Flip Turns getting them right video

On my site I have curated the-best-of-the-best videos on swimming. So why did I decide to break that tradition and create my own series of videos on flips. The answer: I did not find what I was looking for. A video or series that presented all of the steps, broke it down, and explained common errors and how to fix them.  Some videos gave me part of what I thought the learner needed, but never all of it. So I am posting a three-part series on flip turns with video and graphics.

I want to start with three key reasons every swimmer should do a flip turn:

• Flip turns are faster, this is probably obvious to most folks so I will say no more
• Flip turns are easier, flips take pressure off the shoulder and take less energy than open turns
• This third one is for you open water swimmers and triathletes who regularly tell me that you don’t need to flip because the lake doesn’t have any walls: Open turns allow you to take an extra breath, or three. The lake will not give you a few extra breaths every 25 yards. You need to flip to keep the continuity of yardage to better simulate long open water swims.

A flip starts by tucking your chin as you drive your head down and around into a pike position. This is followed by quickly bending your knees to bring your heels to the wall.  I could go on with a description of what the hands are doing and end with a pushing off into a stream line and kicking but a picture is worth so much more.  Watch this new video “Flip Turns Part I – Learning to Flip”, it breaks down a flip into the core parts of pike and snap, shows you how to use your arms and provides a simple drill for learning correct flip mechanics.

After you watch the video post your comments and look for Flip Turns Part II: Common Errors and Corrections.

Up next: Flip Turns Part II: Common Errors and Corrections