Dear Coach:  In the Nightcaps off season, I have been trying to do flip turns in my backyard pool but find that I am flipping far too deeply in the water and therefore scraping my back or banging my head on the bottom of the pool. What is the correct depth and how do you achieve it?  Aspiring Flip Turner with a Sore Back

Dear Aspiring Flip Turner:  There are two aspects to this.  First you must do the flip itself without going too deep.  Secondly, you must push off straight so that you don't go deeper!  If you are hitting the bottom while you are flipping over, then you need to flip over more quickly (ask your coach for some tips).  If you are hitting the bottom after you push off, then you likely don't have your shoulders, hips and feet in a straight horizontal line.  If your shoulders are deeper than your hips and feet, then when you push off you may go down to the bottom, rather than straight off the wall.

Dear Coach:  I can repeat 100s freestyle on 1:45 (getting around 5sec rest).  What repeat times should I be doing my other strokes and IM at to be consistent with my freestyle times?  A Freestyler

Dear A. Freestyler:  The lanes that do 100s free on 1:45, generally do 100s of choice stroke and IM on 2:00.  Thus, I would expect that you could repeat 100IMs and either 100s back or 100s breast on 2:00 (with around the same amount of rest as your freestyle).  If your freestyle is much better than your other strokes, you might find that very challenging.  In that case, on days where the theme is IM or choice, perhaps moving to a slightly slower lane will be more productive.  It's better to move to a lane where you can do the set properly with some rest, rather than swim continuously at the end of a lane that's a bit too fast.  The next lane over usually does 100s choice / IM on around a 2:10 pace.  When the Fall session starts, ask your coach for advice!

Dear Coach:  I am a runner in Arizona who has signed up for a triathlon with a 1k swim.  I have four months to build up to the swim.  Right now I have to stop after 250m.  How should I be training?  Phoenix Runner

Dear P. Runner:  Obviously, training with our Masters team would be too much of a commute for you.  However, my recommendation is to find a Masters club near you and train with them.  You need to build technique, speed and endurance.  A coach and some interval training will work wonders.