Swimming Pool Turns: Open Turns, Flip Turns, and Performance Tips

How do I turn in the swimming pool?

Efficient turns in swimming pools are crucial for maintaining momentum, conserving energy, and improving overall swim speed, primarily executed through either an open (touch) turn or a flip (tumble) turn, each with distinct biomechanical requirements and applications depending on the stroke.

Understanding the Importance of Efficient Turns

Turning in the swimming pool is far more than simply changing direction; it's a critical skill that significantly impacts a swimmer's performance. A well-executed turn minimizes drag, maximizes propulsion, and allows for seamless transition between laps.

• Energy Conservation: A smooth, powerful turn reduces the effort required to regain speed compared to an inefficient turn, which can cause a significant drop in velocity and demand more energy to accelerate again.
• Momentum Maintenance: The goal of any turn is to carry as much speed as possible into the wall and off the wall. A strong push-off and streamline ensure that the momentum generated during swimming is not lost.
• Strategic Advantage: In competitive swimming, fractions of a second can determine the outcome. Superior turns can provide a measurable advantage over competitors, making them a key focus in training.

The Push-Off: Foundation of Every Turn

Regardless of the type of turn, the push-off from the wall is a universal and critical component. It sets the stage for the next lap, converting the kinetic energy of the turn into forward propulsion.

• Body Position: Ensure your feet are firmly planted on the wall, roughly hip-width apart, with knees bent at approximately 90 degrees. Your body should be slightly below the surface, ready to launch horizontally.
• Leg Drive: Explode off the wall using a powerful extension of your hips, knees, and ankles. This should be a full-body movement, driving your body forward.
• Streamline: Immediately upon pushing off, assume a tight streamline position. This involves extending both arms overhead, hands clasped tightly (one hand over the other, thumbs interlocked), biceps pressing against your ears, and head neutral. This minimizes frontal drag and maximizes the distance covered underwater.

The Open Turn (Touch Turn): For Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Learning

The open turn is characterized by touching the wall with one or two hands, allowing the swimmer to take a breath and reorient before pushing off. It is mandatory for breaststroke and butterfly and often taught as a foundational turn for beginners.

• Approach: As you approach the wall, maintain your stroke until you are within arm's reach. For breaststroke and butterfly, you must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously. For freestyle or backstroke (when using an open turn), a single-hand touch is permitted.
• The Touch: Touch the wall firmly. If using two hands (breaststroke/butterfly), ensure they are parallel or slightly staggered. If using one hand (freestyle/backstroke), reach with the leading hand.
• Body Rotation: As you touch, quickly tuck your knees towards your chest and rotate your body towards the side of your touching hand (or hands). Your head should lead the rotation, looking towards the direction you're turning. Your feet should swing around to land on the wall.
• Foot Placement: Place your feet firmly on the wall, hip-width apart, with your knees bent. Your body should be on its side, ready to push off on your stomach for the next lap.
• Push-Off and Streamline: Drive off the wall powerfully into a tight streamline. For breaststroke, you'll perform an underwater pullout before surfacing. For butterfly, you can typically take one dolphin kick before surfacing.
• When to Use: Mandatory for competitive breaststroke and butterfly. Also a good option for longer distance freestyle events where a breath at the turn is beneficial, or for swimmers still mastering the flip turn.

The Flip Turn (Tumble Turn): For Freestyle and Backstroke

The flip turn is a faster, more advanced turn, primarily used in freestyle and backstroke. It involves a somersault motion that keeps the swimmer submerged, maintaining speed and momentum.

• Approach and Timing: Swim into the wall with good speed. The critical element is timing: initiate the flip when your head is approximately one arm's length from the wall. Take one last stroke (freestyle) or maintain continuous arm motion (backstroke) before initiating the turn.
• The Tumble/Somersault:
  • Freestyle: As your hand enters the water for the final stroke, tuck your chin to your chest and drive your hips over your head, initiating a forward somersault. Exhale forcefully through your nose to prevent water from entering.
  • Backstroke: Similar to freestyle, but the flip begins from a backstroke position. You'll typically transition onto your stomach just before or during the somersault.
• Foot Placement on the Wall: As your body rotates, extend your legs to place your feet flat and firmly on the wall, hip-width apart. Your knees should be bent, and your body should be on its side, ready to push off on your back (for backstroke) or stomach (for freestyle).
• Body Rotation (Backstroke Specific): For backstroke, you are allowed to rotate onto your stomach before the turn (often within 5 meters of the wall) to perform a freestyle-style flip turn, or you can flip directly from your back, rotating to your stomach as your feet land on the wall.
• The Push-Off: Explode off the wall with a strong leg drive into a tight streamline.
• Streamline and Breakout: Glide underwater in a streamline. For freestyle, perform dolphin kicks. For backstroke, perform dolphin kicks on your back. The maximum distance you can travel underwater before surfacing is 15 meters in competition.

Common Mistakes and How to Correct Them

Mastering turns requires consistent practice and attention to detail. Identifying and correcting common errors is key to improvement.

• Poor Timing:
  • Issue: Initiating the turn too early or too late, leading to a weak push-off or hitting the wall awkwardly.
  • Correction: Practice counting strokes from a specific marker (e.g., the flags) to the wall. Use drills that focus on judging distance.
• Weak Push-Off:
  • Issue: Not generating enough power from the legs, resulting in a slow start to the next lap.
  • Correction: Focus on explosive leg drive in dry-land exercises (squats, plyometrics) and practice powerful wall kicks in the water, emphasizing a full leg extension.
• Lack of Streamline:
  • Issue: Arms not tight, head not neutral, or body not aligned, creating excessive drag.
  • Correction: Consciously press biceps against ears, interlock thumbs, and keep the head still. Practice streamline glides without kicking to feel the optimal position.
• Breathing Before the Turn:
  • Issue: Taking a breath immediately before the wall, which can disrupt rhythm and slow down the approach.
  • Correction: Train yourself to hold your breath for the last few strokes into the wall. Focus on exhaling through the turn itself.
• Incomplete Rotation:
  • Issue: Not fully rotating the body to land feet squarely on the wall, leading to a skewed push-off.
  • Correction: For flip turns, ensure a strong tuck and hip drive. For open turns, actively rotate your hips and shoulders as your feet come to the wall.

Drills to Master Your Turns

Integrating specific drills into your training routine will help solidify proper turning mechanics.

• Wall Kicks: Push off the wall in a perfect streamline, performing powerful dolphin or flutter kicks underwater for 5-7 meters before surfacing. Focus on the initial explosion and maintaining streamline.
• Tumble Drills (Freestyle): Practice flip turns without swimming into the wall. Start standing in the middle of the lane, push off the bottom, somersault, place feet on the wall, and push off. This isolates the flip and wall contact.
• Single-Arm Touch Drills (Open Turn): For open turns, practice approaching the wall and touching with one hand, rotating quickly, and pushing off. This helps improve the speed of rotation.
• Underwater Streamline Glides: Focus solely on pushing off the wall into a tight streamline and gliding as far as possible without kicking or stroking. This reinforces the importance of a powerful push and minimal drag.

Conclusion: Practice Makes Perfect

Mastering turns in the swimming pool is a journey that combines understanding biomechanical principles with consistent, deliberate practice. Whether you're perfecting the efficient open turn for breaststroke or refining the dynamic flip turn for freestyle, each component – from the approach to the push-off and streamline – plays a vital role. By focusing on proper technique, identifying and correcting common errors, and incorporating targeted drills, you will transform your turns from mere direction changes into powerful, momentum-generating assets that elevate your overall swimming performance.