Butterfly Stroke, Starts, Turns, Tactics, Finish, Workouts

Pete Snyder, Ph.D. Swimming & Water Polo Coach, Assistant A.D., Fullerton College

Breakdown of Stroke Phases

Entry and stretch Outsweep Catch

Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Chapter 5

Butterfly Stroke Phases (cont.)

Insweep Upsweep Release and exit

Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Chapter 5

Variations of Armstroke
Keyhole versus wide-pull:
swimmers anatomy, strength, age, distance of event.

Force application and physical laws:

Newtons first and third laws as applied to armstroke.

Release and recovery:

Exit point of hand, stroke rate. Up, out, and forward. Straight versus bent arm recovery.

Common Armstroke Mistakes

Dropping Elbows on entry. Pulling out too forcefully on outsweep. Recovering arms too high or through the water. Lack of finish and exit lifting up rather than pushing back; extending arms too soon before finish & follow through. (the piano)

Kick and lower body

Dolphin mechanics, technique.
Upbeat, downbeat, hip flexion, extension, hyperextension. How much knee bend in relation to the hips and torso.

Timing, emphasis.
First and second kick Strong, small; Small, strong; equal

Coordination of hips and legs.

Downbeat of the first kick simultaneous with entry of arms.

Breathing in conjunction with kick.

When to fit it in.

Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Chapter 5

Breathing
Technique of head, neck and upper body.
Higher versus lower head position. Side breath?

Coordination with stroke.

Hip, back, hand and body position in relation to neck flexion and extension.

Pattern and frequency, exhalation process.

Three, two, and one breath patterns. Velocity versus oxygen.

Full Stroke Coordination

Timing and emphases of kicks in relation to armstroke.
Undulation.

Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Chapter 5

Full stroke (cont.)

Timing of breathing in relation to kicks & armstroke.

Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Chapter 5

Timing of armstroke when approaching turns & finish.

Relay takeoffs.

Timing as related to distance of event and anatomy of swimmer.

Full Stroke Mistakes

Timing:
Kicking too early during recovery. Gliding too long after entry. Kicking once per stroke cycle.

Body position mistakes:

Hip position and undulation of body. Head position coming up too high for breath. Breathing too early or too late (hitch in stroke).

Starts
Takeoff and entry into the water. Breakout.

Hannula, Dick & Nort Thornton. The Swim Coaching Bible, Trembly,Fielder, Ch.15

Turns
Strokes and breath to the wall.
Timing of strokes so as to reach maximal arm extension on contact.

Hand contact with the wall. Body pivot and leg tuck.
Hip and leg position.

Hannula, Dick & Nort Thornton. The Swim Coaching Bible, Trembly,Fielder, Ch.15

Turns (cont.)
Arm throw, hand split and push off.
Salute hand position. Downward angle @ push off; angle up to surface.

Underwater streamline and dolphin.

Three to four kicks quick tempo as ascend to conserve momentum.

Breakout.
No breath on first stroke of breakout.

One vs. 3 vs. 7 turn race.

Finishes
Breathing to wall. Timing of strokes full extension.
Body and head position for last strokes to the wall.

Drill on finishes 12.5 yards.

Drills
Kicking with hands in front, behind, monofin. Underwater dolphin alternate under and on top per 25; streamline position. Dolphin kick on back. Freestyle one right, one left, one both. Three down, two up kicking drill two stroke cycles after three dolphin kicks underwater.

Sample Workouts
Butterfly/freestyle sets 25%-75% butterfly, the remainder freestyle, alternate strokes. Broken series 200s broken @ 100 and 50. Straight sets 50s; 75s Mid-pools 50s working on turns. 12.5s from dive work on starts, breakouts. Kicking sets sprint 100s; 50s; 25s working on tempo and rhythm. Individual medleys. Vertical kicking.

Final Thoughts
Simplify. No paralysis by analysis progressions to assist the whole versus the parts. Rhythmic body movement. Thinking of beats. Hold stroke coordination as maximum objective. Have fun with stroke.

References
Colwin, Cecil. Cecil Colwin on Swimming. London, England: Pelham Books, 1969 Counsilman, James E. Science of Swimming. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall,1968 Hannula, Richard and Thornton, Nort. The Swim Coaching Bible. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics, 2001 Maglisco, Ernest. Swimming Fastest. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics, 2003