swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

, a turn is a reversal of direction of travel by a swimmer. A turn is typically performed when a swimmer reaches the end of a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

but still has one or more remaining pool lengths to swim. In competitions, there are judges or pressure pads in each lane to verify that a swimmer has touched the end wall while turning. A short course race has more turns than the same-distance

long course An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champion ...

race, and the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

will be quicker because of the leverage provided by push-off turns.

Types

*Open turn: the swimmer touches the wall, with one or two hands depending on the requirement for the stroke, and brings legs to the wall in a tuck-like position, then turns on the wall to face the opposite end of the pool and pushes off in a streamline position to begin a new lap.

Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

and

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...

swimmers must touch with two hands, then one arm is typically dropped into the water to begin the turn while the other comes past the head to complete the turnaround from the wall and then the swimmer will push off into a streamline. See also Butterfly stroke#Turn and finish. *

Tumble turn A tumble turn or flip turn is one of the turns in swimming, used to reverse the direction in which the person is swimming. It is done when the swimmer reaches the end of the swimming pool but still has one or more lengths to swim. The techniqu ...

(also known as flip turn or turntable turn): the swimmer swims to the end wall, tucks, does a forward flip, and pushes off in streamline. While typically only done in backstroke and freestyle modalities, it is legal in all events provided that in butterfly and breaststroke both hands touch the wall simultaneously and immediately prior to the turn. See also Front crawl#Racing: turn and finish."BBC Sport. Olympics: Swimming Guide - Tumble Turn"
/ref> *Backwards flip turn, bucket turn, or suicide turn: a turn used in the individual medley when changing from backstroke to breaststroke. The turn involves a touch on the wall in backstroke, followed by a back flip which puts the swimmer in position to push off into breaststroke. *Crossover turn: a turn used in individual medley in the backstroke-to-breaststroke transition. In one fluid motion, the swimmer touches the wall on their back, rotates onto their front, and does a front flip. They then push off in streamline for breaststroke.

References

{{reflist Swimming