Swimming · Racing & pacing · Starts & turns

Individual medley transitions

Rehearse the three IM changeovers (fly to back, back to breast, breast to free) with the correct touch at each wall.

IM: fly, back, breast, freeCOS1S2
Start / 5
Time
20 min
Players
1–12
Age
U12+
Area
25 m pool
Equipment
backstroke flags

Setup

  1. Swimmers know the IM order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.
  2. Up to three swimmers per lane, circle swimming, starting 5 seconds apart.
  3. Each transition is practised from the far flags in, through the turn, to the near flags out.

How it runs

  1. Round 1, fly to back: swim butterfly in from the flags and touch with both hands together. Turn and leave the wall on the back, surfacing within 15 m. Four repeats.
  2. Round 2, back to breast: count strokes from the flags and touch the wall while still on the back. Turn (open, bucket or crossover, whichever the swimmer has learned), push off on the front and do the breaststroke pullout. Four repeats.
  3. Round 3, breast to free: breaststroke in, two hands touching together, turn and push off into freestyle. Four repeats.
  4. Finish with 2 × 100 m IM at a steady effort, focusing only on legal, smooth touches. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between.
  5. Remind swimmers that the freestyle leg of an IM must be a stroke other than butterfly, backstroke or breaststroke. Check your competition's rules for details.

Coaching points

  • Fly and breast: both hands at the same time, at the same level is safest.
  • Back to breast: the touch must happen on the back; don't roll over early.
  • Keep the last stroke into each wall full and fast; transitions are lost on the approach.
  • Breaststroke pullout off the back-to-breast wall: one arm pull back to the legs, one dolphin kick, then the first breaststroke kick.

Common mistakes

  • A one-hand or staggered touch on fly or breast.
  • Rolling onto the front before touching on the backstroke-to-breaststroke wall.
  • Leaving the fly wall on the front or side instead of the back.
  • Gliding into the wall short of a stroke and losing speed.

Say it: “Two hands, on the back, two hands.”

Make it harder

  • Swim 4 × 50 m as 'turn pairs': fly-back, back-breast, breast-free, then the full order.
  • Time each transition from flags in to flags out and try to improve it.

Make it easier

  • Do the turns from a push off the wall rather than swimming in from the flags.
  • Walk through each touch and turn in the shallow end first.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.