At what level should I learn flip turns?

You can start learning flip turns when you can swim a short freestyle length without stopping and feel comfortable putting your face in the water. There is no speed requirement, since a flip turn is a skill rather than a fitness test. Many adult learners wait until they "feel fast enough," but a controlled progression works at any pace. Start with wall somersault drills without a push-off and progress only while you can breathe normally and stay oriented.

How much time does a flip turn save compared to an open turn?

A proper flip turn can save time compared with an open touch turn, but the amount varies with approach speed, skill, pool length, and how consistently you execute it. The potential saving comes from carrying momentum into the wall, rotating without a full stop, and pushing off in a balanced position. Measure your own repeat times rather than treating one second count as universal.

Why do I get water up my nose during flip turns?

Water entering the nose during a flip turn is caused by exhaling through the nose too late — or not at all. As you somersault, water pressure forces its way into any open airway. The fix is simple: begin a slow, steady exhale through your nose the moment your chin tucks to your chest, and maintain it until your feet plant on the wall. You do not need to exhale forcefully — a gentle, continuous stream of bubbles is enough to keep water out. Practice this standing: tuck your chin and hum through your nose — that "hum" sensation is the exact pressure you need during the turn. If you still struggle, a nose clip is a perfectly valid temporary tool while you build the exhale habit.

Should I use flip turns for backstroke too?

Yes — backstroke flip turns are used in competition and share the same mechanics as freestyle flip turns with one key difference: you approach on your back, roll to your stomach for the final arm stroke, execute a freestyle flip turn, and push off on your back. Use the backstroke flags and your own established stroke count as the approach cue, then practise the rotation at a pace that keeps you oriented. If you are a recreational swimmer, an open backstroke turn is perfectly fine and easier to learn.

Can I do flip turns for breaststroke and butterfly?

No. Breaststroke and butterfly turns are "open turns" by rule — you must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously before turning. The breaststroke turn involves a two-hand touch, followed by pulling the knees to the chest and pushing off in a streamlined position. The butterfly turn is similar: two-hand touch, then a quick rotation and push-off into dolphin kicks. Attempting a flip turn in breaststroke or butterfly is illegal in competition and inefficient in practice because these strokes need a specific body position for the breakout. That said, every competitive swimmer should master open turns as well as flip turns — open turns are faster for breaststroke and are required for individual medley transitions.

How many dolphin kicks should I take off the wall?

There is no universal kick count. Start with a comfortable streamline and a few small kicks, then surface when the kicks no longer feel faster than your surface swimming. Breathe normally after breakout and keep the distance and number of kicks within your coached skill level; a shorter breakout is preferable to straining underwater.

Swim Turns and Flip Turns

Master flip turns in five phases. Fix common mistakes, progress through drills, and learn when to use open turns for breaststroke and butterfly.

Flip turns can preserve momentum compared with grabbing the wall and turning around, but the time you save depends on your skill, pace, pool, and consistency. This guide breaks the flip turn into five phases, fixes the six most common mistakes, and gives you six progressive drills that take you from your first somersault to race-pace turns.

Why flip turns matter — and why most swimmers avoid them

Most adult lap swimmers use open turns — touching the wall with one or both hands, turning around, and pushing off. It feels safe. It feels controlled. And it costs you speed, rhythm, and cardiovascular continuity on every single lap. A flip turn is not a party trick reserved for competitive swimmers. It is a fundamental skill that makes swimming more efficient, more enjoyable, and more athletic.

The math is straightforward: a long pool session contains many turns, so even small differences at each wall can add up. The exact saving depends on pool length, pace, technique, and how consistently you execute the turn. And time is only part of the story. An open turn interrupts your breathing rhythm, drops your heart rate, and forces you to re-accelerate from a dead stop.

A flip turn keeps your momentum, maintains your stroke rhythm, and uses the wall as a springboard rather than a stop sign.

The best part: flip turns are a skill that can be introduced without racing. A swimmer who is comfortable in the water can learn the pieces gradually, using support and normal breathing as needed. The barrier is often psychological rather than physical. Once you trust that water will not flood your nose and that the wall will be where you expect it, the mechanics are simple.

The five phases of a flip turn: approach to breakout

A flip turn is not one motion — it is a sequence of five distinct phases. Each phase depends on the one before it. When a turn feels wrong, the problem is usually one phase upstream from where you feel it. A weak push-off is almost always a poor approach. A crooked breakout is usually a crooked plant. Learn the phases in order and diagnose your turns by working backward from the symptom.

The five phases should feel like one connected movement from approach to breakout. For most swimmers, the biggest time gains come from a predictable approach and a balanced push-off. Add speed only when the other phases remain controlled.

Six common flip turn mistakes and how to fix them

Most turn problems fall into one of these six categories. Pick the one that matches your biggest issue — and focus exclusively on that fix until the correction becomes automatic. Trying to fix all six at once produces a confused, halting turn that is worse than the original.

Six progressive drills: from your first somersault to race-pace turns

Drills are the fastest path to a reliable flip turn. They isolate one skill at a time — somersault body control, approach timing, foot placement, push-off power, breakout distance — so you build the complete turn in layers. Do one or two drills per session, ideally during warmup when you are fresh and focused. Each drill below builds on the one before it.

Drills done slowly and deliberately build new movement patterns. A drill done at full speed reinforces old ones. After each drill set, swim 100m of normal freestyle and apply one specific focus — tight tuck, balanced push-off, or a relaxed breakout — to your turns. For more technique isolation work across all four strokes, see our complete swimming drills guide .

Open turns: when to use them for breaststroke, butterfly, and IM

Flip turns are for freestyle and backstroke only. Breaststroke and butterfly require open turns — a two-hand simultaneous touch on the wall, followed by a quick rotation and push-off. Open turns are not "easier flip turns" — they are a different skill with their own technique requirements.

For swimmers training with a smartwatch, the turn detection algorithm relies on your push-off and breakout pattern. Consistent, clean turns produce accurate lap counting and stroke data. Ragged turns confuse the watch and produce unreliable metrics. Our Garmin swimming watch guide covers which watches handle turn detection best, and the Garmin swim workouts guide shows how to load structured turn-focused sessions onto your watch.

How flip turns connect to your full stroke

Flip turns do not exist in isolation. They are the bridge between laps — and the quality of that bridge affects everything that happens between the walls. A poor turn disrupts three things: your breathing rhythm, your body position, and your stroke rate.

Breathing rhythm: a turn briefly interrupts your normal breathing. If you are gasping for air after every turn, the approach or breathing pattern needs to be easier. Arrive at the wall with enough breath to stay relaxed, then breathe whenever you need to after breakout instead of forcing a fixed stroke count. The freestyle technique guide covers breath timing and bilateral breathing patterns that make turns easier.

Body position: the push-off streamline is the most hydrodynamic position your body ever achieves in swimming — better than any point mid-stroke. If your streamline is leaking — head up, arms apart, back arched — you lose the single biggest speed advantage the turn creates. A tight streamline with biceps near the ears and hands stacked can carry more speed than a loose line.

The body position guide covers streamline mechanics in detail, and our swimming drills guide has dedicated drills for off-the-wall streamlining.

Stroke rate: after a turn, use the push-off momentum without forcing a rushed first stroke. Many swimmers slow back to cruising pace too quickly, wasting the turn's momentum. Take fast, long strokes after breakout and let the rate settle naturally once the line and breathing feel stable.

Flip-turn practice block

Technique first, then repeatable turn endurance · 650m total

6 × 25m Breakout practice — turn at each wall — TU · Rest 30s between repeats · Start each 25m with a controlled flip turn. Surface and breathe freely; compare line and breakout quality.
10 × 50m Turn endurance — freestyle with race-pace turns — GA2 · Rest 20s between repeats · Swim at a controlled moderate effort and keep every turn consistent. Add 20s or stop the block if the turn gets wide or slow.

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Written and maintained by AquaPlan Team, Swim Training & Product.

The AquaPlan team builds swim-training software for structured pool workouts, Garmin-compatible FIT export, printable workout PDFs, and progress tracking.

Focus areas: Structured swim workout design, Garmin-compatible FIT file export, Pool training plans and workout-library systems, Swim training tools for web, iOS, and Android.

Editorial standard: AquaPlan is built by lifelong swimmers — 20+ years in the water, competitive racing, and countless hours on deck. Our training guides come from that experience, not a content mill.

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