Swim Training: Flip Turn or No

Flip turns, just cuz I always have.  No big deal if you don't do them.  I disagree that there is no benefit to doing them.  IMHO, I think that the rhythm of swimming into a well-executed flip turn and continuing through the swim is better than stopping at the wall and turning around.  Plus (if done right) they look cool.

As an aside, I've never understood the philosophy behind not pushing off after a turn, open or otherwise.  Yes, the argument goes, you don't have a wall to push off every 25 yds/mtrs in OW.  But then again, you don't come to a complete stop every 25 yds /mtrs either.  Neither is an ideal OW swimming simulation, only OW swimming is.  I don't know a single triathlete that subscribes to the no push off philosophy.

that must look funny if you're not swimming

LOL...just visualizing it is funny

I taught myself how to do them back in the one season I was on a swim team (way back in '90-'91), but have not adapted it again in my tri training.  It just doesn't hold any value for me personally.

And I have gotten some monster pus-offs of the wall with my open turns, but I try not to do that often as gliding a 1/4 of the pool doesn't benefit my slow azz when it comes to actually swimming.

I can flip turn, but don't usually.  They seem to bother my ears. 

I can turn almost as fast touch-and-go as I can flip turning.  There is very little difference in my times either way.

Flip, I find it helps with my rythm.  I try not to get to great a push off, just enough to get my momentum back from the "stop".

But I think it is just a matter of preference.

Just my .02 worth.

Adios
Dave

Growing up swimming competitively, I always did flip turns so it is my natural instinct.  Also growing up swimming, I know how to get a killer push off of the wall with the flip turn, taking out some of the mileage of swimming.  So I wanted to see if there was a reason not to do them.  It appears that if they can be executed correctly (ie not end up in the other lane as our unfortunate esteemed colleague has done) then go for it.  Maybe I will lay off the push so much.

As a side note, how many strokes are you guys/gals using per length of pool (assuming 25 feet).  I am about at 21 strokes (each hand is counted) form a dead stop and I don't know how that compares to the norm. 

Open turns. It's one of the ways I keep my beginner triathlete street cred.

Then you run to T1, kick up the kickstand, and off you go!!!

What about bungee-ing the cooler to the rack?