Pushing off the wall...

yes.

Never heard of a pool swim that didn't allow.

Of course pushing off the sides is allowed.

Last year, I actually ran a pool swim, in a really shallow pool.  The pool is deep on the ends to accomodate turns, but about 3 feet deep in the middle.  I pushed off the wall, did 3-4 really hard strokes, and then ran and pulled with my arms.  This method was about 20 seconds faster than swimming.

This year, forward progress by using the pool bottom is against the rules.

i have to say it, if your running in the pool is faster, you should prob work on the swimming.........

My son did a kids triathlon yesterday where they did not allow flipturns.

Flip turns can be difficult in a pool swim since they are typically serpentine swims in which you have to move over a lane each length.  While flipping and pushing off at an angle, under the lane lines and into the other lane are theoretically possible, there often are people in the way to make it feasible.  If you're fast and among the first swimmers in the water it is a lot easier!

Brian

I did my first tri this year and flip turns were illegal.  We did a snake throughout the pool, where you swim up one lane go under the lap lines to the next lane, then push off the wall.

Never heard of flip turns/push offs not being allowed, that seems silly.

Yeah, I have an issue doing flip turns in a pool swim. I'm just not trained to flip turn and to make it under the lane rope to the other lane. Years of swimming taught me to a flip turn in my lane.

Not to mention, I can't do a flip turn, and then go under a lane rope on my left hand side. I am trained to swim down on the right... flip turn and go to my right. My body does not understand going to the left.

Finally... I have been in some pool swims where so many people were hanging on the wall, I couldn't even get to the wall to push off, much less do a flip turn.