Efficient Swimming Open Turns

Oh seasoned swimmers and your fancy flip turns, how smoothly and effortless you change directions in the pool. Maybe I have turn-envy. With each approach on every lap I think how nice it would be to have such a quick change. Well, its not going to happen...at least not while I am practicing with 4 other swimmers quickly approaching my tail. In my previous attempts at flip turns I think I flipped and pushed myself straight into pool bottom, only then to get water in my nose and then lose sight of the direction I should be swimming.

But I think flip turns aren't natural, PLUS when is that useful in a triathlon. Yup, never.

So, happily avoiding the flip, I have started to look into increasing my speed and efficiency of an open turns. This is a lot easy to practice and could potentially be just as quick. Plus, I have 100% success rate of now banging my head on the bottom of the pool. The following videos are pretty thorough...ok, really thorough. There is still opportunity for style points with this one.

Water Week: Rules of the Pool

I am sure I could probably count the number of times I have gone to the pool to swim laps on two hands. Because I did not grow up going to pool or ever join the swim team, I feel like I never learned the rules of the pool. The first day I started swim training I took a peek at the posted pool rules: No Running, No Diving yadda yadda yadda, but nothing about lap etiquette or other rules that conditioned swimmers know.

Now that I can at least put my swim cap on correctly, I figured I would research some pool etiquette so at least I can learn to play nicely.

Here are some overall basics I gathered from research from the US Master Swimming, open water swimmer and blogger Donal Buckley, and endurance athlete Art Hutchinson.

Check lane speeds: Lanes may be marked slow, medium or fast. Spend time observing swimmers already in the lane and choose according to your pace.

Joining a lane: Always choose an open lane if possible. When entering a lane, it is your responsibility to inform all other swimmers that you are joining that lane either by dangling legs in the water or standing to the side. At this time desired swim pattern can be determined.

Swimming pattern:

Split: Two swimmers in a lane may agree to split the lane meaning each swimmer gets on side of the lane and stays on that side. Both swimmers must explicitly agree to this!

Circle: Three or more swimmers must circle swim meaning always staying to the right of the lane. In this format, swimmers should never stop in the middle of a length.

Resting: If you are going to stop, move to the far side (ideally far right when facing the lane) of the lane to allow sufficient room for continuing swimmers to turn.

Speed & Passing: Slower swimmers need to yield to the faster swimmers in the lane. Push off almost immediately after a fast swimmer has passed, but keep back enough distance to let them turn safely. Move to side of lane to allow faster swimmers to pass.

When you want to pass a slower swimmer, tap the feet of the swimmer. Pass on the left. Faster swimmers should give slower swimmers a large head start.

My favorite rule from the US Master's is to keep your fingernails trimmed, but by all means, PLEASE don't clip them at the pool. Yuk. Not sure if anyone would do that. But don't.

Water Week: How to At Least Look Like a Swimmer

Welcome to Pool Week! (Kind of like Shark Week without the sharks.) We will be tackling several different topics related to swimming this week and I will be asking some very beginnerly questions.

I've never had swim lessons before. Maybe a little instruction a few days at a summer camp, but for the most part I still find swimming pretty intimidating. Included in this intimidation is the anxiety I get just going to the pool. Swimmers are bad ass with their broad shoulders and sleek goggles.

My first goal for starting to swim at the pool is to just know what to expect, know how to play by the rules and not look ridiculous as I stretch my cap over my head.

So that brings us to the first lesson of the week: how to put on your swim cap without looking like an idiot. Check out these videos to see two different techniques:



I especially like the message at the beginning of this one.