I'm pretty much only a freestyle/crawl stroke swimmer. I'll do lots of interval sets in the pool, but only swim very little of the other strokes. Often I'll just throw in an IM here and there just to break up the monotony. But I'm by no means proficient at those other strokes. Yesterday, as I rested after doing a 400 IM, the woman in the lane next to me (obviously an experienced swimmer) came to a stop and asks "Were you just swimming butterfly?" I told her I was and she responded "Hmm, ya don't see people swimming butterfly much anymore."
Dan
It's difficult to say without seeing you swimming in person, and what you are referring to as your "second kick". If you mean that the second kick happens when your arms exit the water, it could be because your kick is coming predominantly from your knees as opposed to maintaining a balance between your core, your hips and knees. A wide, knee-based kick could cause your feet to come out of the water. If you're referring to the second kick as the kick that occurs when your hands enter the water, there is a possibility that you are entering the water too deep with your upper body, causing your feet to pop out of the water. You can work on single arm butterfly drill, either side breathing or front breathing, making sure to focus on keeping your leading arm more at the surface of the water and minimizing the splashing caused by your feet coming out of the water. You can also work on learning to kick both when your arms are at the front and when your arms are at your side (you can do a couple of kicks at one position, then switch, and continue switching back and forth). Good luck!
It's difficult to say without seeing you swimming in person, and what you are referring to as your "second kick". If you mean that the second kick happens when your arms exit the water, it could be because your kick is coming predominantly from your knees as opposed to maintaining a balance between your core, your hips and knees. A wide, knee-based kick could cause your feet to come out of the water. If you're referring to the second kick as the kick that occurs when your hands enter the water, there is a possibility that you are entering the water too deep with your upper body, causing your feet to pop out of the water. You can work on single arm butterfly drill, either side breathing or front breathing, making sure to focus on keeping your leading arm more at the surface of the water and minimizing the splashing caused by your feet coming out of the water. You can also work on learning to kick both when your arms are at the front and when your arms are at your side (you can do a couple of kicks at one position, then switch, and continue switching back and forth). Good luck!
