The pool was pretty empty during my swim today, so after I was done, I tried practicing flip turns based on some of the tips in this thread. It was like night and day!
The main thing that I picked up was arm position. Just before starting the flip turn, my arms should be down at my sides, palms forward. Then the head initiates the flip turn by curling down, and the arms come up over my head. I immediately somersaulted. It had never been so effortless before.
I was then able to flip, and plant my feet on the wall while my body was facing up and push off. It was a pretty amazing feeling.
I need some more practice as I still sometimes push off line (I ended up under one of the lane ropes and in the other lane a couple times). I think my arms go crazy when I twist to face down after the push, and that makes me go astray. But I feel the hardest part of the flip turn is behind me. Much thanks!
Here's a tip I discovered about clearing the water from your ears. I've always had problems with this. I've tried banging my head to the left/right against my hand, and it never really worked. Sometimes I've gone several hours with my ears clogged up.
Then, I learned about this contraption that people wear - basically a headpiece with a twisty tube attached to it and a little ball inside. You put it on, then tilt your head to move the ball through the tube from start to finish. After, it helps clear the inner ear of crystals that cause vertigo. I found this video:
That got me thinking that the ear canal is not just a horizontal tube going into the side of your head. If the ear canal is twisty, a straight left/right head shake won't allow the water to get out.
What has been pretty full proof for me now is to lie down on my back on a bed. I then lift my head up about 6-10 inches, and sort of bang it back down on the bed. But as I bring it down, I twist my head slightly in one direction (to the right to clear my right ear, or to the left for my left ear). When my head hits, my head is turned so I am looking about 45-60 degrees to the left/right. Usually after 3-4 hits, I feel the water dislodge, and I can put my finger in my ear and clear the water. Hope this helps!