Butterfly stroke
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LKuderna
Posts: 31 Member
I am learning the fly and have watched several good videos (on YouTube). My coach said work with your fins only for now (no arms). I'm stuck at the body wave stage, when I'm trying to actually swim the stroke my knees bend too much. Any ideas? Thank you in advance.
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Don't think so much about the kick, it needs to happen naturally - once you feel where it belongs you'll be able t help it, but too many new butterfliers try so hard to kick hard that they throw the rhythm off. think about picking up 1 end of a hose or rope & whipping it, the enduing wave that travels down is similar to the feeling you want in your body. Think about how a dolphin moves & try to emulate that with the flippers on. I teach the young kids to start with 1 hand on the wall, both feet high up on the wall & push straight out (NOT up) into a dive, tucking the chin to the chest - as soon as your face touches the water lift your chin off your chest (not sky high) & feel that wave travel your body. Once you get that down you will feel where the kick belongs & you can build on that. Just don't force it to happen or you'll be out of rhythm. this all sounds more complicated than it really works out to be, I wish I could be showing you in the water - you'd get it in a hurry...........0
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Thank you, I will try that! I know it's a feeling and you can't force it.0
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Have you tried a monofin? A monofin with a big blade might help straighten you out naturally.0
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No, but I'll try to find one, what a great suggestion!0
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Have you tried a monofin? A monofin with a big blade might help straighten you out naturally.
The monofin will also teach you to keep your feet together so that both legs kick as one..........0 -
Thank you, I will try that! I know it's a feeling and you can't force it.
Very true. The nice part is that it's like riding a bicycle - once you get the feeling for the rhythm you'll always have it..........0 -
I thought of one more thing during my swim today. Have you tried dolphin kick drills on your back, just to get the feel of it? Sometimes it's easier to get the proper form for kicking on your back because your body is naturally more buoyant when floating on your back. Your legs are less likely to drag, and so you can concentrate a little more on form.0
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yes, that's one of the first things I started trying (I think I've watched all the YouTube vids on the fly) and I like it for that reason. I swam today and tried to relax more in the kick and I'm starting to see what you mean.0
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Wish I could do this one. But i lack the mobility in my left shoulder. Same reason I can't do the back stroke anymore.
I do love watching a well executed butterfly. Powerful and graceful.0 -
Guess what!! My swim teacher and I are ordering a monofin to share, I can't wait to try it. I backed off (think I was starting to hurt my shoulders) and am working on my body wave with fins and the tipping drill without fins. Thank you all for the great advice, can't wait to post about the monofin:)0
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I recently spoke to a trainer at my gym who happens to be a swimmer, we were talking about shoulder pain inside the joint - not muscle fatigue. What he said was that the shoulder is an unstable joint & the stresses from swimming have a great effect on them. The way to combat it is to do exercises to strengthen the muscles in & around the shoulder so that they stabilize the joint, he referred to them as "pre-hab" exercises. He directed me to the USA Swimming website & I found a sequence of exercises that have certainly helped. Some use Thera Bands (I was able to order them on eBay), one uses a tennis ball & the rest require no equipment. Do some research, you might find a program that works even better for you.........0
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I recently spoke to a trainer at my gym who happens to be a swimmer, we were talking about shoulder pain inside the joint - not muscle fatigue. What he said was that the shoulder is an unstable joint & the stresses from swimming have a great effect on them. The way to combat it is to do exercises to strengthen the muscles in & around the shoulder so that they stabilize the joint, he referred to them as "pre-hab" exercises. He directed me to the USA Swimming website & I found a sequence of exercises that have certainly helped. Some use Thera Bands (I was able to order them on eBay), one uses a tennis ball & the rest require no equipment. Do some research, you might find a program that works even better for you.........
I have degenerative osteoarthritis in my left shoulder. Before I started really pushing myself swimming and getting my weight down, I had a a lot of pain in my shoulder and the supporting ligaments. Once I started the prescribed stretching routine, the pain diminished and I gained back range of motion lost due to tightness. Some range I'll never get back due to lack of cartilage in part of the rotater. But swimming, as well as lifting that strengthens the shoulder muscles, has done wonders for eliminating the pain in my shoulder.
Butterfly is probably never going be something I can do. At least not without fins. But I can be happy with what I can do. :bigsmile:0 -
I push myself pretty hard in the pool! Unfortunately shoulder pain would get so bad that I could hardly lift my arms and would have to take a break from swimming altogether. I suspect my butterfly was the culprit!
However, since I came across these series of exercises for the prevention of shoulder injuries in aquatic sports, this is now a problem of the past! Now I push myself, without the shoulder pain I would previously experience.
Try the exercises out - you won't regret it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP7fV_d7cDQ 0 -
In, butterfly is on my hit list for this year!0
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Butterfly is tricky, at first. The problem with most peoples butterfly is the rhythm. Once you get that down it becomes pretty natural and much easier. It just takes practice and true dedication to get the proper rhythm down. There are a few things can help. Take it slow, don't worry about going anywhere and just practice the "wave" motion, put you head down in the water and practice the motion. Then try a one armed butterfly. This drill helped me a lot when learning, it just helps simplify the stroke when learning.0
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Butterfly can be difficult for even the best swimmers. It takes a lot of time and practice to master. The absolute best way is to have a coach who can teach the stroke (not all can) evaluate and guide your progress. Even just a few minutes of observation and suggestions can get you pointed in the right direction.
Without seeing your stroke, the best piece of advice I have for anyone is: improve core strength. Butterfly IS NOT about arm strength!!! It's about timing and core strength. Reasonable arm strength is sufficient.
As for the shoulder problems, one important factor MOST people ignore. The cause of most shoulder pain in swimming is lack of body rotation in freestyle and backstroke. NEITHER freestyle nor backstroke should be swam with your body flat!!!!! I cannot emphasis that loudly enough! Body role is what I'm talking about. You should be flat on the water surface but think of your body rolling with each arm stroke. Example: You spend more time on your SIDE than flat on your back in backstroke.
First of all, swimming flat is slower, second it puts more torque on your shoulders and elbows. When you role your body left and right, this torque is transferred from the muscles and joint of the shoulder to the joints and muscles of the back, side and chest. Improve your freestyle and backstroke and I guarantee your butterfly will become easier to master.
Keep swimming!0 -
As for the shoulder problems, one important factor MOST people ignore. The cause of most shoulder pain in swimming is lack of body rotation in freestyle and backstroke. NEITHER freestyle nor backstroke should be swam with your body flat!!!!! I cannot emphasis that loudly enough! Body role is what I'm talking about. You should be flat on the water surface but think of your body rolling with each arm stroke. Example: You spend more time on your SIDE than flat on your back in backstroke.
First of all, swimming flat is slower, second it puts more torque on your shoulders and elbows. When you role your body left and right, this torque is transferred from the muscles and joint of the shoulder to the joints and muscles of the back, side and chest.
That's an excellent point. I was noticing this the other day when I was swimming backstroke. I noticed my chest rocking from side to side. I just assumed I did it to get more pull through the water by pulling my arms all the way under my body (which requires slightly rolling) instead of mostly under and kind of outward. I think the best way to learn that is by sprinting.0 -
Allowing your body to roll in both freestyle & backstroke also allows you a longer reach, which means a longer pull & less strokes per lap. Be careful not to roll too far, you don't want to expend your energy out to the sides, you should always be thinking straight ahead. Also, rolling so much that you're reaching too far over head can also lead to shoulder pain because it causes a little too much stress on the shoulder. In my backstroke I definitely have a roll, but I'm nowhere near on my side - I'm at about a 45 degree angle. That's what works for me, everybody needs to fond what's most efficient for them without injuring themselves.........0
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As said in previous comments, the butterfly kick is all about doing a wave motion. This motion starts at your chest! You can practice this technique by laying face-down in the water, hands straight ahead, and begin the motion at your finger tips. In my language (Dutch) we call it dolphining. You can also just go face-up and start the motion from your chest.0
