Hello, I'm a UK swimmer (41) who took up swimming following a running injury 4 years ago. A familiar scenario to many. My freestyle and breaststroke is OK and infact I do fairly well in a breaststroke set at the club.
My butterfly is like a stone in the water however. I have chatted to other members , the coach, and watched the good guys, but it does not seem to happen. I get no real leg power on a kick in, kick out rhythym for each arm pull. I know the power comes from the stomach as well as the legs and I know rhythym is important. Has anybody had any great moments of enlightenment. No amount of drill work seems to make a huge difference. Any ideas ?
Former Member
Well, I did under the 40 second barrier about a week ago around 39 or 38 from a pace clock. A lot of times as a kid I did around 31 to 33 and the last year of high school and in community college in the 30. something. I clock around 35 in the freestyle and as a kid a lot of times the 50 fly was about the same time or a second off which would suit me. I really was a much better flyer then than a freestyler but now in workouts I can't repeat 100 flys even near the freestyle. Fly is harder with less conditioning and age.
We all got you scared now, huh? ;)
I don't think thumb position matters from a shoulder injury standpoint. The pull is where most of the stress is formed, and in both cases your pull is the same.
Your arm entry position probably matters more than hand position. Since bringing your hands together is more of a shoulder stretch - it would go to reason that entering with your hands shoulder width apart is easier on your shoulders than bringing your hands together.
The lesson I've learned this week (shoulder problem) is that I need to stretch more and put some concentration on the supporting joints and muscles. My stroke technique may have aggravated my shoulder to some degree, but I think my aggressive workouts after 20 years of no working out was the real cause.
Yeah, Marc, as a matter of fact all these shoulder problems got me thinking about the IDEAL technique.I would not like to end up with a bad shoulder, but in my case I am only 24 and the longest break I had from any kind of excersizing was no longer than a few months since I remember myself...Although that does not mean anything, does it?:-)
TO LINDSAY: the picture says it all,thanks, so I think I will stick to what I see there...
Another question about butterfly: when your hands enter the water do you need to have your palms parellel to the water surface or tilted aa bit with thumbs going in first?I am more concerned from the standpoint of stress on shoulders, which technique is best to do not to kill your shoulders with fly?
All right, as I swim more and more butterfly, I get more and more questions.I do a two-kick butterly and I noticed that on the kick during the pulling phase my feet tend to get out of the water.Is that right or not?
Thanks for the pics!!!
I need to get me a video of phelps or crocker swimming the fly.
For the hand position I've always had it and would recommend (similar to phelps) with the hand being inclined and thumb on the down side. Your pull goes slightly out, so easier to have the hands ready to grasp that water as they enter.
Biggest key to the fly is the hips in my opinion.
