Blog by request: Butterfly

Yes, I guess I am now doing blogs by request.

I have changed the way I coach butterfly and it has worked out really well. I watched my Head Coach teach Butterfly, and also watch Steve Haufler, and a few others. I took my way of coaching and have now put it together in a way that has seemed to work.

First of all what level of swimmer do you have? This will determine what approach you will begin with in coaching butterfly. I'll start with the beginners.

I actually don't use the word butterfly with these swimmers. I try to teach to things first. The first being "The Worm" This is a hands by the side method and moving like a work through the water (any depth works). This introduces the undulation motion, don't even apply to butterfly yet. Try to get them to lead with their shoulders and not lead with the head by moving their chin.

Next you'll teach body dolphins. This is when the swimmer is in superman position and they concentrate on pressing the chest. Begin with 3 body dolphins from a floating position. That is it! don't tell them how far they need to go because the distance doesn't matter it is the idea of pressing the chest and not the head and shoulders.

Now you can teach butterfly with no kick. Superman position, and then they'll move their hands downward to create a diamond with their arms under then chin, they then press the diamond to the belly button (keep elbows away from the body pointing outward), and then slice the pinkies first to the surface of the water creating a angel or arrow shape. The arms will rise up in this position by lifting the shoulders and then they swing the arms forward into a superman position. Only three strokes and stop. You are teaching the motion of the hands not how to create propulsion, so don't emphasize the distance that they go. (Short cut terminology: Superman, Diamond, Angel, Swing).

Once they get this motion then add a body dolphin at every superman position, and still no kick.

You'll teach butterfly kick on the side. This is so you can emphasize that they need to kick with equal power to both sides. On stomach this can be hard to feel as part of the kick typically comes out of the water.

Older swimmers, I have do a slicing scull where they do thumbs to belly button then pinkies to surface keeping the elbows out away from the body and palms towards the feet. This is to get the idea of the slice, which is the biggest change in the butterfly that I now teach.

Like breaststroke, I like young kids to develop the different parts of the stroke cycle first, and then learn to put them together, as these strokes are very timing specific, and can create bad habits when put together without the skills in place first. Then again, you can develop mixing in with butterfly swims, as I tend to get older swimmers who haven't developed the parts first, and my group is past developing the parts, and I am putting the parts together. It does work doing both at the same time, but it isn't as easy to put together and can be time consuming as well.