How to Do an Open Turn in Swimming

An open turn is one of the easiest turns to learn in swimming. Turns are used to quickly push off the wall of the pool when you are swimming laps. Competitively the open turn is used most commonly in swimming for breaststroke and butterfly stroke.

Instructions

    • 1

      Swim toward the wall of the pool.

    • 2

      Stretch out your arms in a streamline position when you are close to the wall.

    • 3

      Touch the wall with your hands. This gets you the wall faster which will help with your time in a competition.

    • 4

      Reverse your body in the water. You want to roll your body from being face down in the pool to being on your back. You feet will be going towards the wall now.

    • 5

      Continue to roll your body until you are one your side. Which sides doesn't matter. Use the side that feels comfortable for you.

    • 6

      Touch the wall with you feet and push off. It helps if you get close to the wall so that you can do a strong push off. This will give you a bit of an extra boost in the next lap.

    • 7

      Roll your body as you are pushing off the wall so that you go from being on your side to being face down again and ready for the next lap.

    • 8

      Begin the next lap of your swim and repeat the open turn at the end of the next lap.