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Flip Turn Drill Library
BASIC FLIP TURN DRILL PROGRESSION
Purpose: Teach kids who have never done a flip turn from the beginning
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
- Standing somersault- hands by thighs and jump from bottom towards ceiling and then do a small ball flip, tucking your head into your chest and letting your legs go straight over… landing on your feet again. Don’t rush it! It’s OK to let the slightly bent legs to float to bottom slowly.
- Horizontal somersault- Middle of pool. Swim a few strokes. Leading arm pulls to side just before flip. Legs go straight over head. Keep the arms where they are and don’t spread them (sometimes it helps to have thumbs linked so the arms stay together and you use core muscles to flip). You should land on your back and straight in streamline with arms up. Either swimming a few strokes or just floating in the water with one arm stretched out, pulling it back, and doing a flip. Switch leading arms on reps so you get used to it on both sides.
- Somersault at the wall- Arm’s length from wall, same principles as Nr 2. But feet landing a foot under water and on the wall. Push-off position is with knees bent at 90 degree angle and on your back.
- Push off on back- with toes pointing to ceiling when they touch the wall and just stay on back for dolphin kicks
- Rotation to stomach after push off- Rotate after push-off, not on the wall and float as far as you can. That’s for freestyle flip turn, obviously. For backstroke you stay on your back and float in streamline
- Do some dolphin kicks underwater right after push-off while rotating to stomach and start flutter kicking when you break the water. Or stay on back for backstroke and do the dolphin kicks.
- Time the first recovery to start just when you break the water with your head/shoulders. First catch/pull happens before that. Do not breathe on first pull!
OVER THE LANE LINE
Purpose: Teaches kids to turn as tight as possible with upper body and helps to elevate/support them for straighter legs coming over
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a flip at the shallow end of the pool over a lane line. Put arms over with palms facing down, pull with both arms behind you, and then do a somersault over the lane line with chin and chest as close to the lane line as possible and legs swinging over and slapping straight into the water on opposite side. Coaches can help them to get over by pushing the legs over
FLIPS IN THE WATER
Purpose: At shallow end for smaller kids, in the deep end with more experienced swimmers
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do mock flip turns from standing or from sculling in the water. Gradually get closer to the wall, so they are comfortable and not scared of hitting the wall.
FLIP IN THE MIDDLE aka. 3 STROKES AND FLIP
Purpose: Good for getting more turns in the length of the pool
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
While swimming easy freestyle (or backstroke), do a flip every 10 yards, or in the middle of the pool on every lap, as well as at the end
NOODLE FLIP 1
Purpose: Gets the body to tuck in tight and teaches how to flip.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Use a pool noodle to flip over, either from standing position, or kicking to the wall with noodle under your armpits. Idea is that in order for noodle to stay with you, you have to coil yourself around it. If you lose it when you push off, that’s cool.
NOODLE FLIP 2
Purpose: This drill is helpful with small kids in getting them to flip on top of themselves instead of sideways. It also helps them figure out how to flip without their arms.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hold the noodle with both hands in front of you and then flip over it by keeping hold of the noodle, either on the wall, or in open water. Push off in streamline
NOODLE FLIP 3
Purpose: Progressing from Noodle Flip 2
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hold the noodle down and below your stomach with both hands holding the noodle on the sides near your hips. Do a flip. End in streamline.
OVER AND UNDER THE NOODLE
Purpose: Strengthen correct push-off with smaller kids who tend to pop up right after turn.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hold a noodle on top of the water at flags or closer if needed, kids have to swim over it and push past it underneath after the push-off. Can start close to wall so they literally have to flip once their chest hits the noodle… and then put the noodle farther and farther to teach the underwater dolphin kick and streamline off the wall
HIT THE BULLSEYE
Purpose: To correct hitting wall too high or too low
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Put a kick board against the wall and hold it there for about 6-8 inches under water from the top edge. Swimmers swim a few yards to gain speed and then try to hit the board with their feet to the “bullseye”. They can tell if they did by hitting a softer surface
OFF THE WALL DOLPHIN
Purpose: Streamline after push-off and kicking right away
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do 10 yard underwater dolphin sprints on back off the wall and tell kids to start kicking the moment they push off. By the time they hit the water surface, they should be on their stomachs. Get back to wall and repeat
2 BOARDS FLIP
Purpose: Helps to stop flailing arms to side while flipping your legs over. Fantastic with younger kids.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Float or slightly flutter kick holding 2 boards down by your sides, one in each hand. Do a flip and the boards will almost naturally stop your arms from flailing to the sides. The boards should end up by/on top of your shoulders
2 BOARDS FLIP AT WALL
Purpose: A variation of 2 Boards Flip drill. Slows you down, teaches to use the core and keeps hands/arms from getting too busy
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Hold 2 kick boards or pull buoys up front, flutter kick to wall and just as the boards are about to touch the wall, spread your arms wide to the sides and flip while bringing boards back together for push-off on back
LAP FREE LAP BACK
Purpose: Helps to practice both free and back versions of the flip turn at the same time.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim lap free, flip and do a lap on back, repeat ad infinitum
PAUSE TURN
Purpose: Helps to focus on getting into streamline
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Pause for a count of 3 when your feet touch the wall
HALLWAY TURN
Purpose: Helps to flip straight and push off on back
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Coach holds two parallel boards just half-way below the surface of water and the swimmer has to turn so that he does not touch the boards/hallway with his feet and push off on back
IN & OUT
Purpose: Easy way to do many turns in succession, so you can focus on turns and not swimming
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim 3-4 strokes from wall down the lane, flip in open water, swim back, flip on wall, repeat as many times as you want. Basically swimming a shortened lap with flip turn in one end with-out a wall
V-SIT SCULL TO SPRINT
Purpose: Helps with getting knees to chest as fast as possible while keeping knees straighter
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a V-sit scull on your back in a V position, then (explosively) tuck your knees in and rotate over heels to your stomach and start sprinting. Idea is to improve the speed and compactness of flip motion. Legs will naturally stay straight from knees as they have to drag through the water
RUNNING DIVE TURN
Purpose: Entry and exit speed drill. WARNING: Can’t do it in some pools and the floor is slippery! Only do them with experienced (and well-coordinated) swimmers!
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Run along the side of the pool for a few feet, dive in so that you are ready to turn when you surface at full speed, make the flip turn and push diagonally under the lane lines (or straight down the lane)
4/3/2 TURNS
Purpose: Race speed turn drill, breath control
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
4 strokes with-out breathing to the wall, 3 dolphin kicks off the wall, 2 strokes before taking a breath
CHASE DOWN TURNS
Purpose: Speed up turning action. Good fun. Friendly competition.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
2 swimmers. 1 starts at 5m mark and 1 at 7m mark (or a couple of meters apart depending on ability). Both face AWAY from turning end. On whistle blow both swimmers somersault and swimmer at 5m mark tries to touch wall before being tagged by swimmer who started at 7m. Safer to have 2 swimmers per lane. For smaller kids it is fine to do 2 groups either side of lanes.
Can also be used for Open Turns
CHILLIN’ HEAD
Purpose: Helps swimmers press their head and chest down and into their turns. Eliminates use of ‘circle’ hands to turn.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Interlace hands behind Head and kick to wall. Press hands and head into turn. Quickly slide hands into streamline position
FLAG 60’s
Purpose: 3 turns and roughly 60 yards. Works great for IM transition turns as well.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Start at the flags, do a turn, swim 25, do a turn, swim 25, do a turn, finish at the flags
FLOAT-FLIP-STREAMLINE
Purpose: To stop the slow roll flip turns and thinking they have to be on their stomach when they push off. It really helps the arm movement too, the press with the palms and going quickly to streamline. It helps to do it off the wall a lot in the middle of the pool because they are less afraid of hitting the wall. And it’s fun. Sometimes we really try to splash the legs, just to get the power in the flip
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Float face down arms at side, palms down. Flip by pressing palms down and using core to fling legs straight over top as fast as possible, ending in streamline floating in your back
T-BONE TURNS
Purpose: Mimic race pace
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swimmer starts by standing on or slightly behind the T on the shallow end of the pool. The swimmer then explosively jumps off the bottom of the pool and goes into their flip turn. After turn swimmers then sprint to half lane mark with a strong underwater and breakout and swim easy back in the next lane so the next swimmer can practice in the middle of lane
Open Turn Drill Library
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FLOATING OPEN TURN aka. FLOAT SNAP DRILL
Purpose: Work on quick change of direction for open turns and bringing knees to head.
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Float and then make an open turn going into streamline the opposite direction. Can be done at the wall with fingertips touching the wall, or for more advanced swimmers, in the middle of lane. Use a pull buoy to float easier and to keep legs together
OPEN TURN BREATH CONTROL DRILL
Purpose: You are allowed to breathe during the turn, but the lower your head is, the faster you get off the wall, so practice having an oxygen reserve (especially for those long BR pull-outs)
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim breaststroke to the wall, do a somersault instead of open turn and push off to do the full pull-out
SWITCH SIDES
Purpose: For slowing down and really thinking about the mechanics
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Make the open turns on the non-dominant side
VERTICAL OPEN TURNS
Purpose: Helps to improve push-off as well as breath control
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Instead of doing turns on the wall, you dive down in breaststroke, touch the bottom with both hands at the same time and do the turn on the bottom back towards the surface
TENNESSEE TURN aka. TORPEDO TURN
Purpose: Helps with feeling the resistance in whole body and to get into as compact position as possible. Also slows the turn down so you can pay attention
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a regular open turn, but dive down before the turn, so you hit the wall a few feet below the surface with your whole body submerged the whole time
BUBBLE BLOW-OUTS
Purpose: Helps to time the breath
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Kick with your hands on the wall and head underwater. Blow out all the air and then do an open turn with ( or with-out) taking a breath
NO HAND WALLEYE
Purpose: This helps athletes engage the core and not rely on hands to change momentum
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a fast open turn except don’t touch the wall with your hands and try to make it look as normal as possible
PULL-OUT PAUSE DRILL
Purpose: Helps to execute the breaststroke pull-out start/turn
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do things in this order:
- Jump off the blocks or push off the wall , get in streamline and PAUSE
- Do a butterfly kick and PAUSE
- Do the long pull-out stroke and PAUSE
- Bring up your shoulders to your ears and PAUSE
- Recover the arms while making breaststroke kick and pull yourself above the water with hands
MULTIPLE PULL-OUTS OFF THE WALL
Purpose: Repetition of pull-out, learning to bring hands back front
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Do a few pull-out pulls and recoveries in a row under water off each wall without getting up
Transition Turn Drill Library
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CROSS TO WALL
Purpose: Approach Drill
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim backstroke and finish with your arm crossed over your head, reaching across, shoulder up, that’s it!
GRAB THE LANE LINE
Purpose: Getting knees up to head
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim close to lane line and grab it. Bring the legs over on the opposite side (or straight over for bucket turn). Get knees to head and use grabbing the lane line as a leverage point to make it easier to spin/flip legs over
MID-POOL FLIPS
Purpose: Mechanics, putting it together/perfecting back-to-breast turn
Video:
Video coming soon!
How:
Swim backstroke and do a crossover or bucket turn mid pool. If you can do it in open water, you can do it on the wall, since you have the leverage of the arm pushing from the wall
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