This may be a repeat, sorry, but I think it deserves some more discussion. I was a "mediocre" (B team) high school swimmer. I swam the 200 I.M. and the 100 butterfly, pretty much because that was what was left for me to swim. In 1967 you could change your kick in the high school butterfly, at the begining of a pool length. So I swam the first 75 yards dolphin kick (one kick only) and did the last 25 yards with the frog kick (again, only frog, no small dolphin kick). Now I am 55 years old, returned to swimming in September 2004, after doing no swimming since 1968. I train three times a week with a group of masters with a coach (I do swim on my own a couple of days more. Our practices last about an hour with an average 2,000 meters total. I swim mostly freestyle and occasionaly will swim the 50 meter butterfly at a meet. Somehow I am now doing the double kick dolphin kick and gliding more at the end of each cycle, which my coach says is bad, but which I do because if I don't, I'll slip fast into a butterstruggle. One of these days I went back to my old one dolphin kick only and no glide at the end of the cycle and swam faster for 25 meters in practice. Then I figured I could do it at a meet and swam 50 meters long course using this method. I practically died at the flags doing the last 7 meters in weird shape and form. The guy with the stopwatch asked me if I was okay, and I said, yes and slowly got out of the pool and recuperated. I just went into extreme oxygen debt and/or fatigue, but 50 meters (?), nothing dangerous or harmful could or would happen. Okay, I know I should go to a pool with a stopwatch and do time trials of the different strokes I am able to perform. I will do that. Here is my question, for longer distances and in my case for the 50 yard or meter long or short course butterfly: give me input on three options please: 1- get into better shape and do the one dolphin kick all out butterfly with no gliding, 2- do the two kick dolphin kick with gliding but make it more efficient, and 3- practice and perform the butterfrog with gliding (as shown here in a video) and make that my only method of swimming the butterfly. Thanks for any input, especially tips on how to make the frog and glide more efficient, or make the two kick dolphin kick more efficient with less gliding, or how go get through a 50 meter butterfly without dying in the last 10 meters, billy fanstone
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Thanks Skip. And also thanks for the poem Fortress. Interestingly, although I died at the end of the 50 meters (long pool) I did have a better time by two seconds than my previous 50 meters long, a year ago. But, a year ago I was very conservative and swam so slowly that I came out of the pool feeling refreshed and not tired at all. I had been badly beaten by my first ever 200 freestyle swim in a 50 meter pool a couple of hours before, so I was scared. That swim was with the two beat dolphin kick, but with a lot of gliding. In March I'll probably swim the 50 meter fly in a short pool when I can recuperate and go with the dolphin kick all the way. I will try and better my style with no gliding while doing the second kick also. Thanks again, billy fanstone.
P.S. The only other guy I've seen doing the butterfrog (mixed with one dolphin kick per cycle) is a former age group champion in Brasil, of the breastroke style. He is part of the 10 best breastrokers in Brasil within his age group (55-60). He uses the butterfrog when swiming 200 I.M. or 100 and 200 butterfly, when they have those events in a separate day than the breastroke. However, being a breaststoker he glides and does a good job and is efficient. He also glides a lot when doing the breastroke, as it use to be done (except for the no water above the head rule, back then).
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Former Member
Thanks Skip. And also thanks for the poem Fortress. Interestingly, although I died at the end of the 50 meters (long pool) I did have a better time by two seconds than my previous 50 meters long, a year ago. But, a year ago I was very conservative and swam so slowly that I came out of the pool feeling refreshed and not tired at all. I had been badly beaten by my first ever 200 freestyle swim in a 50 meter pool a couple of hours before, so I was scared. That swim was with the two beat dolphin kick, but with a lot of gliding. In March I'll probably swim the 50 meter fly in a short pool when I can recuperate and go with the dolphin kick all the way. I will try and better my style with no gliding while doing the second kick also. Thanks again, billy fanstone.
P.S. The only other guy I've seen doing the butterfrog (mixed with one dolphin kick per cycle) is a former age group champion in Brasil, of the breastroke style. He is part of the 10 best breastrokers in Brasil within his age group (55-60). He uses the butterfrog when swiming 200 I.M. or 100 and 200 butterfly, when they have those events in a separate day than the breastroke. However, being a breaststoker he glides and does a good job and is efficient. He also glides a lot when doing the breastroke, as it use to be done (except for the no water above the head rule, back then).
