I don't do tumble turns whilst swim training (or racing for that matter), never really learnt them, so just don't bother. But whilst analysing my season and planning my winter training, I was thinking whether I should learn them over the winter months.
The argument against doing tumble turns is a strong one I suppose: you don't do tumble turns in a race! While that is a valid point and I can see the logic behind it, I can take the same logic and say, while swimming in open water, you don't get to hold on to the wall every 25 metres? So, which is correct? Yes, there are no walls in the open water to help you when you get tired. Surely, when you swim with tumble turns, it's a tougher swim? Why do you think people don't do them? Because they are harder! When your legs get tired on the bike, you shift to an easier gear and when you get tired of running you either slow down or you walk. So it goes in the pool: when you get tired, you stop tumble turning, or if you use a touch turn, you rest longer on the wall.
I guess touch turns hurt your swim technique: every time you stop to reach for the wall your hand comes out of the water. Is that good technique? I would say not. By swimming lengths with tumble turns, are you improving the fluidity of the swim? Going from stroke, stroke, tumble, stroke, stroke you are keeping your swimming smooth, right? I have experimented with tumble turns in the past and it certainly feels harder and it takes me a few strokes to get my breathing back to normal when coming off the wall.
I'm sure if I practised tumbles, with a little patience I'd have them down in no time, but is it worth while? So, the question is, to tumble turn or not to tumble turn? Ladies and Gents, it's over to you.
The argument against doing tumble turns is a strong one I suppose: you don't do tumble turns in a race! While that is a valid point and I can see the logic behind it, I can take the same logic and say, while swimming in open water, you don't get to hold on to the wall every 25 metres? So, which is correct? Yes, there are no walls in the open water to help you when you get tired. Surely, when you swim with tumble turns, it's a tougher swim? Why do you think people don't do them? Because they are harder! When your legs get tired on the bike, you shift to an easier gear and when you get tired of running you either slow down or you walk. So it goes in the pool: when you get tired, you stop tumble turning, or if you use a touch turn, you rest longer on the wall.
I guess touch turns hurt your swim technique: every time you stop to reach for the wall your hand comes out of the water. Is that good technique? I would say not. By swimming lengths with tumble turns, are you improving the fluidity of the swim? Going from stroke, stroke, tumble, stroke, stroke you are keeping your swimming smooth, right? I have experimented with tumble turns in the past and it certainly feels harder and it takes me a few strokes to get my breathing back to normal when coming off the wall.
I'm sure if I practised tumbles, with a little patience I'd have them down in no time, but is it worth while? So, the question is, to tumble turn or not to tumble turn? Ladies and Gents, it's over to you.
5 comments:
I have decided not to bother. i can do them ok but what's the point? You have to be very good at them to save time; most people who tumble do so at the expense of a good push and glide off the wall. I am only really concerned with open water triathlon and am happy enough to use pool based events as 'training'. Swimming is bad enough without senslessly limiting your oxygen intake!
Personally, I am all for them... At the end of last season, I was in a similar boat to you with the question 'To tumble or not to tumble?' resounding in my head. Over winter, after numerous hours on Youtube and plenty embarassing pushoffs into the floor of the pool, or into adjacent lanes, my tumble turning started to take shape. Since then, tumbling has become what feels natural at the end of a length. It makes the transition between lengths far smoother and knocks off oodles of time. My 400m swim time has come down from 6:30 to 5:45 over this season which is partly down to tumbling (along with actually training of course!).
Anyway, tumbling looks far cooler, and we all know, in the world of triathlon, where it's all about looking cool, that's important!!
Granty
Wise words Granty! Too cool for skool!
I'm with Granty. It's not what you're like, it's what you look like that matters. Tumbles look cool.
Ninjas flip where mortals grasp.
Post a Comment