Video analysis: Beginner Butterfly

Great video. Thanks for sharing it. I had to chuckle when viewing it, because the two people doing the kick correctly appear to be the age of my coach, and the one guy shown doing it incorrectly looks to be about my age (50). But I hasten to say there's nothing keeping me from doing the kick correctly, given that we've got plenty of older swimmers on our team who can clip right along with a solid butterfly stroke. The video stresses the connection between the chest going down and the hips up, which was the very thing my coach stressed at the end of our lesson. Everybody's comments on this thread have given me some great things to work on beyond what my coach suggested, but they've also confirmed that my coach knows her stuff. Thanks again!

Revchris, I've looked again at your video. I think it might help if you tried not to put too much effort into your kick. The secret to fly (if there is a secret) is to hold your glide momentarily. As you dive down, your bottom needs to break the surface.

Began learning fly a few weeks ago. First 15 yards in video are awful, last ten perhaps less awful. Masters coach says: head down, more rhythm with body and less knees in kick. I'm sure she's right, but I also welcome any other tips or suggestions. Thanks! Here's a link to the video: drive.google.com/.../view Agreed that this is a great beginning! Something that helped me swim flatter fly, keeping my head lower was the suggestion that I breathe to the side. Once that flat fly is habitual, then keeping the chin in the water is the next step. These two coaching suggestions enabled me to drop 5 seconds from my 50 in all courses.

I see you putting the kick in at the same time as 2 kicks. Try to do one at the end of the arm stroke and the other as you dive forward and into the water with the arms.

Very impressive as Fly is the most beautiful of strokes that also requires the most strength, coordination and execution or it looks likes someone is drowning :-) I like the relaxed arm recovery out front, that's something I teach as a primary focus point so you are on the right track there. As someone said, your pull needs to be a little narrower and you need to accelerate the last half of the pull so you can helps your arms exit the water a little easier. I think you are focusing too much on getting your kick in so you are kicking from the knees rather than from the hips as part of the body dolphin movement. My recommendation is to search out the chest press drill for butterfly as I this is my all time favorite drill for young swimmers as it teaches the critical body movement that will help to move the kick more in sync with the body. There should be two kicks, one when the hands exit the water at the completion of the pull and one when then hands enter the water at the end of the recovery. But really, quite a solid foundation. -pw

Try practicing your kick with fins. You might want to look up what TI calls head lead dolphin. That, plus fins really provided the undulation of the body feel.

Once again, I really appreciate all the great advice! I don't have a new video, but swims seem to have been improving. My times are about the same, but I am able to do a lot more fly without getting exhausted. Still trying to loosen up my hips, but the stroke is shallower now with more forward movement and a smaller kick. One online video suggested kicking your arms out of the water and kicking your arms forward on the reach. This has helped me with the timing of the two kicks. The suggestion to streamline better off the wall has also been helpful, because it has helped me to get a rhythm going and has also kept the stroke a little narrower I think. Thanks again!

Glad you're progressing in the butterfly! One note about fins: as many of the commentators here noticed, you tend to kick from your knees and your kick is not finishing completely. One of the problems with fins is that many swimmers inadvertently kick more from the knees in using them. If you end up using fins often and improperly, you will be emphasizing an exaggerated bent knee and not working on the finish of your kick. I would be sure to alternate between kicking with and without them. Keep us posted on your continued progress!

Began learning fly a few weeks ago. First 15 yards in video are awful, last ten perhaps less awful. Masters coach says: head down, more rhythm with body and less knees in kick. I'm sure she's right, but I also welcome any other tips or suggestions. Thanks! Here's a link to the video: drive.google.com/.../view you need to gradually develop your core strength and start your kick from your core, not from your knees. this is more than just a matter of technique - unless you are a powerlifter most likely your core muscles are almost completely atrophied - it will take you probably a year to build up your core power to the point where ( assuming you have got your technique at that point ) you will actually be *flying* make sure you practice at least twice a week ( every other day is optimal ) and make sure you can feel your core muscle after each workout, but not to the point of risking injury, and not so much that they're still sore by the next workout. watch this video of Ryan Lochte: www.youtube.com/watch notice the amount of action going on in his core. you will not be able to do this for a while, but your goal should be to eventually be able to do this.

Thank you for the additional good suggestions and the video. As my kick has gotten a little bit smaller, I have in fact felt a little bit of soreness in my core after workouts, which I know is a good thing.