Tumble turns

KillianByrne

I am a reasonable proficient swimmer and am in the pool about 3times a week. The pool I use is only 20m which results in a lot of turns if youre swimming 80 or 100 lengths.

I'm trying to learn to tumble turn but I end up getting very dizzy and quite nauseous. sometimes water goes up my nose but I do try to breathe out to stop this.

Is the dizzyness a common occurance? without seeing what I'm doing wrong would anyone have any pointers?
Thanks
KB

Wossack

I reckon separating the tumble, and the twist into two distinct motions helps with the disorientation. Im no expert by any stretch, but do the tumble, and push off - so you're now under the water on your back. Glide for a second, then do the twist to upright.

splitting up like that probably keeps the head a bit less whirled around (less complex of a movement?), and maybe gives you a better plant/base at the wall to kick off with both legs equally. But you're on your back under water for longer, so potential for more water up the nose

Sergio

I swim with a local masters club in a 25metre pool but when doing front crawl but i wouldnt do tumble turns all the time when training. I suspect that since your swimming a 20metre pool and because of the shorter distance then your probably turning too much hence the dizziness. Try mixing it up and between normal turns and make sure your getting enough air into your lungs before you do the tumble turns.

KillianByrne

Thanks for the responses. I'll take the advice onboard, keep working on it and see how we get on. If anyone has anything further to add I'd be greatful.

gutenberg

This happens to me sometimes when I'm doing longer sets - say a 1000m continuous swim (my sets are usually more broken up & shorter than that). I also noticed it more when I was living in the States and swimming in a 25-yard pool, as the wall would come quicker! Wossack's suggestion about breaking up the motion seems a good one, but if you started feeling a bit dizzy perhaps you could just do twist-and-push turns for a few lengths, then start tumbleturning again once the feeling has passed? I would also suggest that you try & have most of the movement occurring below your waist: don't curl into too tight a ball when turning, keep your upper body relatively still apart from when you curve into the turn, and then let your legs swing over at the hips. You'll probably find yourself more or less on your back at that point, and from there you can either turn over straight away, or follow Wossack and let yourself glide momentarily before twisting over. I hope that makes some sense?!

If you've only started doing tumbles, then it could also just be your body getting used to the sensation, and will improve with more practice.

padraig_f

Takes a bit of practice to get the feel, I used to practice for 5 mins after swim sessions, and got it after a while.

The most important thing for me is the abdominal muscles, you want a crisp turn, and the turning action comes from there. If you think about doing a somersault on land, it'd be from the abdominal muscles where you'll get the turning motion, same for tumble-turns, it's like a somersault in the water. If you don't put enough into it with the abs, you wont get enough turning motion to complete it. This is where I was going wrong a lot at the start.

Other thing is the distance from the wall to start. I used to use markings on the swimming-pool floor, but when you get more practice you'll know it by sight from the wall. You can go pretty close to the wall.

I also breathe out through my nose when doing it, to stop the water going up. Never got dizzy though, maybe when you're technique improves, you won't get that.

Keep practicing, they are fun when you get it.

Balmed Out

Sergio wrote: »

I swim with a local masters club in a 25metre pool but when doing front crawl but i wouldnt do tumble turns all the time when training. I suspect that since your swimming a 20metre pool and because of the shorter distance then your probably turning too much hence the dizziness. Try mixing it up and between normal turns and make sure your getting enough air into your lungs before you do the tumble turns.

I swim in an 18 meter pool and would normally do a few 3k swims each week and would always tumble turn and would never ever get dizzy or nauseous, I wouldn't really feel as if I had done any exercise if I was getting more rest after each turn.

Op I swam competitively from 5yrs till 18 and dont remember anyone having this problem so id suspect it might be technique related? Do you tuck in tightly and flip over quickly? Perhaps ear plugs might help? Are you getting a good breath before turning?