While many people think butterfly is hard to learn, it is actually quite easy if you follow the drills and stroke pattern described in this series. There is a common misconception that to swim butterfly well, you have to be strong, but good butterfly swimmers swim the stroke with rhythm and grace. Below you will find a variety of videos including a section on understanding butterfly and many different drills you can use in your program.
Understanding Butterfly
Before going through the drills below, take the time to watch each video in the Understanding Butterfly series so that you fully understand all aspects of the stroke.
Butterfly Stroke Model
Being able to model perfect technique is an important aspect of stroke development and correction.
Butterfly Drills
Butterfly Arm Recovery Drills
Butterfly Drill 1 - Arm Recovery Drill on Dryland
Butterfly Drill 2 - Two Strokes Recovery Action Drill
Butterfly Drill 3 - Continuous Butterfly Action, No Kicking, No Breathing
Butterfly Kicking Drills
Butterfly Drill 4 - Body Position for Kicking, Push & Glide
Butterfly Drill 5 - Kicking with Arms Extended, No Breathing
Butterfly Drill 6 - Kicking with Arms by Hips, No Breathing
Butterfly Drill 7 - Kicking with a Board, Arms Extended
Butterfly Drill 8 - Kicking with Arms Over Board, Chin on Surface
Butterfly Drill 9 - Kicking at Higher Frequency with Arms Over Board
Butterfly Drill 10 - Kicking on Side on the Surface
Butterfly Drill 11 - Underwater Snake Drill
Butterfly Drill 12 - Underwater Butterfly Kicking
Butterfly Drill 13 - Underwater Corkscrew Kicking
Butterfly Drill 14 - Underwater Kicking on Side
Butterfly Drill 15 - Underwater Kicking on Back
Butterfly Combination Drills
Butterfly Drill 16 - Single Arm with Resting Arm Extended, No Breathing
Butterfly Drill 17 - Single Arm with Resting Arm Extended, with Breathing
Butterfly Drill 18 - Two Single Arms, One Double Arm and Breathe
Butterfly Drill 19 - One Single Arm, Two Double Arms and Breathe
Butterfly Drill 20 - Single Arm Butterfly, Resting Arm By Hip, No Breathing
Butterfly Drill 21 - Single Arms, Double Arm and Breathe, Resting Arm By Hip
Butterfly Timing Drills
Butterfly Drill 22 - Three Kicks with Arms Extended, Pull, Kick and Recover
Butterfly Drill 23 - Two Kicks with Arms Extended, Pull, Kick and Recover
Butterfly Drill 24 - Butterfly Swimming, No Breathing, Correct Kick Timing in Relation to Arms
Butterfly Drill 25 - Matt Biondi Drill, No Breathing
Butterfly Drill 26 - Matt Biondi Drill with Breathing
Butterfly Drill 27- Butterfly, Low Arm Recovery, Thumb Drill
Common Faults
Butterfly Fault 1 - Kicking with too much knee bend
Butterfly Fault 2 - Swimming with head too high
Butterfly Fault 3 - Palms facing down during recovery
Butterfly Fault 4 - Pulling Too Wide
Butterfly Fault 5 - Incorrect Kicking Timing
Butterfly Fault 6a - Incorrect Kicking, Arms & Breathing Timing
Butterfly Fault 6b - Asymmetrical Arms Recovery with Uneven Feet
Butterfly Fault 7 - Breathing Too Early
Butterfly Fault 8 - Breathing Too Late
Butterfly Fault 9 - No Extension of Arms on Entry
Starts, Turns & Finishes
- Coming soon...