Butterfly Myths

I love swimming 'fly...It feels great. But my Butterfly probably isn't like the Butterfly that you're thinking of.

Let me explain....

Butterfly is a much misunderstood stroke.

It gets a bad rap!

I think it comes from those Butterfly swimmers you see in the pool.

It's always those really good swimmers that swim Butterfly in pools...the ones who can do flip turns, the ones who power through every length in Front Crawl. They start their 'fly with enormous strength and power. There's splash - a lot of splash. They look fantastic. It's hugely impressive. They get to the end of the lap.

They're done, cooked, exhausted.

It's over.

Oh...

Still, it was great while it lasted.

But where does that leave us?

It leaves us with an unhelpful impression of swimming Butterfly. It leaves us thinking that the only way to swim Butterfly is Fast and Furiously. Butterfly is the ‘Dominic Toretto’ of swimming strokes: Angry, aggressive, shouty and powerful.

(that film reference may be a bit too low-brow for LinkedIN!)

Can it be anything else?

Yes, yes, it can...

Let's look at the many myths surrounding Butterfly:

• Butterfly is difficult

Butterfly gives the impression that it's difficult because of the speed associated with the stroke.

What's the answer?

- Find new role models - You've found one here.

- Have your expectations challenged.

Butterfly can be graceful, smooth, splash free, slow and enjoyable. It can even be swum over distance.

• You have to be super athletic and strong to swim Butterfly

Maybe for sprint Butterfly, but not for distance Butterfly. In the photo above, this guy has launched himself out of the water. That took a lot of muscle power. A lot of effort (wasted effort).

What if you don't need to get yourself that high out of the water?

Butterfly takes less effort than you think.

What if the timing of your arm recovery was different so that the arms take less effort to get them out of the water?

What if you had the intention to swim Butterfly with ease?

• You have to swim Butterfly fast

What's driving that speed in your Butterfly?

Is it your expectations of what Butterfly is? - Swimming 'fly the way you think you 'should' be swimming 'fly?

Is it ego? What if you slowed down the stroke to prioritise pleasure over performance?

Or is the urgency in your stroke due to fear - a fear of sinking or drowing, for example You can't swim with fear - what's behind your fear? Are you at one with the water?

Or are you instantly out of breath? If you took more time in your out-breath would that give you more time to glide and take away the urgency?

A longer glide slows your stroke count and makes the swimming more enjoyable.

• It's hard to swim Butterfly slowly

I heard an expert swimmer say this on his YouTube channel. It's not true. My Butterfly is slow, my undulation has a deep, long dive. It’s not supposed to, according to the rules…but it feels great. I love it.

I tell my clients to slow down to go faster.

When you add a Pause to your stroke, your mind stops racing, your arms and legs stop flailling, you develop conscious control and you actually end up swimming more quickly.

You have more time than you think in Butterfly.

The longer and deeper the undulation, the more time for your out-breath - it also gives you more time and enjoyment.

The arms don't have to move as quickly as you think.

• Your undulation has to be shallow

That's true, if you want to be efficient.

But what if you wanted to enjoy Butterfly? What if you could enjoy the undulation and glide that 'fly gives you? The deeper and longer the dive, the more you'll enjoy (and notice) the undulation.

Could you prioritise enjoyment as you notice the feedback from the water, your movement and your momentum using all your senses?

• Undulation starts at your hips....your legs....your chest..

There are so many conflicting views on how to start your undulation.

Here's another one:

My undulation starts with my fingers - not the hips, chest, head or whatever else Youtube says.

I undulate from my fingertips to my toes.

But that's because I Swim My Way. I needed an intuitive way to allow the undulation to happen. To get out of my own way. So, if I wanted a top to toe undulation where better to start than my fingers?

But there's a bit more to it than that…

There's a well known saying in the AT world. Your eyes lead, your head follows, your body follows your head. So, in your undulation, involve your eyes.

I've done a podcast about this on SoundCloud. Maybe I could add it here, if anyone wants it. Let me know…

• You have to breathe every two undulations

Nope, just as it is in any stroke when swimming and just as I say to all my clients and in my online course, the most important thing in your swimming is your out-breath.

Your out-breath is much more important than your in-breath.

We end up gasping for air because we can't get enough air in...and that's because we haven't got rid of the air already in our lungs.

Breathe out and your in breath happens automatically. Breathe out as long as you need to and your stroke timing happens automatically.

You'll stop trying to fit your breathing around your stroke. Your stroke will fit around your swimming.

It works for all strokes. Try it in your Front Crawl. Your stroke count will drop. Your glide will lengthen. Your swimming enjoyment will increase. (The glide is the joy).

Breathe when you need to: after one undulation, or two, or three ...

It's your swimming, breathe when you need to

• Butterfly is only for expert swimmers – not me

I've seen people try to learn Butterfly. They copy the movements of the instructor as best they can but there's too much to think about. They can't tell what they're doing.

It ends up as thrashing and flailling.

There's something missing from their stroke.

They don't understand it.

That's why understanding is more important than technique.

#understandingvstechnique

Anyone can swim ‘fly. It's not as complicated as it looks:

- Add the present moment to your stroke and you have more time than you might think in your stroke. Take away the urgency.

- With the AT concepts of Inhibition and Non-doing you can let the movements happen instead of making them happen:

e.g The timing of the first and second kick happens as a consequence of your undulations. You have to get out of your own way to let the second kick happen.

- Get Swimming Freedom – Challenge those swimming rules.

- Swim Your Way - How do you want to swim Butterfly? Gracefully, smoothly, over distance?

It's your Butterfly, 'fly your way'.

Intuitive Swimming is about mind body water unity, body awareness, body movement awareness and a conscious control of your thinking in the water.

It's about thinking differently about learning, moving and, of course, swimming.