Two Minute Video

Judy, you are right that it is a "flip then a twist."

Let's start with going into the wall: timing your strokes is critical, because you want to approach the wall with one arm extended, the other by your side, as opposed to getting the wall and needing some sort of half-stroke. The extended arm you will use to pull you into the turn a bit, and the one by your side - once you flip - then becomes already in place to streamline off it.

Timing your strokes like that is something that really just comes with practice. You can count your strokes if it helps and try to figure out how many you need to take per length - and the better you get at turns, the less strokes you'll actually take (notice how "far" from the wall the swimmer initiates the turn, then how far he streamlines off it).

To practice turns, start a bit behind the flags, and just keep doing them - you will get a feel, from that spot, how many strokes you'll take.

Okay, back to the turn. You are coming at the wall with an arm extended and the other at your side. Head position: you should see the bottom of the 'T' on the pool wall, but no higher up. *Try very hard not to breathe on the stroke before the turn* - not only does it slow you down considerably, but it actually makes the turn more awkward.

Once you have reached full extension with that armstroke, begin to tuck into the turn. This is really like doing a somersault! Go ahead and practice a bunch of those if this is not a skill yet. *Continuously blow air out your nose and mouth or you will get water up your nose!!!!* You should ALWAYS be breathing out when your head is in the water, anyway (makes the breath shorter when you do breathe).

For starters, just try that: coming into the wall, tuck into the turn, pulling with the extended arm. After you have pulled through it, that arm will join the other one in a streamlined position (both arms extended, over your head, as long as tight by your ears as possible). You will wind up on your back. This is okay - you're learning.

Once you get that down, we'll add the "twist" to it. You will see in the video that the swimmer begins this almost immediately with the push-off. It's pretty simple in that once you have pushed off the wall, you just need to rotate with your torso - I *think* I initiate that action with my shoulders and as I kick, the rest of my body follows. You will see that this swimmer rotates 'clockwise' I guess, turning the left shoulder down. His left arm was the one extended to start the turn. I am the same way - I always go into the wall with my left arm out, and rotate left. If your right arm is extended and that is more comfy then maybe you would be turning counterclockwise? I need to be back in the water to try and feel it...

This will move you so you are back on your stomach. Your arms are streamlined above your head. Don't worry about dolphin kicking like this swimmer does - you can glide a bit without kicking, or you can try and flutter kick. (Dolphin-kicked turns is just something we do to show off, anyway ;-)

As you stop gliding you are ready for your first stroke ("breakout" stroke), so you will simply start to pull with one arm. You can breathe now! So as you begin to pull, turn your head to breathe, and this initiates the stroke cycle.

Then you swim and tag the other wall!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, to distill the details down to cues -
1. Approach the wall with one arm extended, head DOWN.
2. Tuck into the turn like a somersault, pulling with the leading arm. BLOW BUBBLES!!!!!!!!
3. Leading arm joins the other arm in streamline
4. As you push off, start to twist
5. Kick or glide, still in streamline
6. When you come up near the surface of the water, pull + breathe for a breakout stroke.

I hope that is helpful - let me know if you have questions.