Repetition repetition repetition!
This drill or activity works best with beginning swimmers who have not yet mastered their flip turns. I’ve used it with 12 and under developmental swimmers and 9-12 year old state level swimmers.
Three Flips
20 x 50 on 1:15 (or on no interval) Freestyle / Freestyle kick x 50
Each swimmer gets a partner. Partners alternate 50’s so each partner will only swim 10 of the 20 50’s. Partner A goes, then partner B goes after partner A touches the wall.
While your partner is swimming or kicking, you do 3 flips getting your feet to touch the wall in three different spots.
1st flip: land your feet above the horizontal line of the cross on the wall.
2nd flip: land your feet ON the horizontal line of the cross on the wall.
3rd flip: land your feet UNDER the horizontal line of the cross on the wall.
Example from partner A’s perspective:
I’m first, so I swim a 5o freestyle.
I touch the wall, and my partner leaves, swimming his 1st 50, freestyle swim.
While my partner is swimming, I do 3 flips at the wall, touching my feet in a certain location each flip. Any time I have left is rest.
My partner touches the wall.
Now I do a 50 freestyle kick.