What is the best way for me to switch the existing holdings to BTC pairs?
When you choose an order to buy or sell a specific pair at a specific price, you have placed an order to buy or sell, but no real purchase or sale has occurred, as the order has not been executed yet. You can simply cancel the order and create another order.
Altcoin/BTC pairs require more experience, as it is rare for these currencies to outperform Bitcoin in the short term.
Is it simply to sell the coins and then buy back as BTC pairs?
You don't need to do this.