Butterfly, Discussion on Overall Technique
I am going to reply to this post with my summary interpretation on fly technique but first I will describe where I am with the fly and how I got here.
About a year ago I casually decided to improve my horrible swimming "technique" and re-teach myself freestyle, back, and *** strokes. Somewhere along the line I started playing with the butterfly stroke too which was particularly helpful in making sure I got the most exhausting workouts. So far, my mission is to improve my enjoyment of exercise and make the best out of my limited opportunity for swimming which does not include any formal instruction (Masters would be fantastic but it's not in my near term plans.) In fact, my swimming season could end anytime now so I am taking this opportunity to record what I think I've figured out.
In reading older posts on this board, I came across a comment from someone who wrote: practice, study, practice, study, practice, ... That is what I've done. I've searched out advice on the net, downloaded and studied video, and taken a lot of notes. I haven't come across any type of consensus that the best video instruction or book to buy is "such and such" or found too much consensus on anything other that it's a hard stroke to learn. Other than for a couple of sources, info has come in bits and pieces. A personal instructor and film of myself would be great, maybe it will happen someday.
I began attempting butterfly without even having learned how to dolphin kick which is what I worked on first. After several workouts, I started getting the legs in control and could actually do some fast but very inelegant "butterfly" for up to 25 meters at a shot. My exercise routine has been pretty consistent in rotating two laps of each of the four strokes. I gradually started reading more info on the fly and I discovered I was supposed to be kicking twice instead of once. Initially, it seemed impossible to kick twice but (within a couple sessions) I worked in the second downkick by doing (what I thought of as a) "bunny hop" kick shortly after the first kick ended. For many a workout I worked on arm motion and breathing the most and took lots of notes in the evening. I was not getting the progress I was looking for which made me try even harder. Then I found that some recommend learning with one kick (but I wasn't going back to one now), and I realized the improper timing of my second kick but I was unable to do anything about it. I also discovered that some advice I had apparently misinterpreted had led me into unknowingly dragging my legs straight during part of the stroke. Then I wrote what I'll call my first brilliant rule of butterfly:
"You must learn to rhythmically undulate the entire torso properly for butterfly, and be able to control it, or you will not succeed. This is the first order of business. Do this and learning the rest is a matter of time and perseverance. Don't learn the butterfly undulation, and time don't matter."
Since then, I've been working on undulation almost exclusively. I am very bad at forcing myself to do drills for very long and for the other strokes I do not do any significant drills. For butterfly, I had been doing some isolated kicking and body movements and also plenty of non-breathing and slower motion butterfly. But it hadn't been helping enough. So I started swimming some more intense laps of just undulating and practicing undulating at the surface. Also, I've tried practicing with the arms recovering underwater instead of over and also swinging the arms over and under while applying little underwater resistance. No matter what I did, I found it hard to correct my fly undulation while pulling and the timing of the subsequent (second) kick. I tried mixing in a stroke or two of fly in the midst of a lap of otherwise plain undulation, but I found it too awkward to revert to anything else once got into a full fly stroke. In particular, as far as I can tell, plain undulation meshes with one kick and not two. I haven't yet tried alternating/mixing in other strokes (like *** and freestyle) with fly in the same lap or even one-armed fly. There are too many possible things to try and learn and none standout as best, so I prefer short drills, getting on with butterfly, and not overly interrupting the rest of my medley.
My breakthrough was in concentrating almost exclusively on undulation though the catch, pull, and push. I think of my body as pushing into an arc, but only in one segment at a time starting with the chest. First there is downward pressure on the chest, then the stomach, then the thighs, and then the lower legs. And by really exaggerating this motion I can finally change the pattern of my undulation. This also helps to loosen up my legs which was desperately needed. However, what I've gotten so far is a tiring jerky stroke with highly exaggerated undulation; but the sequence of my undulation seems to be finally on the right course. I've got a lot of smoothing and flattening out to do and it seems like I need work re-integrating my arm-stroke.
In reading earlier threads here, I found someone had posted a couple video frames of Phelps' stroke positions. I actually took the same source video file and extracted a few frames myself at the precise points of my interest (see attached jpeg). I am imprinting these positions into my mind and I intend to focus on executing these stroke points as shown. I looked at video of several other top swimmers (Ian Crocker and others including female) and I could find the same points of interest in their strokes. Phelps' head and trunk goes deeper below his arms than most others (but not all) and Phelps is one of few who breathe every stroke, but I think the stills of Phelps do the intended job.
Comments, arguments, ridicule, or advice on anything is welcome.
Parents
Former Member
You must learn to rhythmically undulate the entire torso properly for butterfly, and be able to control it, or you will not succeed. This is the first order of business. Do this and learning the rest is a matter of perseverance and time. Don't learn the butterfly undulation, and time don't matter.
The hip joints delineate the central axis for undulation. Just the right amount of undulation provides optimal fluidity, minimal effort, less waves, and more energy being directed forwards. Undulation of the torso dictates the motion of the arms and legs, not the other way around. A significant sequence in the undulation involves applying downward pressure with the chest, followed by downward pressure with the stomach, followed by downward pressure with the thighs, and ending in downward pressure with the lower legs and feet. As arm recovery ends, the head and shoulders go down and the hips go up with a down kick.
Kicking is an extension of the undulation. The two down-kicks must occur at (1) arms at full forward extension and at (2) ELBOWS EXITING WATER which provides continuation of momentum with head up for breathing. The butt is at its highest at the finish of down-kick-1 and down-kick-2 will naturally occur with the butt a few inches lower. Down-kick-1 finishes during the short outsweep of the hands or at the beginning of the very first arm stroke. The lower legs rise for most of the arm pull; and after down-kick-2, the lower legs are in up motion for most of the recovery. Elapsed time between down-kicks- 1 and 2 may be roughly 20% longer than the time between down-kicks- 2 and 1 (this will vary considerably with style). Down-kick-2 is a direct result of a full body undulation whereas down-kick-1 is solely from hip action. One of the most common and telling bad errors is the premature execution of down-kick-2.
Fly-dolphin kick with feet angled back and inwards and toes kept slightly bent. Consistent use of the correct technique is very important. It may be helpful during learning to minimize kicking force and rely even more on smooth undulation. For most swimmers, both kicks finish with the legs straight at the knees and the lower legs immediately bounce back up. (Some advocate not completing the second down kick; this is referred to as the "one kick" stroke.) The legs remain loose at the knees. Up and down lower-leg motion never stops but more force is typically applied on the down motion. Due to the perpetual lower body undulation, the hips automatically retain proper height. You will achieve better form, especially while learning, if you do not allow your feet to break the water surface.
Besides full body undulating with the kicks occurring at the right times, the most important thing is to develop is a consistent armstroke through the water to go with a consistent head low breathing motion. Breathe (blow) out during the pull with mouth open before surfacing for the next breath. Breathe every other stroke and do not alter this pattern unless it becomes desirable to breath every stroke. Whether breathing or not, both the head and shoulders are to rise early in the pull. For breathing, the head is lifted as low as possible and quickly goes back to face down. Look more down than ahead when breathing. The breathing stroke is otherwise the same as the non-breathing stroke and the body is directed forwards.
The underwater armstroke is critical because it must be consistently good form to maintain an even, non-tiring rhythm. Develop a full motion underwater technique and arm exit-recovery and make it consistent. Excessive force during pull/push is wasteful and may tire the arms. Momentum for recovery should rely on undulation.
The arms do not need to enter the water close together. Outsweep with hands and then immediately arc each arm in the proper shape WITH ELBOWS UP and PRESS HANDS (slightly curved fingers dominate initially and eventually palms) TOWARDS BELLY WITH MOST RESISTANCE FROM START TO FINISH. KEEP THE ELBOWS UP DURING PULL. Because the arms are in sync with each other, the acceleration created by the proper bent arm position is particularly dramatic. ELBOWS STAY UP THROUGH END OF PUSH which aids arm exit for recovery. In order to keep the elbows up, butterfly requires less passive assistance from the upper arm muscles than does freestyle. In other words, extra force, or pulling, from the upper arms and shoulders is needed to keep the elbows up. This force will make the pull/push speedier and more effective, and, the shoulders will be better prepared and positioned for the exit part of the recovery. (A popular drill which may help in this regard is the "one-arm" fly drill.)
Some swimmers bring the hands together quickly on the pull before getting to the chest and then push back and out. Others user a wider less inward angled pull. When the hands get the closest to each other, throw the arms out into exit-recovery. Do finish early as you would for other strokes. Efficient arm exit is important for not tiring the arms and maintaining speed. Palms face back and up on exit. The arms roll during recovery and elbows finish slightly high (although palms more down with little roll can be easier on shoulders and is ok). Land forward and begin downward undulation with head and shoulders.
Land gracefully! Shoulders must reach the same height out of the water for both the breathing and the non-breathing strokes. Forearms and hands are relaxed on recovery and the arms land softly as the head and shoulders dive.
The hands enter the water slightly angled for the very short out-and-down-sweep motion. Hands go in with slightly separated thumbs and forefingers touching first and all fingers are slightly separated. The fingers remain separated during the out-and-down-sweep but be sure that all fingers come together for the start of the pull. For most swimmers, there is no pause in arm and hand motion once the water is entered although "glide" techniques are popular, especially for going longer distances and for older swimmers. Gliding requires significantly modified undulation as otherwise the arms must speedily execute the underwater stroke to remain in sync with the undulation.
Persevere.
You must learn to rhythmically undulate the entire torso properly for butterfly, and be able to control it, or you will not succeed. This is the first order of business. Do this and learning the rest is a matter of perseverance and time. Don't learn the butterfly undulation, and time don't matter.
The hip joints delineate the central axis for undulation. Just the right amount of undulation provides optimal fluidity, minimal effort, less waves, and more energy being directed forwards. Undulation of the torso dictates the motion of the arms and legs, not the other way around. A significant sequence in the undulation involves applying downward pressure with the chest, followed by downward pressure with the stomach, followed by downward pressure with the thighs, and ending in downward pressure with the lower legs and feet. As arm recovery ends, the head and shoulders go down and the hips go up with a down kick.
Kicking is an extension of the undulation. The two down-kicks must occur at (1) arms at full forward extension and at (2) ELBOWS EXITING WATER which provides continuation of momentum with head up for breathing. The butt is at its highest at the finish of down-kick-1 and down-kick-2 will naturally occur with the butt a few inches lower. Down-kick-1 finishes during the short outsweep of the hands or at the beginning of the very first arm stroke. The lower legs rise for most of the arm pull; and after down-kick-2, the lower legs are in up motion for most of the recovery. Elapsed time between down-kicks- 1 and 2 may be roughly 20% longer than the time between down-kicks- 2 and 1 (this will vary considerably with style). Down-kick-2 is a direct result of a full body undulation whereas down-kick-1 is solely from hip action. One of the most common and telling bad errors is the premature execution of down-kick-2.
Fly-dolphin kick with feet angled back and inwards and toes kept slightly bent. Consistent use of the correct technique is very important. It may be helpful during learning to minimize kicking force and rely even more on smooth undulation. For most swimmers, both kicks finish with the legs straight at the knees and the lower legs immediately bounce back up. (Some advocate not completing the second down kick; this is referred to as the "one kick" stroke.) The legs remain loose at the knees. Up and down lower-leg motion never stops but more force is typically applied on the down motion. Due to the perpetual lower body undulation, the hips automatically retain proper height. You will achieve better form, especially while learning, if you do not allow your feet to break the water surface.
Besides full body undulating with the kicks occurring at the right times, the most important thing is to develop is a consistent armstroke through the water to go with a consistent head low breathing motion. Breathe (blow) out during the pull with mouth open before surfacing for the next breath. Breathe every other stroke and do not alter this pattern unless it becomes desirable to breath every stroke. Whether breathing or not, both the head and shoulders are to rise early in the pull. For breathing, the head is lifted as low as possible and quickly goes back to face down. Look more down than ahead when breathing. The breathing stroke is otherwise the same as the non-breathing stroke and the body is directed forwards.
The underwater armstroke is critical because it must be consistently good form to maintain an even, non-tiring rhythm. Develop a full motion underwater technique and arm exit-recovery and make it consistent. Excessive force during pull/push is wasteful and may tire the arms. Momentum for recovery should rely on undulation.
The arms do not need to enter the water close together. Outsweep with hands and then immediately arc each arm in the proper shape WITH ELBOWS UP and PRESS HANDS (slightly curved fingers dominate initially and eventually palms) TOWARDS BELLY WITH MOST RESISTANCE FROM START TO FINISH. KEEP THE ELBOWS UP DURING PULL. Because the arms are in sync with each other, the acceleration created by the proper bent arm position is particularly dramatic. ELBOWS STAY UP THROUGH END OF PUSH which aids arm exit for recovery. In order to keep the elbows up, butterfly requires less passive assistance from the upper arm muscles than does freestyle. In other words, extra force, or pulling, from the upper arms and shoulders is needed to keep the elbows up. This force will make the pull/push speedier and more effective, and, the shoulders will be better prepared and positioned for the exit part of the recovery. (A popular drill which may help in this regard is the "one-arm" fly drill.)
Some swimmers bring the hands together quickly on the pull before getting to the chest and then push back and out. Others user a wider less inward angled pull. When the hands get the closest to each other, throw the arms out into exit-recovery. Do finish early as you would for other strokes. Efficient arm exit is important for not tiring the arms and maintaining speed. Palms face back and up on exit. The arms roll during recovery and elbows finish slightly high (although palms more down with little roll can be easier on shoulders and is ok). Land forward and begin downward undulation with head and shoulders.
Land gracefully! Shoulders must reach the same height out of the water for both the breathing and the non-breathing strokes. Forearms and hands are relaxed on recovery and the arms land softly as the head and shoulders dive.
The hands enter the water slightly angled for the very short out-and-down-sweep motion. Hands go in with slightly separated thumbs and forefingers touching first and all fingers are slightly separated. The fingers remain separated during the out-and-down-sweep but be sure that all fingers come together for the start of the pull. For most swimmers, there is no pause in arm and hand motion once the water is entered although "glide" techniques are popular, especially for going longer distances and for older swimmers. Gliding requires significantly modified undulation as otherwise the arms must speedily execute the underwater stroke to remain in sync with the undulation.
Persevere.
