What it is
Open turns are the legal competitive swimming action at the wall, required for Butterfly and Breaststroke. They are always permitted in competition but mandatory for those two strokes.
Essentials
- Two-hand touch on the wall (underwater, not grabbing the edge)
- Get on your side; head remains stable
- Minimize flailing — reduce extraneous arm and body movement
- Push off on your side in streamline
- Begin slow; move through steps deliberately
- It can be a very quick racing turn if done with precision, but mastery takes considerable time and practice
Progression
- Standing flips
- Flip with foot targeting
- Flips that become streamlines
- From flags, swim into wall and flip
- At the wall, broken into chunks: two hands on wall → release one hand, get on side → fall down (look at ceiling) → push off in streamline on side
- Full integration: swim to wall, two-hand touch, open turn, streamline to finish
What goes wrong
- Pulling up on the side of the pool instead of pushing off
- Splashing belly down at the wall
- Pushing off on the back rather than the side
- Going too quickly, flailing limbs, not following the exact procedure
- Turning the body entirely around (full rotation) instead of a controlled side turn
How you know it worked
The swimmer executes a legal open turn: two-hand touch, controlled side position, stable head, push off on side in streamline, with no flailing or extraneous movement. In the race game, the turn meets all teaching criteria and the swimmer streamlines to the finish line without DQ.
How you teach it
Introduce open turns by breaking them into chunks and teaching slowly. Slow open turns during practice, short distance training, and learning will lead to precise movements and speed as comfort and mastery improves. The instructor must actively watch for and reduce extraneous arm and body movement, and cue the swimmer to lay on their side during the turn. The most common failure mode is rushing: swimmers go too quickly, flail their limbs, and skip steps. The cue "minimize flailing, lay on side" targets this directly.
After reviewing each step with personalized feedback, immediately run a set (e.g., 6×50 Breast/Free swim × 25) with the sole feedback focus on the open turn. Instruct swimmers to go slow, focus on each step, and do the turns well. Expect that many will ignore these commands and produce sloppy turns; this is where a structured game helps.
The Flip Turn or Open Turn Race gives swimmers a choice: attempt the open turn (start at the wall, must meet all criteria or DQ) or the safer flip turn (start farther from the wall). The reward for the harder, more precise option is a head start; the penalty for the easy option is distance. Three coaches cover the race: one at the finish line for place order, one watching streamlines (squeezed ears, locked thumb, looking down), and one watching the open turn steps. After each race, review DQs and why, then declare winners based on legal execution. This promotes quality habit building with clear consequences for deviating from ideal body motions, and makes the slow, deliberate practice feel like a game rather than a drill.