10 steps to learn the freestyle turn

Freestyle flip, freestyle turn How to do it easily, gain air, protect lower back and swim faster?

It is important to start learning the freestyle flip only after you swim 1000m freestyle, if you need to improve your freestyle swimming technique:

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**Some people who are swimming beginners or people who learn who to swim hurry to learn the freestyle turn, we recommend learn the freestyle turn only when you know who to swim 1000 m, it is great and important for open water swimmers, triathletes and masters swimming, because the turn has to be a little different when we are 18 of age and for adults.

The Kipper turn was developed by the coach Tex Robertson. His swimmer, Adolph Kiefer, was the first to break 1 minute in 100 yard backstroke. We call the turn on the wall ‘a Kipper’ in Israel.
Many swimmers, older than 18 years old, get dizzy or out of breath when attempting to perform a kipper, or feel like it is done too slowly.
According to WEST technique, we turn on the walls while protecting our lower back and neck, and using the water resistance for our own good. It enables us to perform a proper turn, and understand our physical abilities. The turn has some key points- dropping our feet, gliding to the wall, rolling in our head and expiring air out through our nose (so we don’t get water in our nose, which is a very annoying burning sensation by itself).
The 10 freestyle turn steps should be built gradually, while protecting our joints. If for any reason you feel stuck at any step, don’t go on the next.

#	Explanation and purpose of exercise	Picture
1	1. Freestlye kicking, double arm pulling go freestyle kick for 5 seconds, with your arms upfront at a streamline. Don’t expire air. After 5 seconds, open your arms to shoulder width, stop kicking, and pull with both arms to your thigh, while blowing air out through your nose. Glide for 3 seconds, then start kicking once again, and put your arms back in a stream line. When you run out of air stand up and breath, or roll over to your side, and breath sidewise. This drill's goal is gliding symmetrically and blowing air out. The glide is possible thanks to the synchronized pulling and kicking movements. It comes handy when rotating over with no neck or back movement, and without getting dizzy.
2	Kicking, pulling and turning kick for 5 seconds, like you did in the previous drill, with your arms in a stream line, or in shoulder width. After 5 seconds, pull with your arms to your thigh, glide with a neutral head position, then roll in your head and bring your knees to your stomach. Keep blowing bubbles out your nose the whole time. Complete your turn. Repeat so again till you complete a lap- swim for 5 seconds, glide, turn and so on. You should stretch your arms at the end of each lap, so we don’t build up tension in our neck when we roll our head in before turning. It is important you glide for at least 1 second before rolling in your head, so you can use the water flow for the direction of your movement. This drill goal is learning a symmetrical turn with no back or neck movement. The main goal is to let the water assist your turn, so we don’t have to work as hard with our arms and legs. When you master a complete turn, a half turn, or a kipper in other words, will be a piece of cake.
3	3. Freestyle swimming with one arm turning Swim freestyle to the middle of the lap, then pull with only one arm, till it reaches your thigh. Glide, roll in your head and go for a full turn. Then go freestyle to complete the lap. In a 25m pool you can probably get in 2 turns at 1/3 and 2/3 marks of the lap. Don’t breath before you turn, and glide for 2 seconds so there is no tension build up in your neck. This drill goal is practicing head rolling in, and using water flow momentum, without getting dizzy. Furthermore, we practice turning over with only one arm, so when we go for a half turn it is way easier.
4	Pushing off the wall on your back Many swimmers go lost when practicing turning. They get dizzy, and water up their nose, which of all is probably the most annoying thing. So before we master the full turn let's practice pushing off the wall on our back: grab the wall with 2 arms, breath in slowly, put your head in the water and blow bubbles out your nose. Then bring in your arm to a stream line and push off the wall with your face facing upwards. When you run out of breath, float on your back in a stream line. You may go freestyle or dolphin kick, but there is no need to kick beyond 7m, since this drill is all about pushing off the wall on your back. This drill goal is pushing off the wall and blowing air out for 3-10 seconds. Then come up slowly to water surface, with your face facing downwards. Don’t get water in through your nose when you rotate on your side by blowing bubbles out. The drill teaches us how to control our breathing, and prepare us to the next step of mastering the kipper.
5	5. Swimming, turning and pushing off the wall on your back Swim towards the wall and pull, bring your arms to your thighs, glide for 2 seconds, roll in your head, bring your knees to your stomach and drop both feet on the wall (just as drill #3 instructs you). Push off the wall once both of your feet are on the wall, and your arms are in stream line. Then start freestyle kicking till you turn over and float on your back, with a continuous out blowing bubbles through your nose. This drill goal is practicing half a turn. It means dropping the feet on the wall exactly where they touched the wall and waiting till your arms are in a stream line. Once your arms are in a stream line, you may push off the wall. Many swimmers don’t really touch the wall, or touch the wall with one feet and push off immediately after. We want to stabilize ourselves on the wall before we push off.
6	6. Dropping your feet on the wall at a 45º angle and pushing off (with no swimming)- Grab the wall with both arms, and place your feet at a 45º to the left. Take air in, and roll in your head, while blowing air out through your nose. Bring your arms to a stream line and push off the wall. Stretch out your body within 3 seconds, with your head facing downwards. World high class competitive swimmers push off the wall being on their back, and kick 6 dolphin kicks till they stretch out their body. Pushing off the wall on the back is pretty slow for most of us, and might cause pain. This drill's goal is finding the right timming to drop our feet at a 45º angle. This angle allows us to rotate easily, without hyperextension of our body. It is very important to keep a continuous movement, without bending our back. Stretch out your body slowly!
7	7. Swimming and full slow turning, in 6 steps Gliding, pulling, rolling in your head, bringing your knees to your stomach, dropping your feet in a 45º angle and a stream line- those are the 6 steps. We go freestyle towards the wall. About 3m before the wall you pull, while keeping your head in a neutral position. Then bring your thumb to your thigh and glide for 2 seconds. Roll in your head when you are 20-50cm away from the wall, bring your knees to your stomach, roll over, drop your feet at a 45ºangle and bring your arms into a stream line. Once your arms are in a stream line you may push off the wall. Turn over slowly, using the momentum of the wall push off, till your face points downwards. You may kick after you push off and take 1 stroke with no breathing, if you like. This drill's goal is practicing a full and slow turn, emphasizing each step separately. Slow movement of head rolling in uses the momentum of the water's hydrostatic pressure, so you can turn easily, effortless, without hurting your neck or back.
8	Quick freestyle turn Swim in a high pace towards the wall, drop your feet on the wall, and bring your arms quickly to a stream line. Then push off the wall powerfully, with a continuous freestyle or dolphin kick. You may breathe after completing 3 strokes. Do not push off the wall before you lock in your arms in a stream line! This drill's goal is performing a correct and quick freestyle turn, while protecting the neck and back. Do not do any sudden movement with your neck.
9	Flipping over drill for a backstroke turn practicing Swim freestyle slowly to the wall, glide, pull, glide a bit more and then roll in your head. Only this time we are going half a turn, and not a full one. It means we drop our feet with our toes pointing upward. Then we bring our arms into a stream line, and remember to blow bubbles out through the nose the whole time. We push off the wall and kick freestyle or dolphin for 5-7m. Pull once till you rich water surface, and then 3 more strokes. This drill's goal is to get comfortable with flipping over from freestyle to backstroke, and realizing how easy it is to perform half a turn, since there is no need to get back in a stream line with your face facing downwards when you drop your feet. Of course it is all done with the neck and back being protected.
10	10. Backstroke turn Swim backstroke, and 3m before you hit the wall turn over on your stomach and glide to the wall. Pull with no kicking, then roll in your head and drop your feet. Have your toes point upward, and put your arms in a stream line. Then push off the wall with a 90º angle bent between you shin and thigh. Now, start freestyle or dolphin kick while blowing bubbles out through your nose, till your reach 0.5m under water surface. This is the exact moment you should take your first stroke. When you reach water surface, take additional 3 strokes. This drill's goal is learning how to do a backstroke turn, by flipping over your stomach, with no kicking. Kicking is not allowed, so it can get you disqualified if you accidently do. Moreover, kicking can hurt your back.