Flip Turn

The flip turn is executed at the walls of the pool during freestyle and backstroke. The swimmer leans the chin down as he/she reaches the wall, then rolls forward, puts the feet on the wall, and then performs the takeoff in a linear motion. Flip turns make swimmers swim more efficiently by minimizing the amount of wall contact. Proper flip turns assist swimmers in maintaining speed and energy throughout the race. Swimmers must time themselves and use their core and legs to push off the wall to perform a flip turn. Coaches usually train flip turns with the athletes so that they can swim faster and tire less in middle and long-distance events.