This will be my 10th year racing triathlons. I can't tell you how many laps I've swam in those 10 years. These laps often end up being mindless trips up and down the pool, touching the wall on each end and turning back the other way.
Typically, there are several signs that separate the triathletes from the "real swimmers". For example, triathletes generally have little to no kick in their swimming stroke, since they often reserve the legs for the bike and run. Also, triathletes generally demonstrate poorer form than pure swimmers. This is of course somewhat dependent on the triathlete's swimming history, but is often true.
Perhaps one of the biggest distinctions is that many triathletes do open turns rather than flip turns at the wall. For 10 years, I've been doing open turns. I've always just said that I don't have a real reason to do a flip turn. Afterall, we never flip in a race, so why practice flip turns in the pool? Well, I finally decided to give it a try. The main reason was so that I can maintain my breathing and momentum throughout the swim. I must say that I felt rather embarrassed by my first attempts. I've been swimming in the pool for 10 years, the lifeguards all know me, and here I was attempting a flip turn for the first time!
After several practice attempts, I've gotten to the point where I can consistently do it. However, I'm still not that effective or efficient at it, but I think I'll keep trying it. There are several good video clips on YouTube if you want to check them out. Here's one:
Flip Turn. Incidentally, I'm quite certain I look nothing like this!!
Have a great day!
Mike
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