The butterfly stroke combines a dolphin kick with an arm stroke that reaches up and over the surface of the water and then under the chest in a circular rhythm. The stroke gets its name from the arm movement, which resembles the motion of a butterfly wing. The butterfly swimmer rises to breathe as her arms move under her chest. Butterfly swimmers typically breathe after every other stroke. Many beginners find the butterfly stroke’s movements and timing difficult to master, but the stroke can become highly efficient when used by a high-level swimmer.
FINA Rules
The Federation Internationale de Natation, or FINA, serves as the governing body for competitive swimming. Most international swimming competitions, including the swimming events at the Olympic Games, follow FINA rules regarding individual strokes. FINA rules dictate that butterfly swimmers must keep their body face down in the water, without rolling onto their sides or back at any time except during the turns. The swimmer must move both arms together simultaneously. The swimmer’s legs must also move simultaneously, rather than in an alternating rhythm. Swimmers cannot use a breaststroke kick at any time. Swimmers must touch the end of the pool with both hands at the end of each length. At the start of each length, swimmers can complete several leg kicks and one complete arm pull while remaining entirely submerged in the water. The swimmer must lift his head above the water before he covers a distance greater than 15m.
Butterfly Events
Butterfly swimmers compete in several events of different distances. In the Olympic Games, for example, men’s and women’s events include the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m butterfly races.
Medley Events
A medley event requires an individual swimmer or a team of swimmers to swim all four strokes in a particular order. Each stroke accounts for 1/4 of the event’s total distance. In individual medley events, swimmers must swim the butterfly stroke first, followed by the backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. In medley relay events, the first swimmer must swim the backstroke, the second must swim the breaststroke, the third must swim the butterfly and the fourth must swim the freestyle.
Speed Relative to Other Strokes
According to the World, American and U.S. Open Records posted at usaswimming.org, the butterfly stroke is the second fastest of the four international competitive swimming strokes. As of March 30, 2010, the fastest 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m world records are freestyle records. The second-fastest records are the butterfly records, which are all faster than the backstroke or breaststroke records.
Butterfly Swimmers
As of March 30, 2010, the world record for the 50m butterfly stood at 22.43 seconds, held by Rafael Munoz. Michael Phelps holds the world records for the 100m and 200m butterfly, with times of 49.82 seconds and 1:51.51, respectively. Michael Phelps also holds the American and U.S. Open records for the 100m and 200m butterfly. Bryan Lundquist holds the American and U.S. Open records for the 50m butterfly.
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