Accelerate into the wall.
Turning at the end of a pool is all about breaking inertia or your momentum.
The easiest way to do this is to use a combination of a quick step-up and a powerful arm swing. As you approach the wall, resist the urge to ease up on your pace. Keep your legs pumping and your fingers pulling.
This may feel uncomfortable at first because you’re working to fight against your natural tendency to slow down. But if you coast toward the wall, you lose that precious momentum you’ve built.
The successful turn comes from putting in the effort to accelerate your body through the wall.
Don’t breathe into the wall .
When you do it into the wall, you’re screwing up on two aspects: your breathing and your face. When you exhale and suck air in your stomach, it could actually make your body sink in the pool, and if you do it while trying to face the wall, you’re wasting precious time.
When you do it into the wall, you’re screwing up on two aspects: your breathing and your face. When you exhale and suck air in your stomach, it could actually make your body sink in the pool, and if you do it while trying to face the wall, you’re wasting precious time.
Tuck your chin .
It will automatically help you rotate lower in the water by keeping you positioned over your center of gravity (weight).
It will automatically help you rotate lower in the water by keeping you positioned over your center of gravity (weight). Find the most narrow part of the pool. It forces you to crouch down lower for longer so you can rotate farther.
It forces you to crouch down lower for longer so you can rotate farther. Close your eyes in the water. It’s hard to see what this looks like in the pool, but it can really help.
It’s hard to see what this looks like in the pool, but it can really help. Point your toes. Pointing your toes in the direction you want to go helps you keep your feet close to the wall.
Pointing your toes in the direction you want to go helps you keep your feet close to the wall. Lean your shoulders. When you’re in the wall, lean your shoulders against the wall. This works the water’s resistance, which pushes you back out.
“Hot foot” the turns by having arms extended out when your feet hit the wall.
Many swimmers are taught to bring their inside arm to the thigh when their feet hit the wall. This is supposed to help give the water time to push off the wall. I sometimes tell my students to try swimming and having one arm a little out in front of them with the elbow bent slightly. I call it the hot foot. So if your right foot hits the wall, let your right arm come out a little. This will give it a little time and space to extend forward and get a little time to hold off when you swim.
Get more sleep.
Sleep loss has been linked to low testosterone levels. Low testosterone can factor into sexual performance and muscle mass, both of which are key to good swimming.
Research into the sleep-testosterone connection has found that the more sleep you get, the better your testosterone levels will be. Aim for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
If you can, try to go to bed at the same time every night and rise at the same time every morning. You’ll be accumulating restorative free hours of sleep and resetting your biological clock in the process.
The Next Step
Once you’ve mastered the dolphin kick, you can move on to the flip turn. It’s basically a fast fin pivot for your feet and upper torso to help you survive in rough waters.
You can use the same dolphin kick motion to propel yourself forward and then turn your foot on the way back. This is where the flip part comes from. The key is to time the moment at which you flip over your foot to coordinate the movement with your dolphin kick.
You’ll want to use some serious force to turn your foot and pivot your upper body. Do it in time with your kick. If you’re not sure how fast to do the flip turn, think about the conditions of the water. The faster the current, the more force you’ll want to use in the flip turn.
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