Summer Swim Camp Session 3: Open Turns

Here’s the progression we use at swim camp to teaching the open turn. We start by teaching a freestyle open turn (we have our reasons!), then progress to a two-handed open turn, with variations for a fly-to-fly turn and a breast-to-beast turn.

<https://youtu.be/EjqeW6voLXQ?si=UoGUhP8ZhHaJd6Yl&t=65>

Leon - <https://youtu.be/_p3_azfJ5Eo?si=Gl8ashf1PZEzGuBy&t=51>

Fallon - <https://youtu.be/_p3_azfJ5Eo?si=N8-CN9pVkAytWuvD&t=66>

**Monday**

**Carlos Almeida: Turns – Super Slow Motion**

Here’s where we’re headed when teaching the open turn, demo’d by NCAA champion and two-time Olympian from Portugal.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1253-turns-super-slow-motion>

1359 - approaching the wall with the head down

1461 - staggered touch

1613 - left-hand immediately off the wall

1818 - pushing back with the right hand

1933 - creating the ball wave with the head

2008 - pocket full of air

2137 - hand scraping across the surface

2290 - completely submerged

2948 - Drive off to the stomach

4610 - stagger touch hands at the same time

4822 - left hand off the wall immediately

4988 - right hand leveraging

5139 - hiding the mouth from the water

5529 - everything back underwater

10218 - Drive to the stomach

**Tuesday**

**Turn Drill: Arm Collapse Approach**

The first step in our open-turn teaching progression is to think about how you carry momentum into and off the wall.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2680-arm-collapse-approach>

0411 - approach the wall slowly kicking in on your side

0673 - use the momentum of your body to allow the arm to collapse

0984 - feel the pressure on the arm collapsing

1904 - and to be completely submerged or on the gutter

2224 - try to keep the body horizontal as you approached the wall

3284 - push back away from the wall

4238 - do not keep the arm rigid issue approach

5231 - use the momentum of the body

11042 - pushback away from the wall

12227 - Watch the right arm

11476 - collapse the arm

**Wednesday**

**Turn Drill: Freestyle Open Turn**

Step two in our open-turn teaching progression is a FREESTYLE open turn. This helps break a bad habit (rising UP at the turn) and reinforces a good habit (collapsing on a straight line into the wall).

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2681-freestyle-open-turn>

1113 - swim freestyle into the wall timing so that the right hand finishes

1650 - the lead arm collapses

2048 - and the body flows into the turn

2792 - look how on the side the swimmer is

3835 - small tuck

**Thursday**

**Turn Drill: Sideways Open Turn**

At the elite level, we’re seeing more and more swimmers turn to the side on their open turns (rather than fall back). Here’s a comparison of both versions. Time to experiment!

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2682-sideways-open-turn>

1216 - approach for open freestyle turn and collapsing into the wall

1480 - traditional straight overturn

3700 - falling straight back with the hand behind the head

4060 - into streamline push on the side

4146 - approaching the wall the same way

4237 - collapsing into the arm

4594 - try to keep one goggle in the water

5690 - still a little too high

10528 - eyes looking slightly down

10957 - bow wave

11382 - opening for air

12818 - hand release still a slightly high

12882 - head lower

13515 - scraping hand on the surface

13869 - placing hand back in the water

**Friday**

**Turn Drill: Two Handed Open Turn**

We use a freestyle approach into a two-handed turn when teaching the open turn. This avoids fatigue from too much breaststroke, and actually encourages a flatter, more stable line for the open turn. It also helps swimmers be more aware of how the carry momentum into and off of the wall.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2683-two-handed-open-turn>

0445 - timing the finish

0538 - left-hand immediately off

0549 - right arm collapses

0639 - tight tuck knees are sideways

0753 - hand comes in behind the head

0793 - push is initiated with the swimmer still slightly on their back

0899 - torquing from the wall

1170 - left-hand barely engages the wall

1267 - left-handed immediately goes back

1984 - right hand collapsing eyes still down

2051 - swimmer pushing directly back

2193 - hand still entering slightly over the head

2220 - body much more over onto the stomach

2938 - right hand entering in front of the body

3027 - swimmer pushes off almost completely flat

**Saturday**

**Turn Drill: Pushoff Angle**

There are subtle differences between the butterfly and breaststroke open turn. Here’s how we help swimmers understand and practice the differences.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2684-pushoff-angle>

0384 - however you come into the wall make sure your flat as the hands touch

0565 - left-hand immediately off right on collapsing

0714 - tight tuck but maybe a little too high

0804 - fingers dragging on the surface in front of the body

1061 - initiating the pushoff on the side

2147 - approaching the wall

2558 - hand comes in in front of the body

2715 - swimmer pushing off completely flat

**Sunday**

**Turn Drill: Butterfly and Breaststroke Turns**

Here’s a side-by-side visual comparison of the butterfly vs breaststroke open turn.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2685-butterfly-and-breaststroke-turns>

1001 - butterfly approach

1033 - left-hand immediately off right arm collapses

1302 - hand coming in over the head

3742 - swimmer pushing off on the side

3942 - initiating sidekicks

4233 - rotating to the breakout

10407 - breaststroke approach

10493 - left-hand immediately off right arm collapses

10637 - right hand comes in further in front of the head

10734 - swimmer pushing off and nearly flat

12922 - initiating the breaststroke underwater dolphin

13294 - comparing fly to breast

13589 - turns look very similar except hand position

15185 - slight delay in breaststroke as he’s rotating on the wall

15614 - the variations in butterfly breaststroke

21256 - if the hand would’ve been placed farther in front of the body it would be flatter prior to the push

**BONUS:**

**Sarah Katsoulis: Breaststroke Turn**

For our international viewers, Australian champion Sarah Katsoulis demo’s a breaststroke open turn on a flat wall.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1829-sarah-katsoulis-breaststroke-turn>


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Aug. 13, 2024 - Summer Swim Camp Session 3: Open Turns