Forming A Better Open Turn

[Mat Hudson]

Why Use An Open Turn?

If one is training for triathlon or open water swimming, or just does not have a need to learn flip turns (a.k.a. tumble turns), we highly recommend developing a good open turn instead. When done well they are nearly as fast as a flip turn and you get the bonus of taking a breath at the wall.

Flip turns might be cool, they are fast, but they are not necessary unless one is racing in a pool. In pool racing the flip and push off are the fastest part of the whole race and account for a good part of a swimmer’s time. But, when done properly, they also require one to hold breath for up to 6 or 7 seconds which is a long time to hold breath. This is not a situation open water swimmers find themselves in and so it is not very applicable to their training needs.

So, the main argument is that getting that breath at the wall in an open turn is going to be a better trade-off than the milliseconds saved on a flip turn. 

 

Sections Of The Open Turn

We may break the action down into three sections:

• The approach
• The turn
• The push-off, glide and break out.

The Approach

• Come into wall at full speed.
• Take one final stroke that allows just a little glide to the wall, but not so much that you decelerate.
• Reach toward the wall with the lead arm.
• Let trailing arm point in the exact opposite direction, at its target depth (not at the surface).
• Keep the head in weightless position, while you slide up to the wall.
• Finish the exhale as the head approaches the wall.
• Sneak the lead hand up to the grip point on the wall.
• Let the full-speed momentum keeping sliding your body toward the wall.

The Turn

• Pivot around the center of mass – hips/legs swing toward wall as head flips over the surface.
• Sink the hips while they pivot toward the wall.
• Keep the head as low as possible while flipping it from pointed-at-wall to pointed-back-down-the-lane. Your head quickly flips over the surface – switching directions 180 degrees
• Inhale while the head is flipping.
• In  deepest crouch, position feet down about 18 inches below surface.
• The feet are angled almost sideways.
• Flip the head and submerge it, so that it is lined up with new lead arm.

The Push Off

• Let momentum keep pressing your body and feet onto the wall.
• Swing the grip arm over the head.
• Sink the shoulder as the arm is swinging overhead. Sink down into the water, don’t rise up.
• Bring both arms into streamline.
• Tuck ears between your biceps. 
• Make sure  the streamlined upper part of the body is lined up, deep, in front of the feet.
• Then push off with the body lined up, parallel to the surface, fully submerged about 18 inches.

The Glide

You will glide faster and farther when the body is under the surface 18 inches or more, and lined up parallel to the surface. straight as an arrow.

Keep the body long, stretched, aligned in streamline shape.

Prepare to take that first underwater pull when you feel the body decelerate to about the speed you will swim at (the push off is faster than swimming speed). Use that first underwater stroke to pull the body to the surface for the ‘break out’.

Break out with the body completely parallel to the surface. Don’t bend the body upward, and definitely don’t tilt the head up to reach air sooner.

Finish your exhale as the body is about to break the surface.

If possible, delay the first inhale until the second over water stroke. You’ll have balance established by the second stroke and breathing may be more streamline then.

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