What it is
A flip turn is a rotation in which the swimmer tucks, rolls over the wall onto their back, and pushes off in streamline. It is difficult for beginners primarily because of discomfort with water up the nose and fear of getting lost underwater.
Essentials
- "Close your mouth and hum" — the foundational bubble cue to keep water out of the nose.
- "DO NOT TWIST ON THE WALL."
- Tuck the chin, lift the hips (butt); the feet roll over the body.
- Feet hit the wall with the swimmer on their back; land underwater with two feet balanced.
- Push off in streamline on the back; roll to stomach during the streamline before surfacing.
- Flips should be without wobble; legs travel directly over the shoulders without a rotating tilt to the sides or twisting.
Progression
- Lay on the bottom: shoulders on bottom, feet touching wall, look up and blow bubbles.
- Sink and spin body: fully submerge and practice spinning in a ball.
- Handstands and turning into flips: hold a handstand for 3 seconds, then the flip happens. Practice often.
- Front flips, back flips, front floats that turn into flips.
- Practice full flips: stand, flip, stand looking in the same direction.
- Practice half flips: front float to back float, like a semi-circle or rainbow.
- Approach and flip: target the "T" mark, approach fast, no-twist flip, land on back with two feet.
- Power push and streamline on back: shoulder-wide feet, flat back, scoop hands to head, push off in streamline.
What goes wrong
- Water in the nose → cue "close your mouth and hum" to produce bubbles.
- Fear of getting lost underwater → build bubbles and body control so the swimmer can return to the surface without panic.
- Twisting on the wall → correct immediately: "DO NOT TWIST ON THE WALL."
- Flipping too far / head bending into knees → keep the back flat, knees bent, feet planted on the wall.
- Spiraling arms during the flip → keep arms controlled near the sides; common mistake is a late breath — start the pull earlier to fix.
How you know it worked
Feet land on the wall underwater, balanced, with the swimmer on their back. The push-off is in streamline on the back, and the roll to stomach happens during the streamline before surfacing. No wobble; legs travel directly over the shoulders.
How you teach it
The two barriers to address before any wall work are nose discomfort and the fear of being lost underwater. "Close your mouth and hum" is the entry point: it teaches bubbles, which simultaneously solves the water-in-the-nose problem and gives the swimmer a reliable way to return to the surface. Build to comfort by doing challenges and activities that integrate flips and twisting, and layer in foot targeting against the wall. Flips from standing are more difficult than flips from a moving approach, so the progression deliberately starts with static positions (laying on the bottom, sinking and spinning) before adding the handstand-to-flip transition and then the full approach.
The handstand-to-flip drill is fun and should be practiced often; the flip happens immediately after holding the handstand for three seconds. Peppering flips, turns, and spins into regular practice challenges and activities keeps the skill approachable rather than a single intimidating event. Watch specifically for twisting on the wall in real time — it is the most common error and the one that most undermines the rotation. The "T" mark on the wall is the visual targeting reference for the approach. If swimmers are using fins, note that fins make flip turns harder; drop the fins if the turn breaks down. The physical rotation cue is "tuck your chin, lift your butt, and roll forward" — this keeps the axis clean and prevents the side-tilt that reads as a twist.