It's gotta be the turn: the art of the underwater flip

Swimming may look like a relatively simple sport, but those of us who have ever stepped into the pool to swim laps understand that it is much harder than it looks. Every pull and every kick must be practiced and drilled to perfection to slash off seconds. And though turns may seem to be the least important technique to master, in reality, that area is one of the most important.

"Turns are very important for college swimming because the 25-yard course means that you're basically bouncing between the walls," senior captain Alan Fishman said. "The best turners carry their momentum through the wall and do not decelerate into the turn."

A good turn can shave fractions of a second off a swimmer's time, launching him into the lead or causing him to pass his closest competitor. That explains why Princeton swimmers occasionally take time to polish the basics, honing their skills at flip turns and open turns.

The flip turn

The flip turn, which is used in backstroke and freestyle, is exactly what it sounds like — an underwater flip, completed with a strong push off the wall to rocket the swimmer in the opposite direction. But there are a few things to take note of.

A costly mistake many novice swimmers commit is slowly floating into the wall, then accelerating into their flip turn at the last second, quickly slapping their feet over their head. Instead, a proper flip turn should come with acceleration into the wall. By accelerating at the flags, the swimmer effectively flows into his flip turn, creating a faster turn and greater momentum.

When a swimmer approaches the wall, the most effective strategy is to extend the last stroke into a continuous movement into the turn, thereby eliminating the retarding and slow floating.

The last part of this process is the push-off. The effectiveness of the push depends on the final step of the flip itself — the placement of the feet. If the flip falls short of the wall, the push will be ineffective due to the lack of force. The swimmer needs to time the perfect location and moment for the flip and then quickly cement his feet onto the wall, creating a sturdy foundation for a strong push.

The open turn

The second type of turn, the open turn, is seen in the butterfly and breaststroke. Unlike the flip turn, the open turn is a finish at the wall — a physical 180-degree turn, finishing with a push off the wall.

As with the flip turn, the swimmer wants to accelerate into the wall to provide momentum for the physical turn. The difference lies in the technique. Butterfly and breaststroke swimmers are required to have a simultaneous two-hand touch.

The two-hand touch turn is easily described in slow motion. One hand remains on the wall as the other lets go, slowly stretching out toward the other direction. The remaining hand then glides by the head, joining the other hand to create a streamline position as the swimmer leaves the wall.

The open turn is considered to be more difficult due to its choppy, different parts. While the flip turn is one continuous motion, the open turn takes more practice to quicken each step. The goal is to accelerate and maintain a significant speed both coming into the wall and leaving it.

Swimmers are continuously improving their turns, taking advantage of every opportunity to practice them in warm-up, practice or competition.

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"Fast turning takes practice and patience because if you're doing a.m./p.m. workouts, you'll do 300 or more turns per day," Fishman said. "That's a lot of opportunities. Staying focused and working consistently on them is a test of one's own motivation."

Junior Mike Zee has presented himself as a quick backstroke turner with his strong underwater kick, as he follows his turn with a series of quick and short butterfly kicks off the wall. Freshman Doug Lennox and junior Meir Hasbani are among the best on the team at open turns, helping Princeton earn first-place finishes at nearly every swim meet. Their strong performances, in addition to the emphasis that the Tiger swimmers place on perfecting their respective turns, have propelled the men's swimming team to success so far this season.