Freestyle Turns Made Easy

Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by admin

**So much time, distance and energy can be saved by the execution of an effective freestyle turn, that turn drills should be a regular part of any training programme.**

In this article, we’ll provide advice, drills, hacks and tips on how to progressively develop an effective freestyle turn.

The turn used in competitive freestyle swimming is called a flip turn (also referred to as a tumble turn)
An effective flip turn is a key competitive swimming skill.
Performed in both freestyle and backstroke, it is the process of turning on a pool wall when finishing one lap/length and starting another.
So much time, distance and energy can be saved by the execution of an effective freestyle turn, that turn drills should be a regular part of any training programme.

The key components for effective freestyle turns are:

Breath control

As a swimmer starts their approach to the pool wall, they should ensure they take a deep explosive breath, that fills their lungs.

Then trickle breath, slowly releasing air into the water as they perform their turn.

The approach

As the swimmer approaches the pool wall, they should maintain or increase their existing swimming speed.

Any speed reduction on the approach will not only result in a slower turn but will require the swimmer to burn more energy out of the turn, as they attempt to pick up their race speed.

The forward rotation

As the swimmer starts their turn, they should perform a strong and fast single-arm pull with their leading arm, from the catch position to their hip.

This will produce a fast-forward rotation, as they go into the tucked position.
As a swimmer starts their forward rotation, they should quickly adopt a tucked position, by placing their chin on their chest and bringing their knees tightly up to their trunk/stomach.
Swimmers should ensure they do not rotate as they are turning, which results in the swimmers rotating at an angle, which reduces the speed of their turn.
The forward rotation should be performed in a straight line, so that the swimmer’s feet come quickly ‘over the top’ of the forward rotation, to touch the pool wall.

The plant

The swimmer’s feet should be firmly planted on the pool wall and their knees should be bent at a ninety-degree angle.

As soon as the swimmer’s feet are planted on the pool wall, they should immediately commence their push-off.

Coaching Tip: Imagine that the pool wall is red hot and will burn your feet if you don’t push off quickly!

The push-off

The swimmer should adopt a tight streamlined position as they push off the wall.

They should immediately start to perform fast and vigorous underwater dolphin kicking.
The swimmer should perform a fast ‘corkscrew’ rotation of their body from their back, onto their front, as they prepare the breakout into their stroke.

The breakout

The breakout is the transition from the push-off into the freestyle stroke.

Swimmers should ensure their push-off is not too deep, which can slow a swimmer down as they have to reach for the surface, to start their breakout.
They should also ensure their push-off is not too shallow, which can cut short the advantage of the momentum generated by the turn.
Swimmers should not breathe on the first stroke out of the turn, which loses the momentum generated by the turn.

Coach Arthur says: “Swimmers should remember that freestyle is the fastest competitive stroke. Therefore, when turning as soon as they feel they are losing the momentum of the push-off and the underwater dolphin kicking, they should break out into their stroke”.

**Streamlining is an important skill in developing an effective turn**

Freestyle Turns Drills

Push & glide in the prone position

Introduction: An introductory drill to streamlining, an important skill in developing an effective turn.

How to perform this drill: From the end of the pool, with a strong emphasis on very tight streamlining.

Swimmers perform a push and glide underwater, in a streamlined prone position, about half a metre under the surface, attempting to get past the turn flags with their head (good!) or their feet (better!), before breaking out to the surface.
Ensure swimmers perform a strong push off the wall.
The coach should mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside.
As a contrasting activity, ask your swimmer to perform a push and glide in the least streamlined position they can. This emphasises the importance of good streamlining.

Push & glide in the prone position with underwater dolphin kicking

Introduction: A progression adding an underwater dolphin kick to streamlining, an important combination of skills in further developing an effective turn.

How to perform this drill: As above, but for this drill, the swimmer adds five quick underwater dolphin kicks, while performing a push & glide at the end of the pool, in a streamlined prone position, about half a metre under the surface.

An underwater dolphin kick should commence as soon as the swimmer completes the push off the wall!
This should result in the swimmer moving faster and further down the pool past the turn flags.
The coach should again mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside and compare the difference between this and the drill above.

Push & glide in the supine position with an underwater dolphin kick

Introduction: A further progression adding rotation to the combination of underwater dolphin kicking and streamlining, furthering the development of an effective turn.

How to perform this drill: As above, but while performing a push & glide on their back (supine) in a streamlined position, about half a metre under the surface.

The swimmer must rotate their shoulders and hips to turn over into a prone position, while performing five quick underwater dolphin kicks, without losing distance past the turn flags.
Again, the coach should mark where the swimmer ‘breaks out’ to the surface on the poolside.

Tumbles every five strokes

Introduction: A progression to develop a fast flip/tumble turn off either hand.

How to perform this progression: From a push and glide the swimmer, swimming at 200m race pace, performs a series of tumble turns, down the length of the pool, every five strokes, which develops the swimmer’s ability to be able to perform flip/tumbles turn off either hand.

After swimming for 5 strokes, the swimmer quickly tucks their chin into their chest, pulls their knees up to the stomach, tucks their heels up to their bottom
They perform a deeper and stronger and faster single-arm pull to assist the rotation of the body in a tight tucked position.
Ensure the swimmers have enough space in the lane to perform this progression correctly and are not rushed by other swimmers.

**On a signal from the coach, the swimmer attempts to tumble turn as quickly and as perfectly as they can**

Tumbles against the wall

Introduction: A progression to develop a fast turn off the pool wall.

How to perform this progression: From approximately half a body length away the swimmer faces the end of the pool, they then hold their position while sculling and freestyle flutter kicking.

On a signal from the coach, the swimmer attempts to tumble turn as quickly and as perfectly as they can, with effective streamlining, attempting to clear the turn flags.
Once mastered the swimmer can add five underwater dolphin kicks, looking to increase their distance off the wall.

Tumbles against the wall with a breakout

Introduction: A further progression to develop a fast turn off the pool wall.

How to perform this progression: As above, but now the swimmer can ’breakout’ into their freestyle stroke.

Smooth breakout, ensuring that the swimmer has an efficient transition into their stroke, at a depth that allows the swimmer to quickly get into their stroke without having to stretch upwards to perform their first stroke, as this will lose their momentum out of the turn.
Ensure that the swimmer does not breathe on the first stroke out of the turn, as this will also lose their momentum out of the turn.

Three Dolphin Kicks Off Each Turn

Introduction: A great drill for developing a swimmer’s underwater dolphin kicking out of a tumble turn.

How to perform this drill: The swimmer performs a freestyle turn, then as they transition into a streamlined position following their push-off the pool wall they perform three dolphin kicks

The first on their back as they place their feet on the pool wall, after performing their forward somersault.
The second is on their side as they transition from their back to their front
The third as they complete their corkscrew onto their front, ready for the breakout into their full stroke.

Timed turns

Introduction: A timed progression to further develop an effective turn.

How to perform this progression: The swimmers start this progression, in the water, from the middle of the pool (12.5m) swimming at a 50m race pace.

The coach will stand at the poolside/deck 10m away from the pool end, where a marker or sinker should be placed on the poolside/deck and the pool bottom
As the swimmer passes the marker at 10m the coach will start their stopwatch
Once the swimmer has performed their turn and swum back past the 10m marker the coach will stop the stopwatch, record the result and feed the result back to the swimmer.

Turns relay

Introduction: A fun but competitive progression to further develop an effective turn, by performing mid-pool and race pace turns under the pressure of a competitive relay.

How to perform this progression: This progression will work best if there are two or more teams of four to six swimmers, which are roughly the same ability and speed.

Each swimmer performs four turns over a distance of 125m.
From a dive, the swimmer performs their first turn at the end of the pool (25m) the swimmer then swims back to the starting end where they perform another turn.
Then they perform a mid-pool turn at the far turn flags (20m) and the swimmer swims back to the starting end where they perform another turn.
The swimmer then performs a mid-pool turn at the middle of the length (12.5m) and then the swimmer swims back to the starting end where they perform another turn.
The swimmer then performs their final mid-pool turn at the near turn flag (5m) and the swimmer swims back to the starting end where they finish their relay leg and another swimmer takes over.
Repeat this process throughout the team until everybody in the team has swum.
Placing rubber bricks or sinkers in each lane under both turn flags and at halfway will greatly assist this exercise.

Freestyle Turns Made Easy Takeaway

An effective flip/tumble turn is a key competitive swimming skill. Performed in both freestyle and backstroke, it is the process of turning on a pool wall when finishing one lap/length and starting another.

So much time, distance and energy can be saved by the execution of an effective freestyle turn, that turn drills should be a regular part of any training programme.

Related publication: Swimming Plus: FREESTYLE

We have published a related publication: Swimming Plus FREESTYLE

Swimming Plus FREESTYLE is a publication designed for those swimmers who want to improve their freestyle swimming technique.

Swimming Plus FREESTYLE provides you with a series of structured and progressive session training plans, plus detailed drill descriptions and expert coaching tips.

With Swimming Plus FREESTYLE, you can progress at your own pace when it’s convenient for you.

For further details and ordering information please use the following link: Swimming Plus: Freestyle

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We have provided a swimming resource library, containing links to all of our publications and blog articles. To access any article simply click on the attached page link: Swimming resource library

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For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange

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