A
tumble turn, or "flip turn" is a technique used by swimmers to reverse the direction in which they are swimming. It is usually done when the swimmer reaches the end of the
swimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest and deepest is the Olympic size...
but still has one or more lengths to swim.
The technique's development is credited, by the
International Swimming Hall of FameThe International Swimming Hall of Fame is a hall of fame devoted to the aquatic sports located in Fort Lauderale, Florida, United States...
, to legendary
University of TexasThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
swim coach Tex Robertson while he was training
Adolph KieferAdolph Gustav "Sonny Boy" Kiefer was an American swimmer and the first man in the world to swim 100 yards backstroke under 1 minute. His backstroke records stood for 15 years...
for the
1936 OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
Before executing the turn, the swimmer must be in the water face-down and about an arm's length from the edge of the pool.
A
tumble turn, or "flip turn" is a technique used by swimmers to reverse the direction in which they are swimming. It is usually done when the swimmer reaches the end of the
swimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest and deepest is the Olympic size...
but still has one or more lengths to swim.
The technique's development is credited, by the
International Swimming Hall of FameThe International Swimming Hall of Fame is a hall of fame devoted to the aquatic sports located in Fort Lauderale, Florida, United States...
, to legendary
University of TexasThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
swim coach Tex Robertson while he was training
Adolph KieferAdolph Gustav "Sonny Boy" Kiefer was an American swimmer and the first man in the world to swim 100 yards backstroke under 1 minute. His backstroke records stood for 15 years...
for the
1936 OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
Technique
Before executing the turn, the swimmer must be in the water face-down and about an arm's length from the edge of the pool. The turn begins with a forward
somersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
rapidly followed by the exertion of the feet against the side of the pool the swimmer was initially approaching. If the length after the turn is
backstrokeThe backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
the swimmer will push off on the back and glide underwater and transition into the stroke. If the length after the turn is
front crawlThe front crawl, or forward crawl, is a swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, the front crawl is not regulated by FINA, but it is nearly...
the swimmer will turn his or her body to 90 degrees and push off and glide on their side, rotating to 180 degrees and back onto their front during the underwater glide. Completing the rotation during the glide saves time by reducing body roll during the rotation. Note that in order to execute the turn if initially doing backstroke, the swimmer must first roll over such that he/she is in the water face-down. flip turns are only permitted during
front crawlThe front crawl, or forward crawl, is a swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, the front crawl is not regulated by FINA, but it is nearly...
and
backstrokeThe backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
races. In
ButterflyA butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so...
and
breaststrokeThe breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn either...
races, regulations require swimmers to touch the end of the pool with both hands simultaneously before turning back for another length. This is logical, due to the fact that the stroke requires simultaneous motion of the arms during the pull.
Advantages
The flip turn is preferred in competitive swimming because it allows the momentum into the wall to be transferred into speed as the next length is begun. It is not required, but it is highly recommended as it is much, much faster, giving the competitive swimmer who uses it an advantage over swimmers who turn by touching the wall with the hands.
Teaching flip turns
Tumble turns may be taught as follows:
1.
SomersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
- this is the first step in learning to flip turn. Novice swimmers should practice this until they can fluently
somersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
, and arrive at the starting position at completion of the turn.
2. Practice
somersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
at a wall - swimmers can swim to the wall and then flip turn at arms-length away from the wall.
3. Practice
somersaultA somersault is an acrobatic feat in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head...
and push-off on back (face-up). This is the
backstrokeThe backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
flip turn.
4. Introduce the 90 degree rotation for the
front crawlThe front crawl, or forward crawl, is a swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, the front crawl is not regulated by FINA, but it is nearly...
flip turn.
5. Practice a longitudinal roll onto the front to complete the rotation and resume swimming on the front ready to transition into
front crawlThe front crawl, or forward crawl, is a swimming style usually regarded as the fastest of all the styles developed. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke, the front crawl is not regulated by FINA, but it is nearly...
.
Note: it is very important to have swimmers fluently doing Step 3 before moving onto Step 4. Otherwise the final two elements of the turn may become combined and result in an incorrect tumble turn technique.
External links