwater longer without running out of air or feeling dizzy or disoriented after the turn.
- Exhale just before making contact with the wall and then take another full breath as soon as possible once you have pushed off of the wall after completing your turn. Make sure to take a deep inhale so that your body can recover more quickly from the stress of exertion put on it during the flip turn.
- Practice breathing rhythmically while swimming in between turns, so that when you come back to practice your flip turns it already feels natural and comfortable for you, allowing you to focus more on other aspects of proper technique instead of worrying about catching your breath in between flips.
Practice as Much as Possible
Finally, and probably the most important piece of advice for doing a successful flip turn is to practice.
Mastering the technique isn’t going to happen in a day, but with regular practice and patience, you’ll eventually get there.
The best way to practice your flip turn is to do repetition drills. This is where you find a wall at the end of your pool and swim up and down it as many times as possible. Try to perfect your technique each time until it becomes second nature.
If you’re still having difficulty, make sure that you watch videos or ask on swimming forums for advice. The more advice you take in and practice the better your flip turns will become!
Here are some tips to help make sure that you regularly practice your flip turns:
- Do more repetition drills so that your movements become more natural.
- Record yourself using video analysis so that you can monitor your progress.
- Ask experienced swimmers for feedback.
- Have fun with it and enjoy yourself.
Common Mistakes That Beginner Swimmers Do in Flip Turn
When it comes to mastering your flip turn, there are a few common mistakes that new swimmers make. Here are some of the most common mistakes to watch out for:
- Not getting a good push-off: A powerful push-off gives you the momentum you need to pull off a smooth, tight flip turn. Make sure you’re pushing off from the side of the pool with enough force.
- Not tucking in your body tightly enough: When you do your flip, make sure your body is tucked in tight and close to the wall as possible. The closer your body is to the wall, the less effort and time it takes for you to complete the flip turn.
- Lifting your head too soon: Looking at where you’re going can help with orientation but don’t lift your head too soon or you will lose momentum and speed. Wait until after you’ve flipped completely around before lifting your head up out of the water.
- Rolling too slowly: It’s important to roll quickly through your flip turn in order to maintain your speed and momentum—the faster you roll the better! Keep up the pace so that you don’t lose any speed as you rotate around for each new lap.
- Forgetting about streamlining: Remembering to streamline will ensure that every flip turn is efficient and fast; keep both hands at either side of your head before pushing off into each new lap with power and grace!
Benefits of Doing a Flip Turn in Swimming
One of the most important skills you can learn if you are keen on improving your swimming performance is to master the flip turn. It’s a critical aspect for many races, and it can be the difference between winning and losing. It’s not as difficult as you might think and it’s well worth the effort to learn.
Here are some benefits of learning how to do a flip turn in swimming:
Faster race times
It’s no secret that flipping at the end of a lap is much faster than pushing off from the wall. This extra speed translates directly into faster race times. With practice, your turns will become second nature and you can spend less energy by cutting down on kick-offs at the wall, which will help save energy for the rest of your race.
Improved technique
Learning how to do a flip turn helps with overall body awareness in the water. You’ll start to gain an understanding of body positioning and timing. It enables you to make quicker adjustments when necessary as you improve your technique throughout a race and practice sessions.
Changes directions easily
Flip turns are especially helpful when turning from one direction to another during your training or races like in scy events or triathlons where there are multiple laps in one direction followed by another lap in a different direction. Being able to quickly adjust from one direction to the other is essential for achieving maximum speed and performance in such races.
More time underwater
By flipping underwater instead of stopping at walls, you can spend more time moving efficiently through the water. It helps to reduce drag while conserving some energy at the same time.
Final Thought
Mastering the swimming flip turn is all about precision, technique, and practice. Everyone starts in the same place. So, don’t be discouraged if it takes a few tries before you’re comfortable with the skills. Hopefully, these tips on swimming flip turns for beginners will be helpful for all of you. Thank you all.