Sunday, October 23, 2011

Ironman Training Day 21: Noodle Flips?

Jeff and I shared a lane at the pool Friday morning. Neither of us wants to be caught by the other, so it has the (not so subtle) effect of making us both swim just a little bit harder! :-)

After our workout, we amused ourselves (and the lifeguards) by trying to do flip turns. I can sorta kinda do them, as in: I flip, push off the wall, and usually end up in the right direction. But most times I'm too deep or off center or twist too soon, etc. If feels awkward and makes me feel out of breathe. So, I rarely even try.

So off I went to youtube in search of some videos that would break down the process a bit. I found what looks to be a great series of drills. I'm going to give them a try over the coming weeks and see if I can get the rhythm down. I know there's no flipturning in an Ironman, of course, but I do a pool-swim tri every May, and if I can learn the skill I can improve my swim time for that event. Last year I was 2nd of 19 in my age group and this year I'd like to win it!

Here are the 5 videos for learning to flip turn.

STEP 1



STEP 2



STEP 3



STEP 4



STEP 5