Standing somewhat forward of the underwater hand platforms, swimmer faces the wall and reaches back with both hands placing one on each hand platform. Hands lying flat, palms down, fingers pointing in opposite direction. Keeping both hands on the hand platforms, swimmer performs a simple straight over flip or somersault in the water. Tucked chin, chasing the knees with the nose.

As feet and legs begin dropping at the completion of the rotation, hands remain on the hand platforms until the head ultimately passes them. As can be observed with the swimmer to the immediate right, she falls out of her tuck, but the hand platforms are allowing her to feel and maintain proper depth.

As the head breaks the surface of the water and feet drop to the bottom of the pool, swimmer stands back up.

This preliminary initial drill begins to teach proper distance from the wall to begin the flip, a palms down position heading into the flip, what it feels like to rotate or pivot around the shoulders, proper depth to be maintained throughout the flip, and a straight over or in-line rotation.

Swimmer assumes exact starting position as previous drill (standing, facing wall, both hands on hand platforms). Swimmer tucks and rotates as in previous drill keeping hands positioned on hand platforms. BEFORE STANDING BACK UP, swimmer works to 'find the wall' with feet, keeping both hands positioned on hand platforms. This drill will allow new swimmers to determine proper distance from the wall to initiate the turn and when to stop the rotation so that the head and feet and hips are in line for a good push off.

From the same starting position, swimmer tucks and rotates as in previous drills, again keeping both hands positioned on the hand platforms. As the hips fall toward the wall and into the water, swimmer slides both hands medially, off of the hand platforms, bringing them together overhead and pushes off the wall stretching to a streamlined position on their back. With this drill, swimmers learn to bring their hands together prior to the push off, to streamline coming off the wall and to begin the push off on their back.

From a face down prone position, swimmer kicks toward the wall with both arms at their side directing themselves through the middle of both hand platforms. As the swimmer enters the area between the two hand platforms, he/she outwardly rotates both hands to a palms down position allowing each hand to slide onto the surface of the hand platforms. Swimmer tucks and executes a straight head over heels flip while keeping both hands positioned on the hand platforms. Swimmer slides both hands medially, off of the hand platforms, bringing them together overhead and pushes off to a streamlined position on their back. This drill allows the swimmer to begin practicing the approach, the importance of a creating a line that is straight in and straight out to and from the wall and how to outwardly rotate the hands to a palms down position prior to initiating the flip.

Swimmer kicks in as in previous drill but with one arm extended. As the extended hand enters the area between both hand platforms (see dotted line above), swimmer completes a pull with that hand positioning both arms at their side. Swimmer rotates both hands outward and positions them palms down on the hand platforms. Swimmer slides both hands medially off of the hand platforms, bringing them together overhead, and pushes off in a streamlined position. This drill isolates the final stroke that takes them into the wall and allows them to feel the continuity of that stroke with the tuck, flip and push off..

Swimmer approaches wall with a full stroke. The first hand that enters the area between both hand platforms (see dotted lines right) is the final pull. Swimmer places both hands on the hand platforms and flips as in previous drills, bringing hands together overhead for a streamlined push-off. This drill allows swimmers to practice a full stroke approach and feel the complete flow . . . from one aspect of the turn to the next.

Add fins to drills 4-6 for increased speed into the wall so that swimmers can learn the concept of faster in, faster out . . . how horizontal speed transfers to rotational speed and how faster rotation requires less hand leverage on the hand platforms. Swimmers should be encouraged when using fins to begin to use the hand platforms more as hand "placeholders" than as points of leverage, ie "let the speed of your approach and tuck bring your hips and legs over. Just keep your hands and arms where they need to be for an immediate streamlined push off."