Have you ever watched a swimmer execute a Fast Crossover Turn and felt a sense of awe? A great Crossover Turn looks completely smooth without any pause. It can leave the observer scratching their head and saying “how did they do that?!” On the flip-side, have you ever watched a swimmer come into the wall to execute a Crossover Turn, get scared, switch tactics, then look a mess? A well-executed, fast Crossover Turn requires a swimmer to be brave, and a coach to break it down into steps.
Let’s Get Started…
#1 The Best Short-Cut: Our Crossover Turn Course!
The reality is that the Crossover Turn is scary for both swimmers and swim coaches. That’s why this course teaches you in an easy to understand and easy to communicate way. After traveling all over the world for swim camps, it is obvious to Abbie and the Swim Like A. Fish Team that part of the fear centers around how mysterious and complicated the turn seems. But it DOESN’T have to be that way…
Unlocking the Hidden Secrets of the Crossover Turn breaks it down into easy steps, follows up the information with video analysis examples, and gives you drills and quizzes along the way to make sure that when you bring the information back to your team, you’re nailing it. The best short-cut isn’t wading through masses of information yourself, but instead learning everything you need from an industry leader and technique nerd!
Short-Cut #2 – Get Your Coaching Cues Right On the Approach
The approach is oftentimes where I see swimmers the most hesitant. As you probably know, the first step is always going to be to nail a stroke count down. You can’t do anything else without this number. But the short-cut that a lot of people don’t realize is the Coaching Cues for the body when a swimmer has nailed their stroke count and has made contact with the wall.
You ideally want a deep touch at the wall, so I tell my swimmers to keep their HIPS Angled UP while their Top Arm TOUCHES DEEP. If a swimmer is still struggling with where their body parts should be, tell them that their Touch Arm should stay behind their ears! That’s the easiest way to keep their hips angled up. If you want even more Coaching Cues, check out This Blog Post.
Short-Cut #3 – Stabilize on the Wall
Because there is so much movement that follows after a swimmer makes contact with the wall, I find that this is where a lot of swimmers mess themselves up. The best way to move through a fast Crossover Turn is to plant that Top Arm on the wall and stabilize. This allows the body to be intentional about where it moves and how it moves. Plus, this reduces the Risk of a DQ. If a swimmer barely touches the wall and then goes into what is essentially just a Regular Flipturn, the body ends up all over the place, which is NOT fast or efficient. Tell your swimmers to plant their arm and watch their speed and confidence soar.
Short-Cut #4 – Push-Off In the Correct Direction
Unfortunately for coaches, it’s really difficult to see if a swimmer is pushing off in the wrong direction. As the name Crossover Turn suggests, a swimmer should be pushing off on the OPPOSITE side that they landed on. That means if a swimmer’s dominant hand is their right hand and they land in that direction, they should be pushing off on their left side.
This might not seem like a huge issue but the reality is that if a swimmer is pushing off on the incorrect side then they’re wasting time. In fact, a swimmer can’t execute an efficient Breaststroke Pullout off their Crossover Turn without this prerequisite. More than that, the #1 problem swimmers have with the Crossover Turn is directional. They get overwhelmed with how many different tasks their body is doing at one time. If they’re pushing off on the wrong side, they’re adding MORE unnecessary movements that can contribute to their confusion going into the next turn.
With a little patience, practice, and these tips, we’re sure your Fast Crossover Turn will be turning heads in no time. During the course of a 2 session camp, I got this swimmer to go from no knowledge of the Crossover Turn to executing it beautifully! If you have any questions about Unlocking the Hidden Secrets of the Crossover Turn Course for Coaches, send us an email to [email protected]!
Until Next Time,
Abbie Fish and The Swim Like A. Fish Team