**Step #2:  Butterfly Arms**
Step #2 is to teach butterfly arms, and I teach the arms before I teach the body dolphin.

And I teach them how to recover the arms before I teach them how to pull.

I begin by getting the swimmers into this position: face down with arms back but about 6 to 8 inches away from the sides, just floating on the surface, with palms facing up.

NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT:  You do not want the swimmer to start the recovery with hands right next to their sides, like this.

If they do, the hands can get stuck, and this leads to a slow recovery – often with palms up and elbows bent – and to a crashing hand entry.  

You want your swimmers to round out the exit, sweeping the arms out and forward to start the recovery.

If you use a mirror, this is what the swimmer sees in the mirror.  Notice how far the arms are away from the legs.

As the hands exit the water, the motion is outward and forward.  Send the energy forward.

From this angle, you can see that the fingers are facing back and the hands are relaxed.

I have the swimmer slide wrists and tops of  hands against my palms to begin the recovery.  This is to make sure she uses her shoulders, and not the hands, to start the recovery.   

I have the swimmer do a “snow angel” and drag the thumb side of the hands across the water.

Make sure the swimmer’s thumbs are in line with the other fingers and not sticking out as if they were hitchhiking. 

The arms should be straight as they recover…and as they return softly to the Butterfly Float position.

With a mirror, this is what the swimmer sees if she does a snow-angel recovery.  She can see the arms drag through the water and go “the long way around.”

Next the swimmer does an “almost snow angel.”  They swing the arms just one inch above the surface of the water, and land softly.

With a mirror, an “almost snow angel recovery” looks like this to the swimmer.  She can see the arms swing around straight, but there is little or no drag.

And here’s the landing…soft, shallow, and back to the Butterfly Float position.

Next I teach the pull, and we start in the Butterfly Float position.

At first, I keep it simple.  I say PULL…and MOVE FORWARD.

Say, “Pull…swing…float.”

Tell the swimmer to pull, and to feel their body move forward.  Then remind them to swing their arms around to the front, just as before.

If they’re over a mirror, they should see their face move forward and remain flat, as if it were “riding on a skateboard.”

Sometimes it looks pretty good right away…but often you need to refine the pull.

I put my hands on top of hers and guide her through the pull.

I start by going out just a little more and then I turn the palms back and make a vertical forearm with her arms.

I guide the hands back and into a diamond position and then round out the finish, sending the arms out and forward.

She goes into a “snow-angel recovery,” and lands softly back in the butterfly float position.

In the mirror, she sees her arms round out a little in front as she starts to turn the palms back.

See sees her forearms go vertical and then they go directly under the elbows.

She sees her arms pull under the body to form a diamond shape.

She sees her arms travel back and flair off to the side as they “round out” the exit.

Next she tries it without my guidance.

Next, I hold her head to make sure she doesn’t enter her arms too close together.  If she does, she’ll hit my arms, and will know to land wider after her next recovery.

Also, holding her head helps correct a common stroke fault:  tucking the chin and dipping the top of the head down as she pulls back.

In the mirror she sees her face remain “flat” through the pull and the landing of the arms at shoulder width or a little wider.


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Butterfly Arms