Open-Turn Sequence

Important Note to the Viewer

LESSONS: 4 VIDEOS

Turns - Open-Turn Sequence Step #4

Here's the fourth and final step in our learning sequence for open turns. Why Do It: In Step 3 of our open-turn series, we asked you to push off directly on your back. Pushing off on your back is a great way to learn the basics of the open turn, as this swimmer is doing. But eventually you need to get onto your side so you can start swimming freestyle. In Step 4 you'll learn how to do that. How to Do It: In Steps 1, 2, and 3, we asked you to approach the wall with your head down and on your stomach. In Step 4, you'll start by approaching the wall with your head down, but with your body tilted so that one shoulder is straight up. After you collapse into the wall, push away and roll your body so that your OTHER shoulder is pointed straight up. Here it is again. As you approach the wall, get on your side so that your top shoulder is pointed up to the ceiling and your arm is dry from shoulder to hand. As you push away, get the OPPOSITE shoulder pointed straight up. In the learning stage, push off with your arms at your sides and with your eyes looking straight up. Here it is again at full speed. You want to travel in a straight line directly IN to the wall and back out again along the same line. Carry your speed directly IN... and carry it right back out. The next step is the actual open turn. Here it is again in slow motion. As you extend one arm toward the wall, get on your side so that the OTHER arm is at your side, with the shoulder pointed up. Collapse into the wall, push away with the turning arm, and then bring the turning hand right past your head and into streamline. Here's another angle. As you approach the wall, keep your eyes down and your head low. Tilt slightly on your side so that the shoulder of the trailing arm is pointed up. Collapse into the wall, push away, and bring the turning hand out of the water and just past the head... and into streamline. Keep everything low to the water. From under water, we can see that the swimmer is nearly horizontal as she approaches the wall. The eyes are down and the head is low. As she pushes away from the wall, she falls back, but plants the feet at an angle. She pushes off on her side, then rotates to her front during the glide. After she pushes back, the turning hand enters the water just above her head and she is ready to streamline when she drives off the wall. Notice that the swimmer falls BACK rather than spinning to the side. As her feet leave the wall, she's on her side, then rotates more toward the front Before you head to the pool to practice, let's look at one more thing that will give you a faster turn ... the FEET. Most swimmers let their feet do THIS during the turn. Try pointing your toes and drawing them up like THIS... which creates less drag and allows you to spin faster. As we said at the beginning of this series, no one was BORN doing a flip turn or a great open turn. The most important thing is to keep PRACTICING. For a good open turn, there are many things that feel weird and counter-intuitive -- like collapsing into the wall... ... like letting go... ... and like not spinning around to look where you're going before you push off. It will take time for all these things to feel natural. We hope you've enjoyed the series. Once you have the basics, remember that it's up to you to add the dozens and hundreds of PRACTICE turns that will make you faster.

Turns - Open-Turn Sequence Step #3

Here's Step 3 in our 4-step sequence for learning the open turn. Even if your turns are pretty good, this drill will help improve your turning speed by making you more aware of your hands and arms. Why Do It: In Step 1, you learned how to fold into the wall, rather than use your hand to pull you in and UP. In Step 2, you learned how to get comfortable with falling back and letting go as you turn. In Step 3, you'll learn what to do with your turning hand AFTER it touches the wall. Here's what many swimmers do. They drag the turning hand UNDER the water and UNDER their body as they spin to the side for the pushoff. Dragging the hand through the water creates a lot of drag and slows you down. Here's a better way to use the hand. The swimmer falls straight back and the hand travels OUT of the water, just past the head, and right into streamline. No drag. No wasted motion. Very efficient. How to Do It: Kick gently into the wall with both arms extended. Touch just below the edge, and collapse IN to the wall, just as you did in Steps 1 and 2. This time, after you push away from the wall with your hands, and just as your feet are getting ready to push off the wall, let your hands come back toward your face and push off on your back, in STREAMLINE. Here it is again. Let the head collapse in to the wall. After the hands push back, let them fall almost onto your forehead, and then push them into streamline as you push off the wall. Try to push off just under the surface rather than on top of the water. Exhale a steady stream of bubbles to keep the water from going up your nose. Keep practicing with both hands extended until you feel completely comfortable with this part of the drill. When you feel like you've got it, try the same drill with one arm extended and the other arm back. Let your turning hand come right to your forehead and then into streamline. And push off directly on your back. Try it with one arm. Then try it with your other arm. Try it dozens of times, and be sure to come back for Step 4.

Turns - Open-Turn Sequence Step #2

Here's Step 2 in our 4-step sequence for learning a fast and efficient open turn. Even if you already know how to do open turns and flip turns, this drill is fun and will help improve your breaststroke and butterfly turns. Why Do It: In Step 1, you worked on staying low and horizontal as you approached the wall. You learned to fold all the way IN to the wall, rather than use your hand to pull you in and UP. In Step 2, you'll learn how to get comfortable with falling back and LETTING GO as you turn. Here's what you're aiming for in an actual open turn. When we slow it down and freeze-frame it right HERE, you can see that there's one moment in the turn cycle where NOTHING is touching the wall. Step 2 in our open-turn sequence will help you get comfortable with falling back and letting go. How to Do It: Kick gently into the wall with both arms extended. Touch just below the edge, on the flat part of the wall, and collapse IN to the wall, just as you did in Step 1. But this time, as your head is moving toward your hands, draw your legs up and get your feet on the wall. If you do this correctly, you'll automatically push back with your hands, and there will be a brief moment when NOTHING is touching the wall. When your feet reach the wall, push off gently on your back with your arms at your sides. Try this a few times, working on falling directly back and drawing your knees right up to your chest. Stay in a tight ball, and your momentum will carry your feet into the wall. Once you get the hang of it, try doing the same thing, but with one arm extended and the other arm trailing by your side. Don't fall back into your old habit of spinning to the SIDE. Fall directly back and push off on your back, with both hands at your sides and with your eyes looking directly UP. Try it with your good arm Then try it with your less comfortable arm. Try it until you're totally comfortable with the weightless feeling of spinning, then planting your feet for a solid pushoff on your back. Troubleshooting: If you are popping up or your feet are landing on the bottom of the pool rather than on the wall. it's probably because you are pushing away from the wall as soon as you touch. Go back to Step 1 and make sure you are collapsing all the way into the wall, so that your head actually touches the wall. This puts your arms in a good position to push AWAY from the wall, and you will travel directly BACK rather than UP. If you are collapsing into the wall but are still popping up, try rounding your back as you push away from the wall. You want to feel as if you are curling your shoulders and then unrolling your back one vertebra at a time. Keep practicing, and stay tuned for Step 3.

Turns - Open-Turn Sequence Step #1

While nearly every swimmer aspires to learn the flip turn, there are times when an open turn, done properly, is your best option. Here's a fun drill that is step 1 in the learning process for a fast and efficient open turn. Why Do It: While a fast flip turn is the ultimate way to reverse directions at the wall, none of us was BORN doing a flip. Most of us were born doing something more like this, or this. But what some swimmers have discovered is that if they do something like THIS. they can execute a turn that is just as fast , if not faster, than a flip turn. By skipping the somersault, they feel more in control at the wall and can consistently get positioned for a strong pushoff. By getting that extra bit of air, they can go farther on the pushoff and can carry more speed into the breakout than if they tried to do these things after a flip. This swimmer is demonstrating one of the most common mistakes that swimmers make on their open turn, which is PULLING IN to the wall. Pulling in may FEEL like the right thing to do (why else would they put that nice LIP on the edge of the pool?), but it actually slows you down. When swimmers pull IN to the wall, they invariably lift UP to get their air. And when they lift up, their body goes out of balance and they lose speed and momentum. This can also be hard on the shoulders. When it comes to turns, the big rule to remember is that speed in equals speed out. The more speed you carry IN to the wall, the faster you will turn and the more speed you will carry OFF the wall. Your open turns will be faster, more efficient, and actually EASIER if you don't use the wall to pull yourself in. Notice how this swimmer touches the wall and then simply collapses or FOLDS into the wall. The fingertips touch, and the head and shoulders continue to SLIDE forward until they meet the hand. Here's another angle. The hand touches the wall, and the swimmer continues to slide IN to the wall. In this drill, you'll be learning just one aspect of the open turn, how to reverse directions without using your hands to pull you in. Remember. This is Step 1 of a 4-part sequence. This will seem pretty basic, but just try it and please trust us that this will lead you where you want to go. How to Do It: Get a pull buoy. You can do this drill WITHOUT a pull buoy, but using one will give you a better feel for correct body position as you approach the wall. Put the pull buoy in place, then kick GENTLY into the wall, with both arms extended. When your fingertips touch the wall, keep looking DOWN at the bottom and simply let your body FOLD into the wall, until your forehead touches the wall. Then, without looking up or taking a breath, push AWAY from the wall until your arms are fully extended. Keep your body horizontal, and glide AWAY from the wall. As you push away, remember to EXHALE so that you don't get water up your nose. Don't try to set any speed records. Kick gently into the wall, fold up slowly, then UNFOLD slowly. Try to keep your body level on the water. And fight the instinct to grab the wall and pull in and up. Once you get the hang of it, try kicking into the wall with one arm extended and the other arm trailing by your side. Keep your body horizontal on the way in AND on the way out. Remember: Speed in equals speed out, and you will carry more speed into the wall if your body is low and horizontal as you touch. When the fingertips touch, the elbow bends and your body and head continue to slide into the wall until the forehead touches the hand. Then gently push AWAY from the wall, until your arm is once again fully extended. Try this several times with your good arm. Then try it several times with your less comfortable arm. You won't always be able to turn on your good arm, so you need to learn how to turn on BOTH arms. Here's an image that you can take to the pool with you. Stay low and level on the approach. Fold IN to the wall. Stay low and level as you push STRAIGHT BACK from the wall. Have fun with this one... and stay tuned for Step 2.