The flip turn is where a lot of swimmers can make a ton of improvement.
But the way that they work on it isn’t always effective.
Swimmers will focus on tumbling faster or using turn drills like standing flips—in waist-high water, from a standing position, swimmers use the bottom of the pool to jump into a lightning-quick somersault.
This is a fun way to break up training (my age group team frequently had competitions to see who could flip fastest), but it ignores the leading predictor of what makes a fast turn, fast.
And that’s entry velocity.
How fast you approach the wall is the main lever in how fast you turn.
Swimmers have the natural instinct of slowing down as they approach the wall.
Makes sense: bulkheads and pool walls tend to be unforgiving.
But a slow approach leads to a slow rotation.
Leading to a slow push-off.
High entry velocity leads to a faster rotation. Swimmers initiate the turn sooner. And even reap more speed coming off the wall.
The best part is that it’s “free” velocity.
You are already swimming at a decent clip—all you have to do is ease off the brake pedal when approaching the wall.
Swim to the wall.
And see you in the water,
Olivier
