1. Drills
  2. Swimming
  3. Starts & Turns

Flip Turn From the Flags

Swim into the wall at speed and flip without slowing down.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Push off from the middle and swim freestyle to the wall.

Core: To the second. Aim for a long, relaxed glide.

Ages
11 and up
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Pool
Bring
Pool
Level · skill
Developing · Starts & Turns

The steps

How it works

  1. Push off from the middle and swim freestyle to the wall.
  2. Take your last stroke and leave your hands at your hips.
  3. Tuck, flip and push off on your back, then rotate.
  4. Do 8 turns.

Coaching point

Do not glide in. Attack the wall.

Safety: Swim only with a lifeguard or coach watching and, under 14, a grown-up within arm’s reach. Keep away from the wall until your coach says you are ready, and stop if you feel dizzy.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Glide game: from the wall, push off and glide to a floating ring, then your partner goes. The pair collects ten smooth glides, with an adult watching.

Challenge

Pick a distance: Less (to the first flag), Core (to the second), More (to the third). Aim for a long, relaxed glide.

Story

You are a seal launching from a rock into the sea.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for a long, relaxed glide. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free swimming week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.