How to Flip-Turn When Swimming Freestyle

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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A quick flip and a twist at the wall when swimming freestyle avoids wasting any time changing directions - it's a fundamental in competitive swimming.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Swimsuits
Swimming Goggles

Step1

Approach the wall of the pool swimming freestyle. Begin your turn just short of a body length away from the wall.

Step2

Tuck your chin to your chest and roll your body into a ball, so that you start to do a forward flip in the water. Blow air out of your nose to avoid inhaling water.

Step3

Open your body halfway through your flip and extend your legs to push off against the wall.

Step4

Push off the wall in the opposite direction from the one in which you were swimming. You should still be on your back at this point.

Step5

Streamline your entire body and roll back over onto your belly as you glide. Your shoulders should be up against your ears and your fingers should be pointed. Begin kicking immediately.

Step6

Begin stroking with your arms as soon as your body breaks the surface of the water.

Tips & Warnings

As you get more comfortable with the turn, practice twisting as you turn.
Also begin to open up your flipping position so as not to be in a tight ball, but rather a half-tuck position.
Be careful not to hit your feet on the wall as you flip over.
Be sure your feet are back in the water before you begin to extend for your push-off.
If you have any condition that would impair or limit your ability to engage in physical activity, please consult a physician before attempting this activity. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Comments

tcliff96 said

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on 7/24/2008 I have a question... If you are competing in freestyle or breaststroke, why are your permitted to use the dolphin kick both before and after doing a flip turn. When I see Michael Phelps do use the dophin kick, it seems like an unfair advantage...

prism33r said

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on 11/4/2007 1)After 3rd/4th stroke after the flags (approx. 1-2 strokes from the wall, tuck chin and somersault your body, bringing the arm that just took the stroke to the extended streamlined position and allow for your legs to splash the water in front of the wall.

2)with your toes facing the pool-deck keep arms extended over your head and push from the wall. it's really that simple, but some times people tend to want to 'flap' their arms to get better rotation. this is wrong; instead, try to use the arm taking the last stroke before getting to wall to give your self and extra bit of rotation inertia (to supplement the dolphin-kick) to bring it to the position that it needs to be in when the wall is left.

3)Flutter/dolphin kick to the surface and continue along.

jniffer3 said

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on 6/21/2007 I'm a long time sprinter for competitive swimming (and I now coach swimmers on how to sprint freestyle), and I have found a few things that help make my turn faster: 1-dolphin kick before the somersault (this sends the legs over faster). 2-use one arm to help propel the body through the turn, but bring the other arm out into the streamline position to get into the streamline position faster. 3-do NOT turn while on the wall, as this will change your position, and will cause your feet to either miss the wall completely, or slip. And, lastly, 4-I do blow out a little air when I turn, but I control how much I do blow out...a turn should feel like 2 arm pulls of regular swimming, and shouldn't take more air than this.
Hope this helps! :)

Anonymous said

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on 6/30/2006 Don't try to turn your body over during the flip. Make sure you are pushing off on your back, and use your legs to turn your body over during the streamline.