Part I: Freestyle Flipturn–A Focused Approach makes for a Fast Flipturn

A well-executed Freestyle Flipturn can make the difference between winning and losing in competitive swimming. Many swimmers lose valuable seconds because of an inefficient Freestyle Turn Swimming technique. By breaking down the Freestyle Flip Turn in 3 Steps, you can learn How to Do a Flip Turn in Freestyle more effectively, improve your momentum, and save energy for the rest of the race.

Why the Freestyle Flipturn Matters

In a 500-yard freestyle race, a swimmer completes 19 turns. Each Flip Turn Freestyle takes about 5–7 seconds from flags to flags, but the actual somersault portion lasts only about 1 second. That means the biggest opportunities for improvement come from the approach and the push-off. A clean Freestyle Flip Turn helps maintain speed, reduce drag, and keep transitions efficient.

To have a great approach a swimmer must do 3 things:

Step 1: Anticipate the Wall

The first step in a Freestyle Flip Turn is anticipating the wall. Swimmers should know their ideal stroke count into the wall, adjusting based on speed and race distance. Consistent stroke counts make turns smoother and remove the need to lift the head before flipping.

By knowing your stroke counts, it will help you setup for more consistent turns and you will be more actively focused and prepared for your upcoming transitions.

The swimmer in the photo below is anticipating her turn, but she is unsure of her distance away from the wall causing her to look up before the turn! By knowing your stroke count, you avoid having to lift the head and see how far you are away from the wall!

WITH A CONSISTENT STROKE COUNT, IT WILL TAKE AWAY THE NEED FOR A SWIMMER TO LOOK “UP” TOWARDS THE CROSS.

Step 2: Look for the “T”

There is one other marking on the pool floor that will help a swimmer anticipate their flipturn and that’s the “T” at the bottom. As a swimmer is approaching the wall, it is advantageous for them to not only count their strokes, but look for the “T” at the bottom of the pool.

By looking for the “T”, it will keep the swimmer’s head low, give them another way to anticipate the wall, minimize their drag, and maximize their speed before their flip.

The swimmer in the photo below is looking straight up at the cross on the wall. This head positioning is causing her feet to sink, and her speed to significantly slow down.

BY LOOKING FOR THE “T”, IT KEEPS THE SWIMMERS EYES FOCUSING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL–WHICH MINIMIZES FRONTAL DRAG AND MAXIMIZES SPEED.

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Step 3: Drop the Chin

As a swimmer finishes their last Freestyle recovery stroke, he or she should start tucking their chins and dropping the crown of their head towards the bottom. By dropping the chin, the swimmer will carrying their speed further into the wall by keeping the swimmer in a tighter ball.

As you can see from the swimmer below, she has dropped her head under the water–but there’s a significant amount of space between her chin and chest. This space will cause her somersault to be slower than it needs to be.

BY DROPPING YOUR CHIN DOWN, IT WILL HELP TIGHTEN YOUR SOMERSAULT AND CARRYING YOUR SPEED FURTHER THROUGH THE TURN!

If you are a coach–be sure to watch for an extra head lift from your swimmer’s right before their turns. If you notice a small rise in their cap, the swimmer is likely looking up at the wall. There is a 99% chance of this happening.

If you are unsure whether a swimmer is looking up, get their flipturns analyzed with one of our video analysis packages. Here at Swim Like A. Fish, we offer 4 different packages of video analyses to help maximize our coach’s hours in their day.

[CLICK HERE] for Part II, where we will discuss the somersault itself.

-Abbie Fish