Tumble turn

The technique's development is credited, by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, to Al Vande Weghe at the AAU Nationals in 1934.

[1] Previously this entry erroneously credited the invention of the flip turn to University of Texas swim coach Tex Robertson while he was training Adolph Kiefer for the 1936 Olympics.

[2] Flip turns are usually only used during freestyle and backstroke races.

In butterfly and breaststroke races, regulations require swimmers to touch the end of the pool with both hands simultaneously before turning back for another length.

If the event is medley swimming turns vary based on the combination order of what stroke the swimmer is changing from and to.

Swimmers performing tumble turns during a front crawl race
A tumble turn, sometimes referred to as a flip turn, can be completed by doing a submerged somersault whilst moving toward a wall. This movement involves throwing one's torso forward and forcing the body to begin rotating at the hips. Upon a full 180-degree rotation, one pushes off the wall in a streamline, finishing the turn.