Learning how to do a flip turn is mostly about trusting a forward somersault into the wall, planting your feet, and pushing off streamlined — and it comes together far faster once you break it into pieces instead of throwing yourself at the wall and hoping. A flip turn is the tumbling turn competitive freestyle swimmers use to change direction without stopping, and any lap swimmer can learn it with patient, low-pressure practice.

The short answer

To do a flip turn, swim in toward the wall, tuck your chin and throw a fast forward somersault about an arm’s length out, plant both feet flat on the wall as you land on your back, then push off hard in a tight streamline and rotate onto your stomach as you glide back to the surface. The whole thing is one continuous motion — approach, flip, plant, push, glide — and the secret to a dry, comfortable turn is breathing out through your nose the entire time you’re upside down.

Before you start

Practice in a lane or area where you can stand up and stop if you need to, with a lifeguard on duty — never alone. You’ll want a comfortable underwater push-off first, so it helps to already be steady with how to swim underwater for beginners and a solid freestyle from how to swim freestyle step by step. Take the pieces slowly. Rushing the full turn at speed is the fastest way to get a nose full of water and a bruised confidence.

Step 1: Practice the somersault away from the wall

Before you ever aim at the wall, get comfortable rolling forward in open water:

  1. Swim a few slow freestyle strokes in the middle of the lane.
  2. Tuck your chin to your chest, pull your knees in, and throw a forward somersault — like a gymnast’s roll, but in the water.
  3. Blow air out through your nose the whole way around so water stays out.
  4. Come back to your feet or your stomach and stand up.

Do this over and over until the roll feels smooth and dizziness fades. This one drill removes most of the fear — the wall part is easy by comparison.

Step 2: Time your approach to the wall

The most common frustration is arriving at the wall too close or too far. Aim to start your somersault about one arm’s length from the wall, though your exact spot depends on your height and how fast you’re going.

  • Take your last full stroke and let that hand finish at your hip.
  • Use the black cross or “T” on the pool bottom, or the flags overhead, as a landmark to judge distance.
  • Don’t reach for the wall — a flip turn happens before the wall, not at it.

Expect to misjudge it several times. Adjusting your start point is normal, not failure.

Step 3: Flip, plant, and push off

Now string it together in one motion:

  1. On your last stroke, tuck your chin and snap into the forward somersault.
  2. As you come around, let your feet swing over toward the wall so they land flat, knees bent, roughly hip-width apart. You’ll be on your back at this point.
  3. Push off hard into a tight streamline — arms stretched overhead, hands stacked, head tucked between your arms, body long like an arrow.
  4. As you glide, rotate from your back onto your stomach and begin your first stroke as you rise to the surface.

Push off with real power. A strong, streamlined push carries you well past the wall and sets up the rest of your length.

The mistakes that trip swimmers up

  • Holding your breath through the flip — this is what sends water up your nose. Exhale through your nose the whole rotation.
  • Somersaulting too far from the wall, so your feet never reach and you lose your push.
  • Planting with straight legs, which gives you nothing to push against — keep your knees bent so you can spring off.
  • A loose, floppy streamline off the wall that stalls your glide. Squeeze your arms tight over your ears.
  • Lifting your head to find the wall on the way in, which slows everything down.

Keep it safe

  • Work where you can stand and stop, with a lifeguard present — never practice new skills alone.
  • If the spinning makes you dizzy, rest between attempts. That fades with practice.
  • Never turn flip-turn practice into a breath-holding contest. Breathe normally between reps.

Prefer a simpler option for now? The open turn — a touch-and-turn at the wall — is the beginner-friendly alternative and works perfectly well for fitness swimming while you build up to this.

The next small step

Next session, do just Step 1 — forward somersaults in the middle of the lane, breathing out through your nose — until they feel smooth and unforced. That single drill is 80 percent of the flip turn. Once rolling is comfortable, add the wall, and the rest falls into place naturally. If you’re building endurance too, see how to swim laps for fitness as a beginner.