home › Shoulders › Let's analyze the turn in the crawl in more detail. Technique of turns in crawl and backstroke swimming Technique of performing high-speed turns in swimming

Let's analyze the turn in the crawl in more detail. Technique of turns in crawl and backstroke swimming Technique of performing high-speed turns in swimming

In accordance with the competition rules, an athlete, when performing a turn when transitioning from one method of swimming to another in medley swimming, must:

1) touch the turning board in accordance with the rules governing the finishing technique in which he completes this stage;

2) perform a slide underwater after a turn and reach the surface in accordance with the rules governing the swimming technique in the manner in which he begins the next stage.

Below are the features of turns during transition:

from the butterfly style to the backstroke method;

from backstroke to breaststroke;

from breaststroke to freestyle.

The swimmer's goal when performing turns when transitioning from one swimming method to another is to perform a turn in the shortest possible time and continue swimming along the distance at the optimal competitive pace and rhythm in the next method.

General requirements for making turns

When making turns you must:

Maintain a possibly higher swimming speed in the last 5 m before the turntable;

Use the inertia of the swimmer's body against the wall of the pool to rotate during the turn;

Use the minimum radius of rotation (group, keep your legs bent together, do not lower your pelvis too deeply);

Perform precise placement of your feet on the backboard with the soles of both feet at the same time; do not twist your feet when pushing away from the shield;

Perform a small and quick squat before a powerful push-off (in order to use elastic muscle stretching forces at the very beginning of pushing off the shield with your feet);

By the time you place your feet on the shield, point both hands forward under water, hide your head between your hands; while pushing off the backboard with your feet, fix your pelvis and torso; avoid bending of the torso and oscillations of the pelvis; increase the force of repulsion from the shield with a final sharp extension of the legs at the ankle joints;

When sliding after repulsion, give the body a streamlined position; stretch your arms forward as far as possible (keep your hands together), covering your head and torso with your hands from the oncoming flow of water;

When gliding underwater, it is under a wave moving onto a rotating shield along the surface following the swimmer;

Control the depth and speed of sliding, accurately determine the moment to begin stroke movements under water in order to reach the surface;

Maintain the smallest angle of attack of the body when reaching the surface.

Transition from butterfly to backstroke

When transitioning from the butterfly style to the backstroke method, a pendulum rotation is used, in which rotation occurs in a lateral plane slightly inclined to the vertical. During rotation, the swimmer's pelvis and bent legs move towards the wall of the pool under water, the head and shoulder girdle move in the opposite direction above the water surface.

The athlete swims up to the turning wall of the pool in such a way that the last kick falls on the arms fully extended forward directly in front of the turning board. At this time he must:

1) it is good to see the rotary shield and accurately calculate the last stroke movements;

2) do not reduce swimming speed in front of the shield;

3) after kicking, slide onto the shield at high speed, in a well-streamlined and horizontal position.

After touching the wall of the pool with his hands (position 2), the swimmer for a moment continues to approach the rotary shield by inertia and slightly bends his arms at the elbow joints. (Avoid early pushing away from the wall with your hands!). Then he groups, bending his legs at the knee and hip joints, and begins to rotate in the lateral plane.

The head and shoulder girdle rise out of the water; hands push off from the shield and move in the opposite direction from the wall: one under water, the other above water. (At this time, inhale.) The pelvis and bent legs accelerate towards the wall. (Keep your legs together! Do not lower your pelvis and legs down!)

The rotation is completed by accurately placing both feet on the shield at the same time. By this time, the swimmer is in a position on his back, his torso is horizontal, his arms are directed forward (hands together), his head is between his arms.

After a slight elastic sit-down (at the moment the legs touch the shield), the athlete performs a sharp and strong push-off with the legs. At this time he needs:

1) hold your back and pelvis rigidly to transfer push-off forces to your torso (avoid moving your pelvis and arching your back!);

3) observe the horizontal direction of movement of the body, avoid excessively deep or shallow sliding.

The push-off is completed at the moment the feet lift off the wall. You should slide underwater.

At this time, the swimmer needs to:

1) keep your arms stretched forward as far as possible, optimally tense and with your hands tightly connected; cover your head and torso with your hands from the oncoming flow of water; create as little resistance to sliding forward as possible;

2) perform several active dolphin-like (or rabbit-like) movements with the legs on the back, maintaining a high speed of forward movement;

3) at the end of the slide, switch to alternating movements of the legs with the crawl (if before this he performed dolphin-shaped kicks), direct the body to the surface of the water;

4) control the distance to the surface - it should be such that with the first hand stroke you can bring the face and shoulder girdle to the surface.

The technique of performing the first stroke movements to reach the surface and further advance along the distance using the back crawl method is described above in paragraph 2.9 of this section.

Transition from backstroke to breaststroke

When moving from the backstroke to the breaststroke, several twist options are used. One of them is turning with a pendulum. It is simple, economical and perhaps most effective. Compared to others, in this turn there are no difficulties with orientation, rotation, inhalation, precise placement of the feet with the feet on the wall, and motor switching from one method to another.

Swimming up to the turntable on his back, the swimmer orients himself, performs the last stroke and touches the turntable with his outstretched arm approximately at water level.

After touching, he groups himself (bends his legs at the same time at the knee and hip joints) and, pushing off the shield with his hand, begins to rotate his torso away from the shield. The upper part of the body rises above the surface of the water, one hand moves from the shield under water, the other above the water; inhalation is performed. The rotation ends with placing your feet on the backboard.

As with other pendulum turns, the swimmer must keep his feet together during the rotation and ensure that the pelvis does not sink too far down and slow down towards the backboard. At the end of the rotation, it is necessary to accurately and simultaneously place both legs with the feet on the shield for a confident and strong push-off.

After placing the feet on the backboard, the swimmer finds himself in a position on his side, his legs are slightly bent at the knees, both feet rest securely on the rotating backboard; The arms are slightly bent at the elbows, extended forward, the hands are tightly connected, the head is between the hands.

Immediately after the feet touch the wall of the pool and a slight elastic squat, a push-off is performed. When pushing off the backboard with the legs, the arms are extended forward, the head is hidden between the arms, the torso is rotated relative to the longitudinal axis, and the swimmer assumes a horizontal and streamlined position on the chest. This is followed by sliding under water.

During a short-term slide, the swimmer controls the horizontal direction of movement of the body, avoiding too deep or too shallow movement under water. He then performs a long stroke with his arms up to his hips. A short second slide follows with your hands along your hips.

After this, the arms are brought forward and the legs are pulled up to push the legs with breaststroke in order to reach the surface. (The movements of the breaststroke swimmer during the surface after a turn are discussed in more detail in paragraph 2.11 of this section.)

Transition from breaststroke to freestyle

The athlete will float onto the rotating backboard at high speed and in such a way that, after completing the last push-off with his legs, he can immediately touch the backboard with his hands.

After touching the shield, the athlete groups himself and, pushing off the shield with his hands, begins to rotate his body with a pendulum away from the shield. During rotation, the upper body rises slightly above the surface of the water, one arm moves from the shield under water, the other above the water. The swimmer inhales. The rotation ends with placing the feet on the rotating board.

During the rotation, the swimmer should: 1) keep his legs together and make sure that the pelvis does not sink deep down and does not slow down its movement towards the turning board; 2) complete the inhalation and immersion of the swing arm into the water by the time you place your feet on the backboard.

After the feet touch the shield, repulsion is performed; arms stretch forward, head hides between hands; the torso begins to rotate relative to the longitudinal axis to adopt a horizontal and streamlined position on the chest.

Basic settings for the repulsion phase from the shield:

1) after a slight elastic sit-down, at the moment your feet touch the shield, perform a sharp push-off with your feet;

2) complete the working movements of the legs with an explosive push off with the feet;

3) during repulsion, keep your back and pelvis rigid to transfer the repulsion forces to the torso (avoid oscillations of the pelvis and arching of the back);

4) perform a slight rotation of the shoulder girdle relative to the longitudinal axis of the body to transition to a position on the chest while sliding;

5) fully extend your arms forward, squeeze your head between your hands and take a horizontal and streamlined position for gliding;

6) perform all repulsions while holding your breath;

7) observe the horizontal direction of movement of the body when pushing off, avoid sliding too deep or too shallow under water.

This is followed by sliding underwater at high speed. The swimmer's body, remaining elongated and streamlined, completes the turn to the chest position. To maintain a high gliding speed, the swimmer performs several kicks (dolphin or crawl), and then switches to crawl kicks.

Basic settings for the sliding phase:

1) keep your arms extended forward, optimally tense and with your hands tightly connected; cover your head and torso with your hands from the oncoming flow of water;

2) with active dolphin-like kicks to maintain a high speed of sliding under water; at the end of the slide, switch to crawl movements with your legs, if you previously performed dolphin-like movements;

3) adjust the depth so that at the end of the slide, with one crawl stroke you can completely reach the surface of the water.

The technique of movements of a crawl swimmer when reaching the surface after a turn is described above in paragraph 2.8 of this section.

Part 1. Approaching.

Considering the amount of time that can be gained or lost during a swim depending on the quality of the freestyle turn, it is surprising how little attention coaches pay to improving this critical part of the swim. and Natalie Coughlin view their turns as an opportunity to break away from their opponents, and not only work hard on them, but push off the wall at top speed while performing butterfly kicks in a super streamlined position.

There are four phases of turns in freestyle. And they are all very important. The first phase is approaching the wall. Two common mistakes that are made are: 1) sliding towards the wall and 2) looking up and lifting your head.

The density of water is so great, and the forces of frontal resistance put such pressure on the human body, that the moment we stop propelling ourselves forward with the help of our arms and legs, we immediately begin to slow down. Within tenths of a second after we begin sliding, our speed likely drops from 4 to 5 mph to less than 2 mph. At this speed, not only does it take us longer to reach the wall, but lifting our legs to turn and throw them across the surface of the water requires significantly more effort from the core muscles. When we slow down while sliding, the law of inertia does not apply. If we maintain speed while approaching the wall, our legs roll over the top with much less effort.

The problem caused by moving the head to look up near a wall while approaching is similar to sliding. Looking forward at the wall increases frontal drag forces and slows us down, whether we're sliding or not. This movement while approaching the wall also forces us to arch our back or raise or lower our buttocks. Essentially, this means that we are moving in the opposite direction of where we should be moving... - down. It also does not obey the law of inertia.

The fastest way to get to the wall for a turn is to use what is called a "blind" turn. What this means is: use the T mark on the bottom of the pool, and perhaps look slightly at the bottom of the wall where it meets the bottom of the pool, this is better than looking at the cross on the wall to determine the remaining distance to walls. When you make a turn, when looking at the "T" the head should not rise from a low position and should remain under water. At the same time, no sliding should be allowed towards the wall. You need to perform both strokes and strokes right up to the point where you start to fold.

The worst time to "try" a blind turn is during the competition itself. Practice turning daily, change the speed of approaching the wall. Your body and brain will soon know exactly where the wall is without having to look at it. After a short period of time, you will be quite comfortable turning using the T markings on the bottom of the pool, just like when looking at the cross on the wall. The only risk is that if you don't practice the turn in training and miss it during a competitive swim, all the potential gained will simply be lost.

Part 2. Somersault.

Three typical mistakes that are made during a turn or the somersault itself are the following: 1) weak pulling of the legs and an insufficiently dense “ball”; 2) attempting to rotate the body during the turn itself; and 3) swimmers not keeping their arms straight above their heads as their legs roll over the top.

The larger the ball we make during a freestyle turn (larger radius), the longer we make the turn itself. Just like a diver moving from a tucked position to a flexed position, our bodies are not able to immediately transition into a flexed position. Therefore, we need to put more effort into the core muscles and force ourselves to move into a tuck. This reduces the turnaround time by tenths of seconds.

The easiest way to get into a tuck is to pull your knees as close to your chest as possible as your legs pass over the top. You don't need anything more to do this, but you will spin significantly faster and get your feet on the wall faster.

The second mistake is trying to turn your body (from back to stomach, translator's note) at the moment when your feet and legs pass through the surface of the water. The fastest way to get your feet on the wall is in an "over the top" path, with your toes pointing toward the surface of the water. When your feet touch the wall, your toes should point straight up to the sky, not to the sides. In fact, the body rotation itself can be performed already in the underwater phase in a streamlined position after pushing off from the wall, without punishing yourself with loss of time or meters.

Well, one last thing, many swimmers bend their elbows in an arms-back position as their legs roll over the top. This is done so that the legs rotate faster and easier. The problem is that when your feet touch the wall and your arms are bent at the elbows above your head, you have two options. You can either delay the push from the wall until your arms return to a streamlined position. Or you can push off from the wall in this non-streamlined position and straighten your arms after you push off from the wall. In any case, you will waste time.

The best way is to keep your arms straight during the push-off phase and keep your palms together. In this position, you will push off the wall without hesitation and assume a collected, streamlined position, which will give you higher speed. You need more strength in your core than in your arms to perform this turn, but it's worth it.

Turn in crawl. Part 3. Repulsion.

You can gain or lose more time during your push off the wall and into your takeoff than any other part of the turn. The reason is that this is the phase where you can take advantage of strong and well-executed dolphin kicks combined with a long, streamlined body position. Therefore, the number of dolphin kicks that a swimmer performs underwater after pushing off from the wall, if any, is determined by the force and speed of the kick and the distance of the swim.
Some of the most common mistakes made during this turning phase are:
1) insufficiently necessary body rotation speed,
2) starting the dolphin kick too early or too late,
3) kick with legs too bent at the knees,
4) complete absence or insufficiently dense streamlined body position and
5) repulsion is not in a straight line.

The speed of rotation of the body during repulsion from the wall should be smooth and constant, and not fast, jerky or delayed. Your body may immediately begin to rotate with the start of the first dolphin kick, at which time the swimmer should be on his side, not on his back. While there are some coaches who strongly recommend (sprinters) stay on their side for a few kicks, I prefer to see swimmers turn onto their belly no matter how many kicks they take before takeoff. For those swimmers who cannot yet kick quickly, this means doing two dolphin kicks or more: one on the side and one on the stomach. I do not believe that a swimmer can perform faster strokes on his side than on his stomach while underwater. Most swimmers take their first stroke not so much too early, but too late. In the space of one second, a swimmer's speed drops from 8 mph from the moment his toes leave the wall to less than 3 mph, even though he is in the tightest streamline position. Even if you delay your initial kicking motion and slow down too much, you will still not fall under the immutable law of inertia. It's just going to take too much energy to get your speed back. Although kicking is the source of propulsion, bending the knees too much to initiate the kick creates a greater problem with frontal resistance. Any potential strength benefits you could gain by bending your knees too much are lost, slowing you down and moving you toward poor leg position. Therefore, swimmers need to learn to perform a dolphin kick from the hips rather than from the knees. They should also learn to do these kicks in both directions: up and down or side to side, depending on the situation. The pressure or force in the water must be maintained with the feet throughout the entire time in order to maintain the speed gained from the impact. Dolphin kicks need to be done quickly, relatively compactly and equally powerful. Not all trainers agree on how to create the best streamlined body position, but I think Michael Phelps probably knows for sure. Keep your chin tucked to your chest, hands behind your head (not close to your ears), elbows tucked together, wrist over wrist with fingers straight, and most importantly, shoulders pushed forward as much as possible. This is an anatomically quite complex position and not very comfortable, but it is worth it. Doing all four of these movements at the same time will give you the lowest drag coefficient your body can achieve in the water. And finally, pushing off the wall in a straight line. If you push off to depth or upward to the surface, or along a curved path, then nothing else will matter anymore. When it comes to resistance, then the water is merciless.

Part 4. Breakaway.

Nothing is more frustrating for a coach than to see a swimmer who has started and executed a tumbling turn almost flawlessly only to lose it all in the take-off phase. It's very easy to make mistakes in the takeoff because all the swimmer can think about is getting that next breath of air.

Two common mistakes that are made during takeoff are: 1) lifting the head and 2) losing a streamlined body position.

It is important to resist the strong temptation to look up and see where the surface of the water is at the moment before you take off. Once you do this, you will begin to slow down. Just trust that the surface is there somewhere and that when you begin the first stroke, your hand will find the surface. If you push off from the wall in a straight line, then there should be no problem. The best thing you can do with your head is to keep it with your chin tucked into your chest in the same position as it was in the streamline position. If you are swimming less than 200m, you should never take a breath on the first stroke. Keeping your chin tucked will allow you to explode forward rather than upward during the takeoff phase.

Second, don't fold or move out of your streamlined position. The moment you begin the catch phase, push your opposite arm forward as if you were finishing against a wall. Many swimmers tend to bend their elbows at the beginning of the one-arm catch phase. Losing your streamline position will be a big reason why you slow down. Instead, extend your lead arm straight forward, maintaining a straight line, transition from a dolphin kick to a freestyle kick to maintain your speed, and you'll take off like a champ.

To sum it all up, using the recommended tactics I've given you for the approach, roll, wall push and take off phases, coupled with continually improving your dolphin kick, will ensure that you're on top of the curve when it comes to cornering. Now go and practice your turns.

We thank Andrey Ermin, Kazan, instructor in the TI system and methodology, for the material provided.

General characteristics. Swimming competitions are held in pools 25 or 50 meters long, so athletes have to perform one or more turns while swimming the distance. All turns, regardless of the method of swimming, are divided into: open and closed (at the moment of inhalation during rotation); simple and complex (according to the number of axes involved during rotation). When analyzing a turning technique, it is customary to distinguish the following phases:

Swimming;

Touch (entry into rotation) and rotation;

Slip;

The first swimming movements and reaching the surface of the water.

When swimming front crawl, there are different types of turns: simple open, simple closed (used in initial swimming training), a “pendulum” turn, a forward somersault turn (the so-called “flip” turn, used by well-trained athletes). When performing a turn, the phases (gliding, first swimming movements and reaching the surface of the water) are similar to the phases when performing a starting jump. Simple open and closed turns. Swimming up to the wall of the pool and without slowing down, the swimmer touches it with his arm slightly bent at the elbow at the level of the opposite shoulder. Then he bends his legs (tucks) and begins to rotate in a horizontal plane. Hands help the rotation: one pushes off the wall, the other performs raking movements.

If during the rotation the head is above the surface of the water and the swimmer inhales, then this is an open turn. If the swimmer's head is lowered into the water during the rotation, it is a closed turn. The rotation is completed by placing the feet on the wall of the pool. Then the hand that was resting on the wall comes off it and is directed forward over the water, and the head and shoulder girdle are immersed in the water. The arms are extended forward, the hands are connected, the head is between the hands - the swimmer pushes off the wall of the pool with his feet and slides under the water in a horizontal position. The subsequent exit to the surface of the water is carried out through movements of the legs and a stroke with the hand (similar to the starting jump).

Turn "Pendulum". When swimming crawl, an athlete touches the wall of the pool with one hand (when swimming breaststroke or dolphin - with both hands at the same time), at the same level or close to the surface of the water. Then he bends his arm at the elbow joint and finds himself in a position partially on his side. The legs bend at the hip and knee joints, and a “pendulum” rotation begins in the lateral plane (the swimmer seems to roll from one side to the other), helping with the stroke movement with one hand and pushing off the wall with the other. At this time, the shoulder girdle and head move above the surface of the water, the swimmer inhales. He then takes his hand off and carries it over the water. The rotation ends with placing the feet on the wall of the pool, the swimmer is completely immersed in the water, again finding himself in a position on his side. The arms are extended upward, the head is between the hands, the swimmer pushes off the wall with his feet. During the push-off, a turn to the chest occurs, the swimmer stretches out and, after a short slide, makes the first swimming movements.

Somersault forward. For skilled athletes, this is the main turn when swimming freestyle (front crawl). The touch-down phase in complex closed turns is usually replaced by the entry phase. Swimming up to the turning board, the athlete finishes the stroke with one hand (leaving it at the hip), then with the other hand. Simultaneously with the downward kick (legs) and the completion of the hand stroke, the head sharply plunges under the water, rotation begins (forward and down and slightly to the side). The upper part of the body goes under the water, the outstretched legs move along the surface of the water towards the wall, the arms are extended in the opposite direction from the wall. After which, the swimmer energetically bends his legs at the hip joints, trying to touch his knees with his forehead. Then the pelvis behind the body goes under the water, the legs bend at the knee joints and are placed on the wall with acceleration. At the moment of placing his feet on the wall, the athlete finds himself in a position on his side, with his arms pointing upward. Immediately, pushing off the wall with your legs begins, while simultaneously stretching your body forward and turning it to a position on your chest.

When swimming backstroke, a simple open turn is most often used. In the supine position, the swimmer touches the wall of the pool with his hand at the level of the opposite shoulder. Then he bends his legs (tucks) and begins to rotate in a horizontal plane. The swimmer's head is above the surface of the water, and he inhales. Hands help rotation. The phase ends with placing your feet on the wall of the pool. Then the swimmer plunges the shoulder girdle and head into the water, while simultaneously stretching his arms upward under the water and begins repulsion. This is followed by sliding under water on your back, followed by reaching the surface of the water due to the movement of your legs and stroke with your hand.

The length of the swimming pool is 50 meters (long water), but more often 25 meters (short water), and swimming distances range from 50 to 1500 meters. Therefore, swimmers have to perform turns at the pool wall many times. Technically correctly executed turn allows you to continue moving along the distance with the rhythm and pace chosen before the turn, and also save energy.

The turning section of the distance is taken to be 7.5 m before and 7.5 m after the turning wall. The actual turn begins with the head diving under the water immediately in front of the pool wall (front and back crawl) or hands touching (dolphin, breaststroke) and continues until the start of the first cycle of normal swimming movements on the surface of the water after the turn.

Types of turns in swimming

In sports practice there are several types of turns:

rotations, which are predominantly carried out in a horizontal plane around a vertical spatial axis.
When performing such a turn, the position of the body after rotation, which was before the turn, is maintained. That is, if a swimmer swims to the wall of the pool on his chest and rotates 180 degrees in the horizontal plane, then before the push he will also be in a position on his chest.
Such turns are much simpler, but more time is spent on their implementation.
turns, which are predominantly carried out in a vertical plane around a horizontal spatial axis.
When performing such a turn (rotation through 180 degrees in the vertical plane), if the swimmer swims to the wall of the pool on his chest, he will then need to perform an additional rotation around his longitudinal axis in order to assume a position on his chest.
Professionals mainly use turns performed in the vertical plane. They are much more difficult; you cannot perform such a turn without preliminary training. But turns in the vertical plane have a number of advantages. The main thing is the ability to group tightly and reduce the moment of inertia to a minimum. The time a swimmer spends turning in a vertical plane (from the moment of touch to the push) is 0.6-0.8 seconds.

Also turns can be divided into open and closed. If inhalation is performed directly during rotation, then the rotation is called open. If the inhalation is done before the turn, and the rotation is performed with holding the breath and exhaling, then such a turn is called closed.

Performing a turn is conventionally divided into phases: swimming up to the wall and touching (or approaching), rotating, pushing off, sliding, starting swimming movements and reaching the surface.

When swimming different styles are used different types of turns(you can learn more about the technique of performing a specific turn by clicking on the link with its name in the table):

Turn type	Swimming style

	Front crawl, back crawl, front breaststroke, dolphin (butterfly), side stroke

About a quarter of a competitive swim is spent starting, turning, and finishing. These maneuvers require skill, precision and speed. Even a small mistake in performing these elements can reduce a champion to the level of an average swimmer. Swimmers should persistently practice starts, turns and finishes.

The following exercises will teach you

perform a somersault correctly when turning the crawl and on the back;

hold your breath when approaching the wall (turn in crawl swimming);

approach the wall carefully when turning in backstroke;

correctly touch the wall and push off from it, taking a streamlined position.

This article is devoted to the turn that is performed most often, the freestyle turn, as well as the most difficult turn, the backstroke turn. The following exercises provide a systematic approach to teaching these turns.

Streamline jump

Target

Practice the speed of movement necessary to assume a streamlined position while practicing the ability to push off from the wall of the pool in a streamlined position.

Performance

2. Raise your arms so that your palms are next to your shoulders and bend your knees, preparing to jump.

3. Jump vertically up. As you jump, extend your arms up and fold them into a streamlined position. You should be in a streamlined position by the time you reach the top of the jump. Remaining in a streamlined position, land, then lower your arms.

4. Repeat at least 10 times.

Basic moments

Jump vertically up and as high as possible.

Try to get into a streamlined position as quickly as possible.

Advice

Do this exercise with a partner, and let the coach give the command to jump. Try to get into a streamlined position faster than your partner.

Stand under the end of backstroke flags if you have enough depth. When you jump out, try to come out of the water vertically and touch the flags.

Jump and somersault

Target

Practice the speed of performing a somersault and learn how to perform the main part of the somersault in the air.

Performance

This is a difficult exercise. Before you start, you need to learn how to perform a regular somersault. But this exercise is a lot of fun.

1. Stand in shallow water, going into the water at least waist-deep, but no more than shoulder-deep.

2. Bend your knees, preparing to jump.

3. Jump vertically up. As you jump, lower your head between your knees and perform a full somersault. Try to perform a somersault as high as possible above the surface of the water. Land on your feet.

4. Repeat at least 10 times. Take short breaks between jumps to avoid dizziness.

Basic moments

Your body should move faster in the air than in the water. Try to perform somersaults as high above the surface of the water as possible.

The faster you roll, the better. Speed is everything.

Advice

Perform this exercise facing your partner. There should be a sufficiently large distance between you. Let the coach give the command to jump. Try to perform a somersault faster than your partner.

Pushing off the pool wall and somersaulting

Target

Practice body position control when entering a somersault and learn to use your head and abdominals to perform a somersault.

Performance

Before starting this exercise, it is useful to return to the Sliding exercise.

2. Push off the wall, take a position face down, body on the surface of the water, arms along the body. Swim, gliding, from 4 to 5 meters.

3. Starting at the head, dive and perform a full somersault.

4. Stop and breathe.

5. Return to the pool wall and repeat the exercise (if necessary).

Basic moments

To begin a somersault, quickly lower your head. When performing a somersault, group yourself. A significant part of the somersault should take place in the air, not in the water.

Advice

Somersault from position with outstretched arm

Target

Practice the next step in the sequence of movements when turning: somersault from a position with an outstretched arm.

Performance

This exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one, but this time you perform a somersault from an extended arm position.

1. Position yourself near the wall of the pool, touching it with one hand. Get ready to push off the wall.

2. Push off the wall, take a position face down, body on the surface of the water, one arm extended forward, the other pressed to the side. Swim, gliding, from 4 to 5 meters.

4. Stop and breathe.

5. Return to the pool wall and repeat the exercise (if necessary). Change hands.

Basic moments

Do not lift your head out of the water until you complete the somersault.

The hand and head are lowered at the same time. Avoid a common mistake. When they lower their hand first, then their head.

Advice

As you roll, exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Plus footwork

Target

Practice the next step of the turning sequence: fluttering footwork.

Performance

This exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one, but this time fluttering footwork is additionally introduced.

1. Position yourself near the wall of the pool, touching it with one hand. Get ready to push off the wall.

2. Push off the wall, take a position face down, body on the surface of the water, one arm extended forward, the other pressed to the side. Swim using your legs (fluttering footwork) for 4 to 5 meters.

3. Starting with your arm extended, dive with your head and arm and perform a full somersault.

4. Stop and breathe.

Basic moments

Do not lift your head out of the water until you complete the somersault.

To begin the somersault, quickly lower your arm and head.

Raise your body high above the water, perform movements quickly.

Advice

As you roll, exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Backstroke push

Target

This is the next step in practicing the turn. You will learn how to perform the initial movements after a start or turn in backstroke.

Performance

2. Swim for at least eight counts, then lower one arm along your body to begin the stroke.

3. Control your breathing so that you float to the surface at the same time as the end of your hand stroke.

4. Perform three strokes.

5. Repeat.

Basic moments

Control your breathing.

While working your legs, hold your arms in a streamlined position for eight counts.

To begin the stroke, lower one arm along your body.

Advice

Once you've mastered this fluttering footwork drill, you can add dolphin footwork to your streamlined arm position and try to swim faster and cover more distance. At the same time, monitor the depth of the body's immersion. Dolphin footwork is used primarily in butterfly swimming and backstroke starts, but can also be effective when pushing off the wall in freestyle swimming.

Foot touching

Target

Practice the next step in the turning sequence. This exercise allows you to master breathing control when turning and gently touching the wall of the pool with your feet.

Performance

1. Start at a distance of 10-12 meters from the wall of the pool. Swim crawl towards the wall. Start holding your breath 5 meters from the wall.

2. When two strokes remain from the wall, perform a somersault, touching your feet to the wall of the pool at a depth of about 30 centimeters below the water level. If you make a mistake in judging the distance and make a somersault without touching the wall, repeat approaching the wall until you learn to correctly estimate the distance required to turn.

3. Don't push off from the wall, just touch it with your feet. Look at your feet underwater to make sure they are touching the wall.

4. When your feet touch the wall correctly, your body will assume the position of a lounge chair underwater (on your back, legs slightly bent at the knees and hips), and your arms will be above your head. Depending on your height, your feet will touch the wall at a depth of 30 to 60 centimeters. The shorter the height, the shallower the depth at which the legs touch the wall of the pool; and vice versa.

Basic moments

Hold your breath so that you can concentrate on estimating the distance to the pool wall.

Perform a high and fast somersault.

Watch the depth at which your feet touch the wall.

Advice

Practice the stroke with each hand as you turn.

Twist from freestyle to back

Target

Practice the next step in the turning sequence. This is an important exercise and should be done often. It allows you to focus on your swing technique and practice turning as quickly as possible.

Performance

This exercise combines approaching the pool wall, touching the wall with your feet, and pushing off the wall into a supine position. This way we get a twist from freestyle to the back. This exercise is important because it helps you control your approach to the pool wall, your push off from the wall, and ultimately the speed of your turn. Practice the drill several times before you start increasing the speed of your turn.

1. Swim crawl to the side of the pool with proper breathing control.

2. Perform a somersault and touch your feet to the wall of the pool - just as you did in the Leg Touch exercise.

3. Push off the wall of the pool underwater, taking a streamlined position, and roll over onto your back.

Basic moments

Perform movements with complete control.

Watch how deep your feet touch the wall before pushing.

Do not hurry. First practice the correct technique of movements.

Advice

Once you have mastered your movement technique and learned how to position your feet correctly when touching the wall, try to anticipate the approach to the wall and begin to push off from it an instant before your feet touch the wall. This will allow you to push off the wall very quickly, which will accordingly increase your turning speed to the maximum possible

Corkscrew push with crawl

Target

Practice the next step of the sequence of movements when turning with crawl. This exercise will allow you to master the effective method of pushing off the wall at the highest speed.

Performance

1. Push off from the wall of the pool underwater (the body is submerged approximately 60 centimeters), lie on your back, fold your arms in a streamlined position. Push off from the wall and start using your legs (fluttering footwork).

2. Work your legs in four counts while floating on your back and keeping your arms in a streamlined position. Still keeping your arms in a streamlined position, begin to slowly turn your body (quarter turn) for four counts. Then begin to float to the surface and make a crawl stroke with your hand as you turn your body.

3. Control the depth of your body's immersion so that you reach the surface of the water after completing the first arm stroke.

4. Perform three crawl strokes.

5. Repeat.

Basic moments

Control the depth of your body's immersion.

Maintain a streamlined arm position for a count of four as you float on your back, then use your legs to spin into a corkscrew turn for a count of four.

Advice

Once you've mastered this fluttering footwork exercise, you can add dolphin footwork to the streamlined arm position and try to swim faster and cover more distance (on a case-by-case basis). At the same time, monitor the depth of the body's immersion. Dolphin footwork is used primarily in butterfly swimming and backstroke starts, but can also be effective when pushing off the wall in freestyle swimming. You can use a combination of several dolphin kicks followed by fluttering footwork. Choose your option in each individual case.

Turn in crawl swimming

Target

Finish practicing the turn in freestyle swimming.

Performance

It is important to understand that competition rules do not require you to be in a face-down position when pushing off the pool wall. But since the rotational motion of the wall slows down the turn, in this exercise you will focus on rotating your body after pushing off from the wall of the pool, that is, during the phase of the turn in which you get into a streamlined position. Go back to the Freestyle Back Twist exercise and review it.

1. Start at a distance of 10-12 meters from the wall of the pool.

2. Swim crawl towards the wall of the pool, hold your breath.

3. Perform a somersault and touch your feet to the wall of the pool.

4. Push off the pool wall underwater, turn onto your back and fold your arms into a streamlined position.

5. Work your legs in four counts, floating on your back and keeping your arms in a streamlined position. Then, still keeping your arms in a streamlined position, begin to slowly turn your body (quarter turn) for four counts (e). Start to float to the surface and make a crawl stroke with your hand as you turn your body.

6. Control the depth of your body's immersion so that you reach the surface of the water after completing the first arm stroke.

7. Perform three crawl strokes.

Basic moments

Push off the wall, turning onto your back.

Rotate your body by pushing away from the wall rather than near it.

Advice

First, focus on the technique of performing the movements, only then increase the speed.

Try to hold your breath for the first two or three strokes after the turn as well.

Backstroke finish

Target

Practice safe finishing techniques and counting strokes from the flags marking the end of the backstroke course to the pool wall. Stroke counting is important for both finishing and turning.

Performance

1. Start from the middle of the pool lane. Swim on your back at full speed towards the wall of the pool.

2. Once you pass directly under the flags marking the end of the backstroke race, begin counting your strokes. First, make two strokes past the flags, and then straighten your arm above your head and work your arms.

3. Finish by touching the pool wall with your hand, fingers facing down. Bend your top arm slightly at the elbow as you approach the wall. No need to look back at the wall. Watch the flags and count your strokes.

4. If there is still room, add another stroke next time. The task is to determine the number of strokes to the pool wall while maintaining a safe distance to it.

5. Try to keep the number of strokes from the flags to the pool wall always approximately the same. Ideally, after the last stroke there should be from 30 to 90 centimeters between the hand and the wall. This finish will be safe.

Basic moments

Perform the exercise at full speed.

Work your legs intensely.

Watch the flags, not the pool wall.

Carefully count the number of strokes from the flags to the pool wall.

Advice

It is better to do fewer powerful strokes with intense footwork than more small, short strokes. Try to finish safely at high speed with fewer strokes.

Swimming in a Corkscrew

Target

Practice the technique of turning on your belly when performing a turn in backstroke swimming. This movement is called corkscrew swimming because you spin into the water by turning your body, similar to the motion of a corkscrew entering a cork.

Performance

1. Start in a one-arm front crawl position.

2. Using your legs, rotate your head to inhale, then continue to rotate your head and body to eventually roll onto your back.

3. Return your bottom arm using the backstroke arm return technique and make a stroke with your top arm.

4. Continue turning your head and body in the same direction until you roll onto your chest. This movement completes the spin cycle.

5. Using smooth, precise strokes, swim in a corkscrew motion, rotating in one direction for four strokes, then for four strokes in the other direction. Repeat several times.

Basic moments

Make smooth strokes.

Use your feet smoothly.

Advice

See how many corkscrew strokes you can take to swim the entire length of the pool. The fewer strokes the better.

Swimming turn in backstroke

Target

Complete the backstroke turn practice.

Performance

This exercise completes the preparation for performing a turn in backstroke. Remember how many strokes you counted from the flags marking the end of the backstroke distance to the wall of the pool. In the same number of strokes you will have to complete the turn. It is possible that you will have to make small adjustments.

1. Subtract one from the number of strokes from the end of the backstroke flags to the pool wall. This number will tell you how many strokes you will have to make from the flags to the wall, still swimming on your back.

2. As your hand enters the water on the last stroke, turn in the same direction. Then with the other hand, perform a corkscrew stroke (return of the arm with the crawl) and roll over onto your stomach.

3. You are in a ready-to-turn position similar to the position practiced in Exercise 94 (Turn from Freestyle to Back). The total number of strokes during the turn must be equal to the number of strokes at the finish.

4. Practice this exercise in open water before performing this exercise at the side of the pool. Make even strokes.

5. If you find yourself constantly too far from the wall, add another stroke. If you constantly find yourself too close to the wall, reduce the number of strokes by one. Push off the wall of the pool, complete the turn and move to a supine position.

Basic moments

Perform the strokes rhythmically.

Work your legs intensely.

Try to complete the turn in the same number of strokes.

Advice

Rotate your body smoothly and gradually. Remember that once your shoulders pass the vertical position, the movement should be continuous.

Plus three strokes, plus straighten up for three counts

Target

Practice the next step in the sequence of movements when turning: crawl swimming before somersaulting.

Performance

This exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one, but this time three crawl strokes and straightening the body for three counts are additionally introduced. Straightening the body in three counts, together with footwork, is of great importance for practicing the straight body position that precedes the turn. When the body is straightened, it rises higher in the water, so a significant part of the somersault can be performed in the air, which adds speed to the somersault.

1. Position yourself near the wall of the pool, touching it with one hand. Get ready to push off the wall.

2. Push off the wall, take a position face down, body on the surface of the water. Swim three crawl strokes; the stroke is counted when the hands enter the water. Then straighten your body and kick in three counts, staying on the surface of the water.

3. Starting with your arm extended, dive with your head and arm and perform a full somersault.

4. Stop and breathe.

5. Repeat, returning to the pool wall. Change hands.

Basic moments

Do not lift your head out of the water until you complete the somersault.

After three strokes, straighten up on the surface of the water.

To begin the somersault, quickly lower your arm and head.

The hand and head drop at the same time. Avoid the common mistake of lowering your hand first, then your head. When performing a somersault, use your legs.

Raise your body high above the water, perform movements quickly.

Advice

As you roll, exhale and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Other turns and finishes

Four of the seven turns in competitive swimming require both hands to simultaneously touch the wall of the pool and then turn the body over and push off to move on to the next part of the swim. Many swimmers have difficulty performing these turns due to their complexity. To perform them quickly and efficiently requires special skills. Mastering certain nuances and correcting mistakes can significantly improve your turning technique. This chapter will help you master the technique of effectively performing turns. It examines in detail the various options for turns and finishes.

These exercises allow you to practice

quick touch and repulsion from the pool wall;

the correct sequence of movements to effectively perform a turn;

streamlined position after pushing off from the wall;

finishing by touching the wall in a streamlined position.

This article also covers the back-to-chest twist, which requires a one-handed touch. And although Performance The rotation allows for different options; here is the main option and a reverse rotation. Once you've mastered these variations, you can move on to more difficult turns.