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Jan. 14, 2025 - Teaching Freestyle Flip Turns

Teaching the Freestyle Flip Turn This week we continue our series on how to teach the things that are the most difficult to teach – yet are the most basic skills a swimmer needs. This week’s topic – the freestyle flip turn – has the added distinction of being the skill most desired by new swimmers. Join us as we explore how to teach what swimmers most want to learn! Monday Steve Haufler Turns: Teaching Progression for the Freestyle Flip Turn Steve Haufler gets us started, showing us where we’re headed when teaching the freestyle flip turn, and outlining a ten-step progression to get there. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/758-teaching-progression-for-the-freestyle-flip-turn 0528 bubbles and flips 10040 Head leads immersion at mid pool 13454 Head lead submersion and flip at mid pool 15143 Flip with a noodle 22194 push the hat back 25929 midpole flip 33182 practice approach to the wall 40818 swim flip and push off 42580 Roll from back to front slowly 45870 the complete turn Tuesday Turns – Freestyle Flip Turn Step 2 Here’s step 2 of our five-step progression for teaching the freestyle flip turn. Grab a pool noodle and let’s get started! https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1003-turns-freestyle-flip-turn-step-2 0459 grab the noodle with both hands 0595 Flip without letting go of the noodle 1065 hold the noodle behind and kick forward 1427 flip without letting go the noodle 2588 take it to the wall push-up on your back 3233 noodle keeps the hands high 4647 hand stay stationary 11546 po boys instead of noodles Wednesday Turns – Freestyle Flip Turn Step 4 Here’s step 4 of our five-step progression. Time to ditch the noodle and use the hands to add some speed going into the wall. Keep the hands and arms weightless as you somersault straight over. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1005-turns-freestyle-flip-turn-step-4 0288 review previous steps 0844 approach the wall with the hands held behind 1230 Flip without moving the hands 2070 flip without using the hands 2678 start in position 11 2912 drop one hand to the side 3177 drop the other hand to the side 3458 flip without using the hands Thursday Turns – Freestyle Flip Turn Step 5 In the fifth and final step of our teaching progression, the swimmer learns how to place the feet on the wall to angle smoothly into position to swim freestyle. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1006-turns-freestyle-flip-turn-step-5 0582 to review the previous steps 2793 from a push off look at how your feet are placed 5142 initiate the role with the torque on the wall 10704 body roll starts with the push 12343 be aware of your foot placement 13468 can be slightly to the side 14682 height or depth of feet make a big difference Friday Kara Lynn Joyce: Flips Flips Flips Three-time Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce demonstrates one of the best drills for flip-turn experts AND for those just learning how to flip. Flip straight over and snap into streamline. This imprints weightless hands and the ability to be ready to push off as soon as the feet hit the wall. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/671-bonus-flips-flips-flips 0816 Head down flip 1611 head down flip 2268 head down flip 3175 flow into the flip with a continuous forward motion 4587 same motion through the turn Saturday Joao de Lucca: Flip Turn – Step 3 – Tight Tuck The tighter the tuck, the faster the spin, the faster the turn. How tight is tight? Brazilian Olympian Joao de Lucca shows us what’s possible. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2072-flip-turn-step-3-tight-tuck 0269 where are the eyes 0380 Down 0404 expose the back of the head 0461 momentum does not require the use of the hands 0551 how small can the ball BE? 4838 Direction of push 4935 using the wall for torque Sunday Kristian Golomeev: Flip Turn Step 6 Olympic sprinter Kristian Golomeev has a six-step progression for perfecting his flip turn. Notice how similar his steps are to those of Steve Haufler’s and GoSwim’s progression. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2270-flip-turn-step-6 0463 eyes down 0903 expose the back of the head 1176 turn the palms down 1345 tight tuck 1719 positioning of the feet 1998 Drive and use the wall for torque BONUS VIDEOS

Turns - Freestyle Flip Turn Step #1

If you've always wanted to learn how to do a flip turn (and what swimmer doesn't?), here's a fun drill that is step 1 in the learning process. Over the next few weeks we'll present a 5-step sequence that will get you spinning and turning with ease - even if you thought you'd never be able to master this basic skill. Take your time with the process, have some fun with it, and in a few short weeks people will be coming to YOU for lessons. Why Do It: When doing a flip turn, one of the most common mistakes that swimmers make is using their hands and arms. Using the hands and arms may FEEL like the right thing to do, but it actually slows down your rotation. It also causes you to pause just before the pushoff... so that you can get your arms back in streamline. Your flip turns will be faster, more efficient, and actually EASIER if you take your arms out of the equation. Notice how this swimmer flips by using her abs rather than her hands -- and how this puts her arms in perfect position to STREAMLINE when her feet hit the wall. And notice how she flips STRAIGHT OVER rather than turning to one side. In this drill, you'll be using a noodle to help you learn to flip STRAIGHT OVER and without using your hands. Remember. This is Step 1 of a 5-part sequence. This will seem pretty basic, but just try it and please trust us that this will lead you where you want to go. How To Do It: 1. Get a noodle. Many pools have these on deck for water-aerobics classes but, if not, you can find one at your local discount store for a couple of dollars. 2. Stand in the shallow end of the pool and grab hold of the noodle at both ends. 3. Take a big breath and get ready to exhale water through your nose. 4. Push off the bottom of the pool and do a forward somersault INSIDE the noodle. Try to go STRAIGHT OVER and DON'T LET GO OF THE NOODLE. Try not to pull back with the noodle, or push down on it. Remember -- DON'T USE YOUR HANDS TO HELP YOU FLIP. 5. After you flip, stand back up and get ready to try it again. 6. Once you get the hang of this drill, try speeding it up. See how fast you can get around and get back on your feet. Troubleshooting: If your feet get caught in the noodle, you need to tuck up into a tighter ball and hold your tuck until you get all the way around. If you can't get all the way around, tuck your chin and look back between your legs as you start your somersault. Think about sending your energy down and AROUND rather than just DOWN. If you are holding just one end of the noodle when you stand up, you are probably not going straight over. HANG ON to the noodle with both hands. Don't let go. If you are getting water up your nose, start exhaling BEFORE you start your somersault. And then keep exhaling till you regain your feet. Try noseclips if things get really bad. But most important: JUST TRY IT. Stick with it... and stay tuned for Step 2.

Turns - Delayed Dolphins

You're working everyday on your underwater dolphin kicks, so make sure you start them at the best time to gain the most advantage from them. Why do it: Getting too aggressive too soon in the underwater dolphins, can actually create resistance by breaking that great line you set up on the push off. A slight delay and get you to the right speed to merge the kick into the velocity. How to do it: 1 - Push off, and glide. You can start with a 4 count, or 3 count... just keep it consistent. 2 - After the glide count is done, initiate 3-4 dolphin kicks, while still in streamline. 3 - After the pre-determined number of kicks, initiate your flutter kick and breakout. How to do it really well (the fine points): Stay consistent. If you start your count at 4, and it feels like you've slowed down too much, change the count to 3, or 2. Try to also discover if you need 2, or 3, or 4 dolphins prior to moving to flutter kick. Daily experimentation and consistent study will eventually lead you to the perfect timing of your push off, glide, dolphin, flutter kick, breakout. Just saying it reminds us that great push-offs aren't just about pushing off!

Kick Set Flip Turns

Here’s a great way to discover new opportunities to work on your push-offs. Why do it: Walls. Walls. Walls. Great push offs set you on each length with more velocity, get you further down the pool, and are a necessity in competitive swimming. Think of all the kick sets you do that include poor push-offs. Here’s an opportunity to practice push-offs with overload. How to do it: 1 - Kick with your board like you normally do, but if you’re a “social kicker”, you’re going to have to leave your goggles on. 2 - When you approach the wall, you can initiate a freestyle stroke with one arm, then push the board into the water with the other arm. 3 - Follow the board down into the flip and push off the wall. 4 - Get both hands back on the board for a strong pushoff. How to do it really well (the fine points): You’re going to have to push off deeper than you typically do. The board will want to pop you up right away, so angling down a bit more will allow you to incorporate a couple more dolphin kicks. This will also require a stronger push than normal on kick sets, which is a positive. Set the spot or target for your breakout. Our swimmer is trying to get passed the flags on each turn with the board. Done with repetition, this overloaded pushoff during kick sets is a great way to continue working on an important skill when most of the time it’s a missed opportunity.

Turns - Practice Underwater Dolphins

For more videos on underwater dolphins, click here. The only way to eventually have great underwater dolphins off your walls is by building consistency in practice. Understanding the steps helps young swimmers learn that consistency. Why do it: We think by now, we all know why you should work on your underwater dolphins every day. It’s faster than swimming! How to do it: 1 - Start with the end in mind, the breakout. 2 - Have the swimmer push off shallow immediately initiating the flutter kick then swimming 3-4 fast strokes without breathing. 3 - Have them repeat that a few times until they get a good feeling of carrying that speed into the breakout. 4 - Now have them add a couple of dolphin kicks, but making sure they transition to flutter PRIOR to initiating the first freestyle stroke. 5 - Gradually have them merge the initiation of flutter kick to the first arm stroke. How to do it really well (the fine points): Finding the right breakout point for the right age will be important. Consistency in practice is more important than how far you can go once. Practice with various numbers of kicks, and then make sure the one you pick is one you can do off every wall, every day.

Butterfly and Breaststroke Turns

Comparing the two turns.

Turns - Hot Hand Open Turn

Every coach since the beginning of time has told their swimmers to "NOT GRAB THE WALL" on your breaststroke and butterfly turn. Here's how simple that is. Why do it: When you grab the wall with both hands, typically swimmers will pull in and up, making the turn too slow. This needs to be avoided. How to do it: 1 - Whichever side you turn to, there will be a hand that barely makes contact with the wall... if you spin toward the left, that's the left hand. 2 - As you approach the wall with your eyes down (subtle reminder there), touch the wall with both hands. 3 - The HOT HAND is the one on the side you're going to spin to. We refer to HOT as if the wall is SO HOT in that spot, you HAVE to get your fingers off the wall as quickly as possible. 4 - DO NOT grab the wall with the HOT HAND, but imagine touching, and IMMEDIATELY sliding the hand off the wall into the spin as quickly as possible. How to do it really well (the fine points): Quick, quick, quick. The hot hand makes contact, but that's it. It touches the wall at the same time as the other hand, but only for an instant. By getting the hot hand off the wall as quickly as possible, you also start to initiate the spin into the turn more quickly. Very simple, but very important.

Turns - Kick Through Your Turn

Learning an effective flip turn means learning to NOT slow down into your flip turn. Why do it: There are so many small factors that go into this, we'll focus on just one today... kicking THROUGH your turn. Maintaining momentum through your turn can make for a faster turn. How to do it: 1 - First, identify a couple problem areas. Do you lift your head or look at the wall as you approach? This gets you going in the wrong direction for a great turn. 2 - Do you drive the turn from a dolphin kick in the back? While even great swimmers have a small dolphin, too many swimmers think the dolphin IS what drives them over. 3 - Once you've identified the problems, do some turns keeping your head down, and maintaining a flutter kick for as long as you can into the turn. How to do it really well, the fine points: Watch for the "breach" prior to the turn. That means do you POP-UP, or do you submerge into the turn? Leaning into the turn and maintaining your flutter kick for as long as you can, will help you develop a turn that flows smoothly and quickly. Keep everything moving, and don't wait for the wall to come to you.

Turns - Pencil Push Kick Swim

Working with young swimmers, it's incredibly important to set up the foundation of every pushoff. Why do it: The pushoff and breakout are the foundations of every length of swimming. No detail is too small to focus on, or repeat, repeat, repeat. How to do it: 1 - Set targets for the push offs to make sure the swimmers don't try to overdo it and go too far. 2 - Have the swimmers perform a "pencil" push off to the first target. 3 - Then, have them initiate a Position 11 flutter kick to the second target. 4 - Finally, have them take 4 arm swings while focusing on maintaining a constant kick to the third marker.... then stop. How to do it really well (the fine points): The markers not only give reasonable targets, but they also help to make sure the swimmers aren't going to be gliding ineffectively for too far. The additional benefit of the markers are to make sure the swimmers aren't going too far without air. Remember, repeat repeat repeat. Don't rush to move to the next step, teach the importance of foundations!

Turns - PASA Pushoffs

While visiting Palo Alto Swim Association, Coach Tisha showed us many cool techniques in her teaching. Here's a very simple one. Why do it: When working with developing swimmers, sometimes you need to get the point across of WHAT NOT TO DO. When teaching streamline, if the swimmers aren't getting it, show them the opposite of what you want. How to do it (these are pretty self-explanatory... Create resistance): 1 - Push off in the "Y" 2 - Push off in the "T" 3 - Push off in the "A" 4 - Push off in the "X" 5 - Get back to the "I" How to do it really well (the fine points): This is the standard OVERTEACHING used very often by teachers. Show them the extremes of the little mistakes they're making, like hands apart, or feet apart during the streamline. Have them check how far they go each time to further make the point of the proper streamline being THE WAY to leave the wall.

Aug. 13, 2024 - Summer Swim Camp Session 3: Open Turns

Summer Swim Camp Session 3: Open Turns Here’s the progression we use at swim camp to teaching the open turn. We start by teaching a freestyle open turn (we have our reasons!), then progress to a two-handed open turn, with variations for a fly-to-fly turn and a breast-to-beast turn. https://youtu.be/EjqeW6voLXQ?si=UoGUhP8ZhHaJd6Yl&t=65 Leon - https://youtu.be/_p3_azfJ5Eo?si=Gl8ashf1PZEzGuBy&t=51 Fallon - https://youtu.be/_p3_azfJ5Eo?si=N8-CN9pVkAytWuvD&t=66 Monday Carlos Almeida: Turns – Super Slow Motion Here’s where we’re headed when teaching the open turn, demo’d by NCAA champion and two-time Olympian from Portugal. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1253-turns-super-slow-motion 1359 - approaching the wall with the head down 1461 - staggered touch 1613 - left-hand immediately off the wall 1818 - pushing back with the right hand 1933 - creating the ball wave with the head 2008 - pocket full of air 2137 - hand scraping across the surface 2290 - completely submerged 2948 - Drive off to the stomach 4610 - stagger touch hands at the same time 4822 - left hand off the wall immediately 4988 - right hand leveraging 5139 - hiding the mouth from the water 5529 - everything back underwater 10218 - Drive to the stomach Tuesday Turn Drill: Arm Collapse Approach The first step in our open-turn teaching progression is to think about how you carry momentum into and off the wall. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2680-arm-collapse-approach 0411 - approach the wall slowly kicking in on your side 0673 - use the momentum of your body to allow the arm to collapse 0984 - feel the pressure on the arm collapsing 1904 - and to be completely submerged or on the gutter 2224 - try to keep the body horizontal as you approached the wall 3284 - push back away from the wall 4238 - do not keep the arm rigid issue approach 5231 - use the momentum of the body 11042 - pushback away from the wall 12227 - Watch the right arm 11476 - collapse the arm Wednesday Turn Drill: Freestyle Open Turn Step two in our open-turn teaching progression is a FREESTYLE open turn. This helps break a bad habit (rising UP at the turn) and reinforces a good habit (collapsing on a straight line into the wall). https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2681-freestyle-open-turn 1113 - swim freestyle into the wall timing so that the right hand finishes 1650 - the lead arm collapses 2048 - and the body flows into the turn 2792 - look how on the side the swimmer is 3835 - small tuck Thursday Turn Drill: Sideways Open Turn At the elite level, we’re seeing more and more swimmers turn to the side on their open turns (rather than fall back). Here’s a comparison of both versions. Time to experiment! https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2682-sideways-open-turn 1216 - approach for open freestyle turn and collapsing into the wall 1480 - traditional straight overturn 3700 - falling straight back with the hand behind the head 4060 - into streamline push on the side 4146 - approaching the wall the same way 4237 - collapsing into the arm 4594 - try to keep one goggle in the water 5690 - still a little too high 10528 - eyes looking slightly down 10957 - bow wave 11382 - opening for air 12818 - hand release still a slightly high 12882 - head lower 13515 - scraping hand on the surface 13869 - placing hand back in the water Friday Turn Drill: Two Handed Open Turn We use a freestyle approach into a two-handed turn when teaching the open turn. This avoids fatigue from too much breaststroke, and actually encourages a flatter, more stable line for the open turn. It also helps swimmers be more aware of how the carry momentum into and off of the wall. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2683-two-handed-open-turn 0445 - timing the finish 0538 - left-hand immediately off 0549 - right arm collapses 0639 - tight tuck knees are sideways 0753 - hand comes in behind the head 0793 - push is initiated with the swimmer still slightly on their back 0899 - torquing from the wall 1170 - left-hand barely engages the wall 1267 - left-handed immediately goes back 1984 - right hand collapsing eyes still down 2051 - swimmer pushing directly back 2193 - hand still entering slightly over the head 2220 - body much more over onto the stomach 2938 - right hand entering in front of the body 3027 - swimmer pushes off almost completely flat Saturday Turn Drill: Pushoff Angle There are subtle differences between the butterfly and breaststroke open turn. Here’s how we help swimmers understand and practice the differences. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2684-pushoff-angle 0384 - however you come into the wall make sure your flat as the hands touch 0565 - left-hand immediately off right on collapsing 0714 - tight tuck but maybe a little too high 0804 - fingers dragging on the surface in front of the body 1061 - initiating the pushoff on the side 2147 - approaching the wall 2558 - hand comes in in front of the body 2715 - swimmer pushing off completely flat Sunday Turn Drill: Butterfly and Breaststroke Turns Here’s a side-by-side visual comparison of the butterfly vs breaststroke open turn. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2685-butterfly-and-breaststroke-turns 1001 - butterfly approach 1033 - left-hand immediately off right arm collapses 1302 - hand coming in over the head 3742 - swimmer pushing off on the side 3942 - initiating sidekicks 4233 - rotating to the breakout 10407 - breaststroke approach 10493 - left-hand immediately off right arm collapses 10637 - right hand comes in further in front of the head 10734 - swimmer pushing off and nearly flat 12922 - initiating the breaststroke underwater dolphin 13294 - comparing fly to breast 13589 - turns look very similar except hand position 15185 - slight delay in breaststroke as he’s rotating on the wall 15614 - the variations in butterfly breaststroke 21256 - if the hand would’ve been placed farther in front of the body it would be flatter prior to the push BONUS: Sarah Katsoulis: Breaststroke Turn For our international viewers, Australian champion Sarah Katsoulis demo’s a breaststroke open turn on a flat wall. https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1829-sarah-katsoulis-breaststroke-turn

Ankle Pull-Buoy Turns

Putting the pull-buoy at the ankles makes it JUST a little slower to do a turn. Getting the buoy out of the water and over the flip is just a little slower. The more turns you do with this added resistance, the better it's going to feel when you take it off. Follow the links to FINIS if you want to pick up any of these products. Use Promo code GOSWIMTV to receive 20% off you're purchase. FINIS Manta Paddles FINIS Stability Snorkel FINIS Nose Clip FINIS Ankle Strap FINIS Pull Buoy