I (29F) am a beginner swimmer attending swimming classes, and last Thursday we started doing somersaults and tumble turns. Of course, I was getting all the water up my nose every single time I attempted to do one of those (I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how unpleasant that is). I felt a bit of a headache the next day, but it went away by the evening. However, last night, the burning feeling in one of my sinuses came back, but on a completely different level—it’s as if I’ve been stabbed under my eye. It comes and goes, and when it comes, I’m almost climbing the walls. I rushed to the doctor this morning since nothing over-the-counter would soothe the pain, and now I’m waiting for the prescription medicine to kick in.
Has anyone experienced anything similar while learning how to do tumble turns? I’m quite disappointed in myself for not being able to do such a basic thing and feeling ill as a result, so I’d like to know what your tumble journey was like.
It got better for me. I do a hard blow out (of my nose) on my first breath after turning. But it hardly seems worth it if you are in pain. Everyone is different, so you have to listen to your body. How about using a nose clip during flip turn practice just to get used to shutting down accidental nose breathing? You can gradually take it away once you get the hang of it.
I got a lot of water up my nose when I was learning them (I was still blowing my nose when I went to bed). But now I can do them; I take a big breath and blow out pretty quickly through my nose. Practice makes perfect. At least you didn’t hit your head on the side; I know someone who did that.
We all go through this. No matter your experience level, you’ll have this happen once in a while. I hate flip turns. I can do them but avoid them due to balance issues. While learning, try using nose plugs before practicing turns. You can learn the technique without the water issues. I always use a saline nasal rinse after swimming.
@Kris
Yeah, I’m a pretty good swimmer. I can even swim on my back underwater without getting water up my nose and without needing to exhale the entire time, but sometimes a flip turn gets me lol.
My first attempt when I was a kid ended up like yours, getting a lot of water in my nose and feeling like I was drowning, even when I was taken out of the pool. My coach said to take a longer breath before the next attempt and to not exhale until I was ready to do the tumble turn and exhale forcefully. This helped a lot, as I never got water down my nose since then, and after a couple of regular sessions, I didn’t even need to take a longer breath anymore. That said, my journey with tumble turns wasn’t finished; I had a few hilarious botched ones early on where I’d turn too late and hit the deck. To this day, in a new pool that’s not Olympic-sized, I’m still somewhat apprehensive about my first turn. For getting water out of your sinuses, consider using a sinus irrigation device like a neti pot to flush anything irritating your sinuses. It might help with your headache and burning feeling as well.
