Learning to swim butterfly is fairly difficult. Only more experienced swimmers should try to learn this stroke. Butterfly is typically considered the hardest of all the swimming strokes. It not only requires strength but rhythm and timing. Learning to swim butterfly should be done slowly, don't progress to the next step until you are ready and comfortable with the one before. Don't give up when trying to swim butterfly, it often takes a while for all parts of the stroke to click together.
Step 1
Watch butterfly before attempting to swim it. Log onto the internet and find images of swimmers doing the stroke online or find video of the Olympics or other sporting events where people are doing butterfly. Pay attention to their head and body position. Watch the kick. Watch how and when the swimmers are breathing. Pay attention to the arm stroke.
Step 2
Learn the butterfly kick, also called the dolphin kick. The key to the kick is keeping your feet together and undulating your hips. Practice the kick with your hands at your sides, moving your hips slowly up and down in the water. This can be done in the vertical (in deep water) or horizontal position. Work on moving the kick from the top of your head to your toes like a wave. For added help, wear swimming fins to exaggerate the undulation of your hips. If you are still struggling with the kick, try performing it on your back. You should feel a tightening in your abdominal muscles as you do this.
Step 3
Try the arm stroke. The arm stroke is similar to the freestyle arm stroke in that the arms enter and exit at the same point and are pulled under your body. The major difference is that instead of stroking one arm at a time, both arms pull at the same time. Practice the arm stroke without worrying about the kick-focus on arm technique alone. When you need to breathe during the arm stroke, breathe during the beginning of the pull. At this point, your hands should be moving from in front of the shoulders to under your chest. As soon as you finish your breath put your head back down. The head should stay low during the entire stroke cycle.
Step 4
Put the butterfly kick and arm stroke together. When you put the entire stroke together remember that it requires rhythm. Two entire strokes should take four counts. The first count should be when you hands enter the water. At this time you should execute one kick. The second count is when the hands exit the water by the thighs, at which point you perform a second kick. The third count is the same as the first and the forth count is the same as the second. The action is repeated but counting to four helps keep the rhythm. Use fins if you need to for added strength. Don't give up if you can't do the stroke perfectly right away. Butterfly takes practice. Keep trying and keep watching other swimmers perform the stroke until you can do it right.
Things You'll Need
- Internet Access
- Pool
- Swim Fins
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