Out of all the swimming strokes there are, the butterfly stroke is one of the most difficult to do. There are so many elements that go into doing it well, from the motion on the body to the position of the elbows to the rhythm of the strokes. But while it is difficult to do, mastering the butterfly stroke is the mark of a quality competitive swimmer. As a result, learning and perfecting the butterfly stroke is incredibly rewarding.

If you are looking to get faster at butterfly swimming, your best bet is to work with a coach. This ensures that you are getting direct and targeted feedback. However, there is nothing wrong with educating yourself.

Practice Makes Perfect

Before we talk about special tricks to improve your time, we have to take a moment and reinforce the idea that practice makes perfect. All the tips in the world won’t help if you are not giving your training the attention it deserves. If you are swimming for yourself and fun rather than for a competition, 2-3 times a week should be enough to get the benefits you want while steadily improving yourself. However, if you are actively competing, 4 or more times a week is best.

Now, for a few ways to improve your speed.

Get Fit to Swim Faster

The fitter you are, the faster you can go. And it is important to think about this in terms of what your body can do, not how your body looks. When it comes to swimming faster and faster, you have to think about your body as a machine; you must give it the fuel it needs and keep it in top condition. While swimming is great exercise, if your goal is to improve your speed, you need to add other forms of exercise to your regimen.

Keep Your Kicks Equal in Power

One of the hallmarks of the butterfly stroke has nothing to do with the arms: the dolphin kick. This kick is what gives the stroke its power and drives the forward momentum. The basics of this kick is to keep the legs together while propelling the body with a whipping motion.

You should execute two dolphin kicks per one stroke. Each of these kicks should be equal in power to ensure that you have consistent propulsion moving you forward. While it may take a while to perfect this, considering all the other elements you must also concentrate on, the results are well worth it.

Focus on Your Breathing

Breathing is a bit more difficult with the butterfly stroke than it is with other strokes. This is mainly due to the fact that you keep your head forward an in line with your shoulders rather than turning it from side to side. As a result, timing is key.

A big problem we see with swimmers during the butterfly stroke is that they do not breathe enough. Due to problems with their timing, they will actually miss breaths or not breathe deeply enough. This leads them to swim more slowly as their energy depletes. Practice your breathing as much as you practice anything else with the butterfly stroke.

Perfect Your Technique with Blue Buoy Swim School

If you are in need of a coach or just some general guidance, the Blue Buoy team is here to help. We offer classes for students of all ages and abilities. Stop by our facility or give us a call; we would love to help you perfect your butterfly stroke.