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- The tumble turn, or flip turn,
is an important skill for
every competitive swimmer and triathlete.
It's a fast transition between the lengths
that helps keep the momentum and speed up
during your training sessions.
And for those of you that might be doing a pool triathlon,
can actually help save those valuable seconds
during swim section,
so here we have our top turn tips
to help you train and race even faster.
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Firstly, build your flip, or roll confidence,
in the pool away from any walls.
Simply perform a number of somersaults
in the deep water, getting yourself
used to rotating a full 360 degrees.
To start the flip movement,
draw your nose and chin towards your chest.
Your head will direct your body
to begin rotating and lifting your hips.
At this point, you should bring your knees
into your chest as tight as possible.
Being in this compact position
will make the roll a lot easier
and a lot quicker.
You'll notice that to stop the water
from going up your nose, you'll need
to trickle your breath out through your nostrils.
To do this, make sure you have a constant stream
of bubbles coming out during the rotation.
As you begin to feel a touch braver,
progress to rolling near the wall.
You still don't need to touch the wall,
but it's a great way to increase your spacial awareness
and confidence with the skill.
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If you take a look on the floor
of most swimming pools, you will see a T
as you approach the wall.
This is a useful marker for mastering the turn
and getting your timing right.
So, as you swim into the wall,
and your head passes over the T,
this is the point in which you have
either one or two strokes before you start the turn.
Getting your timing right is key,
so you should practise to get the correct distance
from the wall before you turn.
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As you take your second from last stroke,
finish the stroke and leave your hand by your side.
Tuck your head in, as we practised,
and curl into a ball.
Make sure you stay curled until your feet
come in contact with the wall.
Plant your feet side-by-side in a squat position,
ready to push off with as much power as possible.
At this point, you should start bringing your hands together
ready to exit the wall in a streamlined position.
If you've managed to lead with one arm
whilst keeping the other by your side,
you should just be able to slide the trailing arm up
to meet that leading hand.
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Now, it's just a case of pushing off the wall
and rotating so that you're facing
the bottom of the pool, making sure
that you hold a tight and streamlined position
breaking into a butterfly or front crawl leg kick
to maintain your momentum.
As your head breaks the surface,
now is the point that you should take your first stroke.
Obviously, you'll be wanting
to take a breath as soon as possible,
but to really hold your speed off the turn,
try taking one or two strokes
before you take your first breath.
This does take a little practise,
so build it up over time.
Once you have practised the sequence
and you're feeling really confident,
now is the time to speed it up.
Fast in and fast out is key.
Approach the wall with speed, and you'll notice
the difference with the momentum
of your flip and the speed that you exit the wall.
Practising your turns at a variety of speeds,
especially race pace, is crucial preparation
for your events ahead.
By mastering the tumble, or flip turn,
it will make your swimming faster and more efficient.
The tumble turn is a tricky skill,
and you're not going to master it overnight.
So try implementing it into your training,
and take your time with it.
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And to see our four swim workouts for triathletes,
click on the video at the top.
And to see our top nine essentail triathlon skills video,
just click at the bottom.