For all you swimmers, do you flip?
By Woodpigeon
@Woodpigeon (3710)
Ireland
May 23, 2007 6:35am CST
Time for another of my strange discussions!
If you swim, you know what I mean by a 'flip turn'. I'll describe a freestyle turn, although every stoke has its own. You swim fast towards the wall, tuck your chin to your chest while pulling your outstretched arm to your side (your other arm is at your other side already) and kick. Fold yourself in two, which leaves you staring at the surface of the water. Then, push off with your feet, twist right side up, and off you shoot.
It looks cool, it speeds you up, and it is a lot easier than it looks and sounds. So, do you swim, did you ever you learn how to flip, and did you ever compete?
6 people like this
15 responses
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
29 May 07
I'm wondering, did something happen to make you fear the water? I have some cousins who don't like the actual sensation of being wet.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
30 May 07
God that is creepy! Do you ever have dreams about it? When I was little I had dreams about dying in a fire, and as I got older they stopped.
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
10 Jun 07
Yup, I know what a flip turn it. I have seen it done both real life and on TV. But no, I can't do that lol.
I can swim yes but I am not that terrific a swimmer.
I do agree it is very cool though. ;-)
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
11 Jun 07
It's a pity about the whole water up the nose thing, though. I think it stops a lot of people from trying to learn to do them.
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
11 Jun 07
Oh really? I didn't know flipping will get water in. Anyway I don't flip. :P
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
24 May 07
I do flip turns. I never competed, but I swam a lot.
(Although there was a year when I wasn't allowed to do flip turns because I miscalculated and managed to hit my head on the side of the pool, which freaked my mom out. After that, I wasn't allowed to do flip turns or sim by myself for the rest of the summer).
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
24 May 07
I think it can be a very frightening thing to have a child hurt in the water because you can't see quite where they are.
@ranjeetkolarkar (1595)
• India
11 Jun 07
i have learnt swimming just two days ago........
i can only swim around 20 feet at a stretch now, though i am looking to learn all the styles of swimming.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
11 Jun 07
Oh, so it is very new to you! I hope you enjoy your new hobby, it is a great way to stay fit.
1 person likes this
@abroji (3247)
• India
24 May 07
I am very sorry. I don't know swimming. Actually I wanted to learn swimming. But my parents did not allow. Then afterwards I lost interest. Now actually I feel sorry for not learning swimming. One must actually learn it. It is a basic knowledge to acquire by a person.
Thank you.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
29 May 07
I don't think it's ever too late to learn, and maybe once you try it you will like it. I wouldn't feel very safe around the water if I didn't know how to swim. Does it worry you?
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
•
23 May 07
Although I have never been a good enough swimmer to compete I used to love swimming and tried to teach myself this flip! It is not as easy as you make it sound (at least not for clumsly me! hee hee hee) and it took a lot of hard work before \i managed to do it! A few years without doing this and I tried to show my eldest how it was done and yup you got it I ended up in some weird positions and nowhere near the positions I was meant to be so I am afraid I won't be teaching my kids the flip! xxx
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
23 May 07
Of course you will, you goose. You just have to get back into the saddle. Not Alfie's saddles, as that is missing, but up you go, on your bike! Get flippin' :-)
1 person likes this
@dana234 (2114)
• Spain
23 May 07
I used to do it when I was a kid, my older brother taught me how to do it.
Mind you I haven´t practised the flip since I was 16 (a long, long time ago), so I´m not sure if it would look cool if I tried it now, lol. I´ve never competed, but I love swimming. It gets all the muscles of your body working (well, you know that better than I do) and you feel so relaxed afterwards.
I don´t swim half as much as I did when I was a child or adolescent though, must get more motivated in that sense.
@sunshinecup (7871)
•
23 May 07
We learned that when were kids, my brothers and I. Outside of racing them, I didn't compete. How ever my Mom use to get so mad at us for doing it, cause we had an above ground pool.
1 person likes this
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
23 May 07
Oh, I guess with shoving off that could be problems. I used to do it someitmes in a lake as well off a dock. The problem was, the dock was wood and held up by sheets of styrofoam. The styrofoam was held in place on some if them with chickenwire. Bare feet, flip turns, and unevenly cut chicken wire that has rusted are a big no no! Cement is best :-)
@66jerseygirl (3877)
• United States
23 May 07
i love to swim but I don't compete. I am just into the casual swimming.I used to swim laps for the exersize then flip when I got to the end but I have arthritis bad in both knees as well as my hip so that left the flipping out,lol.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
23 May 07
Hey, I don't know if you know this, but if you swim with flippers on it's great for your legs and your bum, yet gentle on the joints. It is my favorite way to swim anymore, with flippers and a kickboard. Much better than years ago when we had to use the opposite muscles and pull ourselves about by our ams with a litle buoy between our knees.
@lonely_f16 (2146)
• Philippines
23 May 07
yes, i competed twice. Once, it was good because it was the 25-meter swim and I got to have some medals but then when it was already 100-meter swim, I was really tired so I wasn't able to win any medal.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
23 May 07
I used to do the 100, and get this, the 800. Nightmare, you are going to die swim. I don't know how the traithaletes swim, run and bike because the swim alone would be enough for me!
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
30 May 07
Nah you wouldn't. You can even learn to do it wall-les, and once you get the mechanics down, you try it out with a wall.
1 person likes this
@lightningMD (5931)
• United States
23 May 07
I love to swim,but I dont really flip. I am going to be a lifeguard this summer at a camping resort. I think It will be a great job. Maybe I'll learn to flip this summer.
@Woodpigeon (3710)
• Ireland
23 May 07
That sounds like a fun job! I bet you will pick it up no problem. It's just like learniing to ride a bike, or swim for that matter. Once you get it, you've go it.
@4irene_r (80)
• Philippines
24 May 07
I wondered what a flip turn was, since i know how to swim, naturally i wanted to know what it was. Seeing what you described, when i took swimming classes when i was a kid, we call it TUMBLE TURN. It took a lot of practice before i could make a tumble/flip turn. I competed once or twice in my life, and knowing how to tumble turn is important in a competetion. Being able to make a tumble turn, makes you look like a pretty good swimmer
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
23 May 07
My sister competed & we had learned to do the flip turn in swim classes. Funny thing, my mom grew up in NJ, went to the shore pretty often, only swam so-so. WE kids grew up in TEXAS, not near the ocean, really not near the river & we all got swimming lessons, my mom figured it was easier if we learned to swim young, living in a place where water means cool, she's never have to worry about us drowning.
1 person likes this
