When I teach flip turns, I use every kind of drill...

... and every kind of tool I can think of.

Things like mirrors, noodles, and creative drills make learning fun... and you never know when one of these tools will be the thing that works for a particular swimmer.  So try them all, and use your imagination to invent new ways to teach these complicated moves.

The Rope
I use the rope to help swimmers get more distance off the wall.

Place a rope or surgical tubing across the lane lines at the half-way point in a 25-yard pool. 

Do a set of 25s or 50s -- or maybe longer -- with the swimmers going at least twelve-and-a half yards of underwater streamline and kick before they come up and start to swim.

Try this for breaststroke, too.  The swimmers have to stay under water and extend their technique (and breath control) in order to break out past the rope.

Timed Turns
If you’ve never timed an open turn, it can be a real eye opener for both the swimmer and the coach.

You’re measuring the time from when the hands touch... to when the toes leave the wall.

1.4 seconds is slow.

1.2 seconds is OK.

1.1 seconds is good

1 second is very good.

And under 1 second is excellent.

Swimmers enjoy the challenge of getting a faster time, and they’ll usually ASK for ways to shave off a few tenths.  This is music to a coach’s ears.  

Underwater Ready Position Freeze
For flips...

... and for open turns... swimmers can freeze at the underwater ready position to see if their body and legs are aligned for a strong push-off.  

The underwater ready position is where the swimmer has just landed their feet on the wall, and the hands are positioned overhead for a streamline push-off.

Notice that the swimmer is not quite in streamline.  Elbows are bent, hands are above the head and touching, and the arms and legs will extend simultaneously to add power to the push-off.

High-Speed Turns
The idea behind high-speed turns is to let the swimmer know what it feels like to turn during a race, when they’re approaching the wall at maximum speed.  

To get up to race speed and beyond, the swimmer can either use fins...

or use the bottom of the pool to generate speed into the wall.

They can even use a push and freestyle to build speed for an open turn.

Super-Short-Course Turns
Take a look at your pool and be creative about how you can practice your turns.

If there’s a bulkhead, use it to create a 15-meter pool where you can practice rapid-fire turns.

If your pool is wide enough or has a diving well that’s at least 15 meters wide, simply take out a few lanelines and swim widths.

The wall will come up quickly -- just as it will in a meet -- and the swimmer has to learn to react quickly.

Mid-Pool Turns
Even after swimmers have learned the proper technique for turning at the wall, they’ll benefit from practicing at mid pool.  

Place a cone at the bottom of the pool, about 15 meters from the wall.  Have the swimmer do a series of 30-meter swims to the underwater cone and back.

The swimmer should perform the mid-pool turn with the same technique they’d use at the wall.  The only difference is that they don’t get a push-off.

Blind-Approach Turns
In order to prevent swimmers from looking at the wall before the turn, have them try what we call the “Blind-Approach” Turn.

Make the swimmer promise not to look at the wall.  Instead, they must get their bearings by using only the “T” on the bottom of the pool.  

The official distance from the end of the “T” to the edge of the turning wall is 2 meters.  But in many pools, the “T” is not placed at the official distance.   Swimmers should be aware of this, and should learn the distance at each new pool.  

Timed Streamline and Breakout Distances
For butterfly and backstroke, swimmers always want to know:  How many dolphin kicks should I take before I break out and start to swim?  

The answer depends on the underwater skill of the swimmer.  And instead of guessing... you can use a stopwatch to give the swimmer an exact answer.

Time how long it takes the swimmer to go from the push-off (when the feet leave the wall)...

... to the 15-meter mark.  

Start by taking just one or two dolphins.

Then increase the number of dolphins and the distance the swimmer travels under water.

Then have the swimmer go all the way to the 15-meter mark before the head breaks the surface.

Compare the times, and look for the optimal breakout point -- the combination of underwater kicking and surface swimming that produces the fastest time.

Mirrors
If I had to choose just one tool for teaching turns, it would be mirrors.  They are the best thing ever -- better than any amount of underwater video analysis -- because they give instant visual feedback.

Swim mirrors are very safe because they’re not made from glass.  They’re made from aluminum or acrylic plastic, and they go on the bottom of the pool and are very durable.
They can be purchased through most plastic-supply stores, or through your local glass store.

The mirrors that I use are eight feet long and four feet wide, and weigh about 25 pounds.  You can position them anywhere on the bottom of the pool, and their weight keeps them in place.

For turns, I also use a mirror that is 2 feet wide and 8 feet long.  

The cost of a mirror is just over 100 dollars, but its value as a teaching tool is priceless.

When teaching with mirrors, the most important thing to remember is that this is a tool for visual learning.

As a teacher or coach, your job is to tell the swimmer what they should see as they pass over the mirror, rather than what they should do or feel.  Let’s see how this works for teaching turns.

Mirrors are essential for teaching streamline.

Place your mirror on the bottom of the pool, several yards from the wall.

Explain the streamline position you want to see, and get the swimmer to demonstrate while standing near the wall.

Now describe what the swimmer will see when he pushes off and glides across the mirror.  Don’t overload them.  Pick just one or two things at a time.

You might say, “I want you to see your eyes and your entire face as you glide over the mirror.”

Or... “See your arms squeezing tight against the side of your head.”

Whatever your definition for a perfect streamline, tell them what they’ll see, and phrase it in positive terms, rather than saying “Don’t do this...or don’t do that.”

Remember:  Mirrors reinforce visual learning, so give instructions that tell your swimmers what to see and what to watch for. 

Mirrors are an exceptional tool for teaching open turns.

As you approach the wall with breaststroke or butterfly, try to line up directly over the mirror.

At the touch, you’ll see your face in the mirror... and see your arms extended.

This is not the time to lift up for a breath.  Keep your face IN the water and watch the knees come up toward the face.

At the same time, watch the turning elbow leave the wall and drive back quickly and close to the body.

When you can see the knees approach the face, and see the turning elbow slide past the body, roll back and grab a breath.

As you roll back and prepare for the breath, send your wall arm back in a karate-like/ answer-the-phone type of move.  

Take the breath late... as the body is rolling back and preparing for a streamline push-off.

Additional mirrors placed on the bottom of the pool and farther down the lane can be of great benefit for checking the quality of the streamline and body posture.

Breaststrokers can also use the mirror to make sure they are flat on the breast before initiating the underwater pull.

With mirrors, breaststrokers can critique their own technique during the entire underwater pull, kick, and recovery.   

Styrofoam Heads
The Head, which is made of Styrofoam and costs about $10, is a visual aid that makes your demonstrations more effective.  

The head is extremely effective for demonstrating correct head and eye position as you approach the wall for a breaststroke or butterfly turn.

I like to use the head to illustrate a common mistake on backstroke turns, which is over rotation.

Here, I’m using it to demonstrate the correct way to stop the rotation and line up the head and body for the push-off.

Plastic Mannequin Hands
Kids are fascinated by plastic hands, and will really pay attention to them when you demonstrate technique.

I like to use plastic hands to emphasize the precise movement of the hands during the turn. 

Kids will stare at the hands because they’re unique, and they’ll see exactly what you want them to do.

Noodles
When a swimmer is doing this with the arms when they flip... it’s time to use noodles.

Noodles are one of the best tools for helping swimmers “keep track” of their hands during flip turns.

Noodles help keep the arms close to the body during the flip -- as opposed to letting them scull and scoop.

Noodles also keep the swimmer’s hands above the head (and away from the turning wall), so that they’re ready to extend into streamline as soon as the feet hit the wall.

Pull Buoys and Kickboards
If you don’t have noodles, you can use pull buoys to help swimmers minimize their arm movement during the flip. 

Small kickboards can also be used to stability the arms.

Tennis Balls
If a swimmer is opening up and looking like this when they flip...

... have them place a tennis ball under the chin and keep it in place throughout the turn.

In order to hold on to the tennis ball, the swimmer must keep the chin tucked all the way through the turn.

The tennis ball also works for teaching correct technique for the open turn.  The eyes will stay down at the touch, and the swimmer must roll back for air rather than turning to the side.


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Drills and Tools - To Improve Your Turns