In Matt Donovan's article from 4-Feb-2019 entitled, "Four ways to make butterfly easier" he mentions when to breath as one of his points. To quote: (CAPS emphasis is mine.)
"Another big mistake that swimmers make is breathing too late. If you see your hands or forearms, you know that the timing of your breath is late. Your breath should be initiated by picking your head up out of the water the instant your hands have ENTERED the water. Your breath should be taken at the surface DURING THE CATCH (the small out-sweep just before the pull) and into the start of the power phase of your stroke. Your head should go back into the water by the time your hands reach the midpoint of the recovery (straight out from your shoulders)."
This seems backwards to me. I thought the butterfly breath happened as the hands are EXITING the water on the way to recovery over the water. I'm confused.
Meanwhile, here's a clip of my fly. (Please don't laugh too hard!) I think the timing of my breath is correct; however, I'm sure there is plenty more you could say about my stroke. OP, keep in mind I am a 57-year-old breastroker, and I rank near the bottom of the heap in 200 butterfly!
www.youtube.com/watch
Check out Michael Phelps' breath timing in these screenshots from the 2012 Olympic Games. Speaks for itself!
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Yep. Initiate breath early, carry head forward through the recovery.
To All,
There is one aspect of fly/*** (the short axis strokes) that has not been touched on and it can be a very subtle point (ourswimmer touched on part of it).
The beginning of the fly stroke is a combination of two things: the catch and the arm/hand press downward/backward coupled with an upward "press" in the middle of the back between the scapulae (the opposite of a "T" press in the other direction). This upward press lifts the upper torso which results in the hips dropping a bit. This makes it possible to "jut" your chin forward (like Phelps) to breathe instead of lifting your head upward which really drops your hips.
Many butterflyers, without realizing it, press downward with their chest AND their arms at the beginning of the stroke. Because their chest is down during the pull, they are forced to breathe at the end of the stroke and during the recovery. This means they see their arms during the recovery. Not a good thing.
I always told my swimmers: when you pull, your chest is higher than your hips. And, it stays this way until right before the arms/hands enter the water to begin the next stroke. BTW, same thing applies to breaststroke. :)
Windrath
I always told my swimmers: when you pull, your chest is higher than your hips. And, it stays this way until right before the arms/hands enter the water to begin the next stroke. BTW, same thing applies to breaststroke.
In BR it seems to me that the chest should not begin to rise until the insweep. Your chest is naturally lifted up by the insweep and this way allows one to stay streamlined longer.
Hi Allen,
A very subtle point. Phelps is not raising his head. His body is raising up which makes it possible to breathe. The "upward" press and the catch is what raises the upper body relative to the hips which allows the head to surface and breathe.
Beginner swimmer lift their head to breathe instead of breathing when their body position is optimal - which is what Phelps does. By breathing when he does, it does not require extra exertion.
Phelps is clearly raising his head in the power part of th pull, not at the catch. Thanks Elaine.
Allen, in a way, you are right. Michael does breathe during the power phase of the stroke. To be more specific, Bob Bowman once explained that "Michael takes his breath at the end of the arm stroke, just before the hands exit the water. I like for Michael to remember that the head leads the hands, the head emerges for the breath before the hands exit the water and the head submerges prior to the hand entry after the over-water phase"
Phelps is not raising his head. His body is raising up which makes it possible to breathe. The "upward" press and the catch is what raises the upper body relative to the hips which allows the head to surface and breathe.
Certainly I do try to minimize my head's movement relative to my spine, and not just because I have a cervical fusion.
