I taught myself to do flip turns last winter. It takes some time to get it down, but it’s not necessarily time that you could be doing intervals or harder sets. When I started trying them, I would do them during my warm up and cool down, and even then I would only try a flip turn every 4th turn. And as time passed I would flip turn every other turn. And then one day something just clicked and I was able to do them for the whole workout. At that point I still didn’t think I would ever be able to flip turn for hard sets like 100s because using a flip turn really did affect my breathing. But even that has changed and I can do them for sets of all efforts. I can’t imagine not using flip turns. And I’ll admit it, I do feel like more of a swimmer now that i can do them. And on top of that I feel like I get a better work out.
Right on. This is the perfect way to begin adding them to anyone’s workout.
Once you start using flip turns you might find that you were previously just doing 25 yd repeats with 2 seconds rest. You don’t NEED them, but they help - especially for simulating more race-like breath control.
I’m still not convinced.
First, because my turn-arounds don’t take 2 seconds - they take no longer than someone doing a flip turn as evidenced when I do them right next to someone flipping. The only difference is I’m above water taking a breathe vs. holding my breath below. And that is arguably better if you think a steady tempo of breathing is better than an extended holding of the breath every 25/50yds, unless you’re trying to train in a hypoxic state.
Second, although I agree that “the better I am at any aspect of swimming, the better swimmer I will become”, flip turns are not smimming - they are FLIPPING UNDER WATER. That’s like saying aqua-running will make be a better swimmer. It’s in the water, right? AND - if that argument is true, anyone training to be a fast 50m sprinter should improve their times by practicing flip turns. And we know that’s not true. Lastly, what about our runners…imagine every track in the world was just a 100m straight-away. Distance runners run one length, do a back flip, then run the other way - 15+ times. Not ONE of you would consider the “back flip” to be part of running. It’s simply an adaptation to the environment, not the act of running itself. If it were, then all of us would go out on the highway, and while running - do a back flip ever 100yds or so - then keep running - oh the laughs we would get!!!
The ONLY reason we have flip turns is because in order to satisfy spectators and the short length of the pool, an efficient means to turn around was created and has been perfected. It’s not swimming - it’s turning around. And unless I’m training to be a competitive swimmer IN A POOL, I don’t need to learn them!
If you do them right, flipturns can save you 30sec to a 1min in a 1500.
In a pool. In the open water, doing a flip turn in the middle of your swim would SLOW YOU DOWN…LOL!
they take no longer than someone doing a flip turn as evidenced when I do them right next to someone flipping
Only if the other person is doing really slow turns. open turns give you a short rest every 25 metres or yards, and they do break your rhythm, no matter how much you tell yourself otherwise.
What you, as a triathlete, should be aiming to do in a pool is to as closely simulate open water swimming as possible. Last I checked, there was no wall every 25 metres in the open ocean for you to hang on to and get a half second rest. Doing flip turns more closely simulates open water swimming than doing open turns.
Seriously, it is fine to not do flip turns if you think open turns are just as good for training but you can’t compare doing flip turns to not doing them unless you have done both.
If you do them right, flipturns can save you 30sec to a 1min in a 1500.
As a previously top ranked canadian swimmer, my 1500m in a 50m pool was about 30sec slower than my 1500m in a 25m pool.
I agree. Perhaps you were directing this at someone else. Swimming Worlds long course - short course converter gives a 40 second differential for a 1500.
I’ll agree with that. And I’m not attacking anyone by being “anti” flip turn, I’m just agreeing with all the “sport specific” thinking - if I’m racing someone in a pool with multiple lengths, then I need to know how to do flip turns and do them well. However, if I’m in ONE tri a year in a pool, and the rest are open water, then I don’t care about learning the flip turn.
Flip turns will help your lung capacity, especially if they currently make you go hypoxic. Why do you think swimmers have such large lungs? Would you like to have larger lungs? The good triathletes learn to do flip turns. The reason? By doing flip turns, they end up going faster in practice. This enables them to move up to the fast lane with the big boys. If they help to allow you to keep up with the faster guys for longer on the harder sets, then you will become better.
I guess a fair analogy might be the guy who shows up to the group rides with his zipp 404s. Normally he would not be able to keep up and he would get dropped right away. By puting on his 404s, he is able to do the whole ride with the group, and he becomes a stronger rider. Obviously the analogy is flawed in that one is technique based and the other is equipment based, but the general idea is the same: if you are able to change something in your training so you can hang with the “big boys” for longer, then you will get better.