All Strokes - Steve Haufler 7 Competitive Turns

When it comes to open turns, there are four mistakes that coaches see every day.  In this section we’ll look at these common mistakes and how to fix them.

Mistake #1:  Jack in the Box
We’ve all seen a Jack-in-the-Box open turn.  The swimmer grabs the wall and, instead of keeping the head and eyes down, they push up on the edge of the pool, sending their head and shoulders up and out of the water.  They get a lot of air, but it costs them valuable time and momentum.  

The fix for a Jack-in-the-Box turn is to let the arms absorb the wall like a shock absorber.   Notice how this swimmer touches and almost collapses into the wall, letting the head continue to travel toward the wall.

As the legs come under the body, the elbows bend so that they can then push away from the wall.

Keep the face and shoulders in the water as the head continues to travel toward the wall.

Wait until after the touch, the tuck, and the elbow to take a breath.

The breath comes late, as the head and shoulders roll back and down into the water.

An excellent drill to fix this problem is the Tuck-and-Back-Spin Drill, which you’ll find in our chapter on Drills.

Mistake #2:  Pushing Off on the Stomach
Swimmers who push off on their stomach waste valuable time because they spend additional time on the wall rotating to the front.

Others cause increased resistance because they drop through the water with the complete width of their body, rather than slipping under water on their side.

Swimmers make this mistake often believe they are supposed to push off on their stomach.  

To fix this, go back a step and re-teach the Ready-Position and Push-Off.  Help the swimmer plant their feet to the side, and keep the knees and feet pointed up rather than down before the push.  They should push off on their side.

Keep the knees above the feet and do not reverse this position before pushing off.

Mistake #3:  Pushing Off Too Shallow
When swimmers push off too shallow, it’s usually because their arms are not aligned and completely under water when their legs are on the wall and ready to push.

Correct this mistake by getting the arms off the wall faster.  The wall hand is usually the one holding on too long. 

Get the wall hand off the wall and back into the water before the feet touch the wall.

Mistake #4:  Lifting the Head
If you lift your eyes to see the wall, you create added resistance and lose the momentum that helps you turn quickly and get a powerful push.

To fix this mistake, keep your eyes down on the touch and begin to tuck the knees while the face is still in the water.  

An underwater mirror -- placed right up against the wall -- is an excellent tool for fixing this problem because the mirror gives instant feedback.   If the swimmer doesn’t see the touch, they’re lifting the head too soon. 

If the swimmer does see the touch, they’re automatically stay low and roll back into the water during the turn. 


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Open Turn Common Mistakes - How to Correct Them