Swimming starts and turns for youth competitive swimmers are the fastest place to find race-time improvement, because most practice hours go to stroke and conditioning while the start and every wall touch get almost no dedicated attention. A swimmer who dives cleanly, streamlines tight, and turns without hesitation can out-touch a faster swimmer who wastes time at the block or the wall.
This guide breaks down the full progression: a step-by-step swimming start drill sequence from dryland to the block, the mechanics of freestyle flip turns, backstroke turns, and breaststroke/butterfly open turns, plus the rules every age-group swimmer and parent should know. The drills are scaled for swimmers ages 8-14 in club programs, and every drill below is one a coach can run in a normal practice lane.
Quick Answer
The best swimming start drills follow a progression from land to water: streamline holds, sitting dives, kneeling dives, then full track-start dives off the block, each drilled for entry angle and a tight underwater streamline. Turns follow the same logic — freestyle and backstroke use a flip turn (feet plant on the wall), while breaststroke and butterfly require an open turn with a simultaneous two-hand touch. Practicing both at race pace, not training pace, is what actually moves race times.
The Track Start: Modern Block Position
The track start replaced the grab start as the standard competitive starting position and is what nearly every age-group and elite swimmer now uses. The swimmer places one foot at the front edge of the block, the other foot back near the rear edge, and grips the front of the block with both hands. On the starting signal, the swimmer pulls forward with the hands, drives off the back leg, and swings the arms forward into a streamline entry. The whole motion takes well under a second, and a swimmer who is late off the block loses ground no mid-race speed can fully make up.
One rule every young racer needs to know before stepping on a block: USA Swimming uses a one-false-start disqualification policy. There is no second chance, so starts should be drilled for control and consistency, not just raw speed off the signal.
Drill it: 10 dive starts per practice, focusing on a shallow entry angle (roughly 45 degrees) and minimal splash. A bad entry kills momentum more than a slightly slow reaction does.
Swimming Start Drills: The Full Progression
Coaches shouldn’t jump straight to block dives, especially with swimmers under 10. The most effective start-drill progression builds confidence and body position in stages before adding height or speed:
1. Streamline wall push-offs — swimmer holds a tight streamline (hands stacked, arms squeezing the ears, body fully extended) and pushes off the wall underwater. This is the position every later drill is judged against. 2. Sitting dives — swimmer sits on the pool deck or edge and falls forward into a streamline entry. This removes height and fear while teaching the forward-lean mechanics of a real dive. 3. Kneeling dives — one knee down, hands overhead, falling forward into the water. This adds a bit more height and starts training the leg drive. 4. Standing/step-in dives from the deck — full standing dive without the block, focused on entering forward, not down. 5. Block dives with a track start — once a swimmer is comfortable and confident with steps 1-4, move to the block under direct coach supervision.
Most clubs introduce block dives around age 8, only after a swimmer is confident and controlled in the water. Run this progression in short blocks at the start of practice rather than all at once — 5-10 minutes of start work most days beats one long session per week.
Drill it: rotate through 2-3 stages of the progression each practice, then finish with 4-6 full dives focused on entry angle and streamline distance, not speed.
Streamline and Underwater Dolphin Kicks
The streamline position is what turns a good start into a great one. Hands stacked, arms squeezing the ears, body completely tight from fingertips to toes — a swimmer who breaks that line early loses everything they gained on the dive or push-off.
Underwater dolphin kicks are legal off every start and turn in freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, but there’s a hard limit: under USA Swimming and World Aquatics rules, some part of the swimmer’s body must break the surface no later than 15 meters from the wall. Go past that mark still underwater and it’s a disqualification, so drilling the kick count needed to resurface right at 15 meters (not before, not after) is as important as drilling the kick itself. Most age-group swimmers manage 3-5 strong dolphin kicks before surfacing; more experienced swimmers push toward 8-10. Breaststroke is the exception: swimmers are allowed only one downward dolphin kick, taken during the underwater pull-out after the start or turn and before the first breaststroke kick — not a repeated kicking sequence like the other three strokes.
Drill it: 8 x 25 meters with maximum streamline and dolphin kicks before the first stroke. Time each rep and have swimmers count their own kicks to the surface.
Freestyle Flip Turns: Speed at the Wall
A clean freestyle flip turn keeps momentum through the wall; a bad one can lose a full second or more, and that adds up fast across a race with multiple turns.
Teach the approach first: swimmers should hit the wall on a full stroke, not glide in. Use the T-marker on the pool bottom — the cross about 5 feet from the wall is where the somersault should begin. The body tucks tight, flips, plants the feet on the wall in a streamline position, and pushes off underwater on the back before rotating to the stomach.
Drill it: 10 x 25 meters approaching the wall at full speed and executing a flip. Coaches should watch for the classic mistake — slowing down or gliding into the wall — and correct it immediately, since that hesitation is almost always fear-based, not a technical limit.
Backstroke Turns and Open Turns
Backstroke turns are the trickiest skill for young swimmers because they require flipping from the back to the stomach without missing a stroke. Swimmers approach the wall on their back, take one stroke past the backstroke flags (the triangular markers 5 meters from the wall), then rotate to the stomach and execute the somersault, planting the feet and pushing off in a streamline.
Breaststroke and butterfly require an open turn instead of a flip: both hands must touch the wall simultaneously before the swimmer can leave it. Teach kids to touch with extended arms, draw both knees to the chest in one motion, and push off underwater in a streamline rather than popping straight up.
Drill all three turn types — flip, backstroke, and open — in every practice. A 10-minute ‘wall work’ set where swimmers do nothing but turns is one of the highest-value blocks a coach can run; the reps compound over a season.
Race-Pace Starts and Turns
Practicing starts and turns at training pace doesn’t transfer to race performance — swimmers need reps at full race intensity to build the habit. Build ‘broken swims’ into practice: 4 x 25 meters with full race-speed dives and turns, followed by easy recovery.
End each week with a race-simulation set: 1 x 100 meters with a race-pace start, two race-pace turns, and a sprint to the wall. Time it and compare week to week. Hesitation at the block or the wall costs more than almost any technical flaw, so building confidence to attack the start signal matters as much as the mechanics themselves.
Rules Every Swimmer Should Know Before Race Day
A few competition rules directly shape how starts and turns should be drilled: swimmers get one start — a false start results in immediate disqualification, so starts should be trained for consistency under pressure. The 15-meter underwater rule applies to starts and turns in freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly. Breaststroke and butterfly turns and finishes require a simultaneous two-hand touch on the wall. For the complete, current rulebook, see the official USA Swimming rules and policies page.
swimming starts and turns drills FAQs
What are the best swimming start drills for beginners?
Start with dryland streamline holds, then progress to sitting dives, kneeling dives, and standing dives from the deck before moving to the block. Each stage builds the same forward-entry streamline without the height and fear of a full dive.
At what age can young swimmers start doing dive starts from the block?
Most clubs introduce block dives around age 8, after kids are confident and controlled in the water, and always under direct coach supervision.
How many starts should a youth swimmer practice each week?
Short, frequent sessions work better than one long one — aim for a handful of dives most practice days rather than one big block once a week. Quality over quantity: focus on entry angle and streamline every rep.
What is the difference between a flip turn and an open turn?
A flip turn (used in freestyle and backstroke) is a somersault where the feet plant on the wall without a hand touch. An open turn (required in breaststroke and butterfly) needs both hands to touch the wall simultaneously before the swimmer pushes off.
How many underwater dolphin kicks are ideal off the wall?
For freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, age-group swimmers typically manage 3-5 strong kicks, and any swimmer must break the surface by the 15-meter mark or risk disqualification. Breaststroke works differently: swimmers get just one downward dolphin kick, taken during the underwater pull-out before the first breaststroke kick, not a repeated kicking sequence.
Why does my child slow down before flip turns?
It’s almost always fear of hitting the wall, not a technical limit. Practice approaching at full speed with the somersault starting about 5 feet out, using the pool-bottom T-marker as a cue, until it becomes automatic.
What happens if a swimmer false starts?
USA Swimming uses a one-and-done false start rule — a swimmer who leaves before the starting signal is disqualified, with no second attempt. That’s why starts should be drilled for control, not just raw reaction speed.
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