1. Approach the wall of the pool swimming freestyle. Begin your turn just short of a body length away from the wall.
2. Tuck your chin to your chest and roll your body into a ball, so that you start to do a forward flip in the water.Tips: Blow air out of your nose to avoid inhaling water. The tighter the tuck, the better the roll. Do only a half somersault.
3. Open your body halfway through your flip and extend your legs to push off against the wall.Tips: Don't open too soon or you'll end up going to the bottom of the pool. Wait until you are facing the wall.
4. Push off the wall, and you will be propelled in the opposite direction from the one in which you were swimming.Tips: You should still be on your back at this point. Feet land on the wall, toes pointing up, your back towards the bottom of the pool, your belly towards the ceiling/sky. Push off the wall, still "back towards the bottom" of the pool, belly towards the sky.
5. Rotate (the part I was having a hard time with):As you leave the wall (remember, your hands are together, extended over your head) begin to rotate from belly up to belly down by twisting your hands slightly and by looking in the direction you want to rotate (don't twist your head - just move your eyes).
6. Streamline your entire body and roll back over onto your belly as you glide. Your shoulders should be up against your ears and your fingers should be pointed. Begin kicking immediately.6. Begin stroking with your arms as soon as your body breaks the surface of the water.
Tips:
Practice somersaults away from the wall first. Exhale through your nose forcefully as you rotate.
Don't slow down before you flip. Your momentum will make the turn easier.
Don't flail your arms everywhere after you're over. This is a major problem for almost all new flippers because the correct arm position is counter-intuitive. When both your arms are at your side and you have not yet swung your legs over, your arms are already in their correct position facing the direction you want to go. You need only turn your hands from palms facing up to palms facing the bottom of the pool.
Tips:
Practice somersaults away from the wall first. Exhale through your nose forcefully as you rotate.
Don't slow down before you flip. Your momentum will make the turn easier.
Don't flail your arms everywhere after you're over. This is a major problem for almost all new flippers because the correct arm position is counter-intuitive. When both your arms are at your side and you have not yet swung your legs over, your arms are already in their correct position facing the direction you want to go. You need only turn your hands from palms facing up to palms facing the bottom of the pool.
Have fun!
