What we see in this clip is how an elite athlete approaches one of the most basic drills in all of swimming: single-arm butterfly. Most swimmers tend to rush through this drill without thinking about how it applies to their stroke. Kelsi, on the other hand, EXECUTES with total focus.

All the great technique points that we see in Kelsi’s butterfly…can be seen when she drills. Right away you should notice how Kelsi recovers her arms. The arm is straight, she leads with the top of the wrist, and the recovery is both relaxed and quick. Notice how quickly the hand travels from exit point to entry. Notice that when Kelsi drills, she uses the same every-other breathing pattern that she uses in her stroke.

From under water, notice that Kelsi takes two kicks per armstroke, and that she places the down kicks right where they will be when she swims whole-stroke fly. When she drills, Kelsi initiates the kick from her sternum rather than from her knees...just as she will do when she swims whole-stroke fly.

The takeaway is that elite athletes like Kelsi pay attention to details all the time…especially when doing drills.


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Single-Arm Butterfly - Kelsi