Flip Turn (freestyle)
Flip Turn in Crawl Swimming (Girata con Capriola a Stilelibero)
Tips for learning and practising
- Start learning flip turns away from the wall in the open of the pool. When you master the turn this way start approaching the wall.
- Start practising with turning from ventral position on your back.
- learn to avoid water entering the nose by gently bubbling.
- Never use your arms and hands to initiate and perform the tumbling motion (mistake #1). Use swimming momentum, tucking of your chin to the chest and a butterfly kick to perform the turn.
- Spin throgh the smallest possible space: nose to your knees and heels to your buttocks. Never keep your legs straight.
- Never push from the wall in a ventral position (mistake #2).
- Never breathe into the wall or out of the wall on the first stroke to maintain a streamlined swimming position.
- Perfect practice means perfect performance: Always try the flip even if conditions in a pool are desastrous.
- Gauge the distance to the wall by observing the "T" at the bottom in front of the wall.
- Initiate the turn by leaving both arms at your side following the final pull (at least one hand down thumb out). Arms are already directed to the swimming direction after the turn. (At least) one arm and palm will serve as a point of stability (catch) and to control the tumbling motion.
- Start the tumbling motion by tucking your chin to the chest and a butterfly kick. Don't use your arms to support the turn.
- Keep the body in a tight "ball position".
- Legs and feet go directly over the head.
- Use arms and hands to keep balance and as a support.
- Keep legs together and feet hit the wall at the same time.
- Mind hitting the right spot, not too far down or up or to far to the right or left.
- Push from the wall on the back.
- Before launch bring upper body and arms to a perfect streamline position. Water resistance is worst at high speed!
- After launch start to rotate from back to side to stomach. Stay in a perfect streamline position.
- Start kicking only when speed dropped to swimming velocity. Don't add propulsion as long as you are faster gliding than swimming. This timing needs a lot of practise.
- Start pulling shortly before approaching the surface.
- Think about the timing: if you break out too early or if you wait too long you loose a lot of speed.
- Remain in a streamline position - keep balance - thus, do not breathe on the first stroke.