Despite the fact that I have been swimming forever (played Div I water polo in college) I never learned to swim butterfly very well (at all). I'm recovering from shoulder surgery (old injury -- torn labrum/stretched capsule) and eager to begin swimming again. When I am as close to 100 percent as possible, is it still possible to learn to become a decent flyer? I'm 46, pretty overweight, and want this comeback to be my last one. (I think the local team must be fed up with me showing up every other year for a few months then disappearing). And I'd like to be somebody who does every stroke, every set, finally.
Any and all advice is welcome.
Cherub
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by battle
Unless you really want to give your surgeon more work - go really slow with fly. If you really have to - start with drills and a strong kick. I have found that doing a multiple kick set helps get me into fly shape. For example - 12 x 100 with every third 100 fly - start the first 25 with one stroke for each 5 kicks the the next 25 with 4kicks per stroke, then 3, then 2.
If you follow the Total Immersion drill sequence, the first thing you will do is learn how to do is a body dolphin, which is the core body movement for butterfly. Body dolphins don't use your shoulders at all. I would recommend that anyone who is learning butterfly spend about a month doing nothing but the first three drills, even if they have no shoulder problems. The principle reason people have trouble with butterfly, IMO, is because they start trying to use their arms before they've totally mastered body dolphins.
Bob
Originally posted by battle
Unless you really want to give your surgeon more work - go really slow with fly. If you really have to - start with drills and a strong kick. I have found that doing a multiple kick set helps get me into fly shape. For example - 12 x 100 with every third 100 fly - start the first 25 with one stroke for each 5 kicks the the next 25 with 4kicks per stroke, then 3, then 2.
If you follow the Total Immersion drill sequence, the first thing you will do is learn how to do is a body dolphin, which is the core body movement for butterfly. Body dolphins don't use your shoulders at all. I would recommend that anyone who is learning butterfly spend about a month doing nothing but the first three drills, even if they have no shoulder problems. The principle reason people have trouble with butterfly, IMO, is because they start trying to use their arms before they've totally mastered body dolphins.
Bob
