The rolling turn, also known as the "bucket turn," or "barrel turn" in different lexicons, has become popular since the back-to-breast flipturn was outlawed a few years ago. The following is a good video demonstration of this turn.(More below the video)

Now that I have posted this video, I would like to suggest that perhaps this is not the best turn for her to use to improve her speed. The trouble with the bucket turn, or rolling turn, is that in most swimmers, it limits the ensuing underwater pullout on breaststroke. The underwater pullout is infinitely more important than doing a bucket turn, so make sure that your daughter can still do a full pullout even with the bucket turn.

Each swimmer has to find what feels most comfortable for them, but at 12 years old, I would suggest that they stick with the simple touch-turn. Even at the highest levels of competition, swimmers still use the touch-turn rather than the bucket term. Jump to about the 4:40 mark on the video below, and notice that 4 out of the 8 swimmers in the 2009 World Championships final used a touch turn. It’s still not a bad idea for her to learn it, so that as she gets older and stronger, she has the option. (More below the video)

Most people who use the touch turn struggle with it because they try to finish on their back. It is very important to have your stroke counts down (number of strokes between the flags and the wall) so that they know exactly when the wall is coming.

Then they should concentrate on finishing on their SIDE, not their BACK. I have bolded this, because it is essential to a fast turn. Remember, you can be completely on your side, as long as you don’t go “past vertical”, meaning that your body doesn’t rotate past one shoulder pointing straight up and the other pointing straight down.

After touching, the swimmer should curl their knees up towards their chest, and swing their bottom half towards the wall HIP FIRST. If you finish flat on your back and try to go butt first, you will find it awkward and slow.