How to Turn Around

Today’s Focus:

Directing Your Movement in Small Pools

Let’s Unpack:

One of our community members recently asked:

It’s a great question, especially if you're practicing in limited space — like a hotel pool, or backyard pool (like mine!).

So today, I recorded a quick video showing you how to turn around calmly and effectively:
Watch it here on YouTube

Here’s the Strategy (Pull Down or Freestyle):

When you're on your front — either floating or swimming — the trick is to use only one arm at a time:

• Want to turn left? Keep your left arm still, and use your right arm to pull.

• Want to turn right? Keep your right arm still, and pull with your left.

This creates a gentle, circular movement in the water — helping you rotate in place or shift direction.

You can use this strategy during:

• Freestyle

• Your pull-down stroke

• Or anytime you want to “re-orient” without lifting your head or standing up

Now Let’s Flip It (Backfloat or Backstroke):

On your back, the concept is just as simple:

• One arm pulls slightly harder than the other to turn

• Or you can use one foot to lightly “sweep” in a small circle
  (Think: windshield wiper, not kicking hard)

Super simple but gets the job done.

Final Thought:

Usually, the best way to turn around is to reach one end, grab the wall, and then turn around.

But that’s not always possible, so I am confident the techniques outlined above will help.

Pull gently.
Pause.
Let the water guide you.

BIG Love from our windy little backyard pool in Puerto Rico ☀️
— Coach Jeff & Coach Meredith
Caribe Swim Founders

P.S. I know I promised more on back floating - I delayed this a day, as this post seemed to gain a bunch of interest in our community 🙂