Swimming Technique for Arm Action(Butterfly)

Your arms are the main propulsive forces in butterfly stroke. Take them seriously, learn their action correctly or just be a watcher, watching others 'Butter-flying'. Correct arm action is frankly a necessary qualification for making any true to life impression in this stroke. Unlike the front crawl your arms work simultaneously in butterfly, clearly, calling for more strength and flexibility than any other stroke. The arm action can be divided into three stages. These are:

The Entry

In Butterfly, your hands enter the water about shoulder width apart, in front of the head. Make sure that your elbows are held high and enter the water only after the wrists. Make sure that your face is already underwater as the hands enter.


Pull and Push

Once in water your hands turn outwards just below the surface with firm wrists, and move out and then pull inwards towards the centre line beneath the stomach. Remember your elbows should remain high throughout the pull, with the hands fixed as they press back on the water like paddles. See that your hands sweep out close to the thighs, pushing the water back towards the feet. Keep in mind that at this point your head should come up to breathe. Don't forget that in this pull and push your hands follow a smooth and continuous movement, in spite of the bending path.


Recovery

Make sure that when your hands reach the thighs, they are whipped out of the water without any pause and must swing rhythmically back to the point of entry. But remember the palms should face downwards and the elbows should be held relatively high and slightly bent.


Practice for the Arm Action

Bend forward and practise the arm movements in front of a mirror. Move your arms deliberately and slowly. Think about the entry, the pull and the recovery.

Walk in the water, with your shoulders just breaking the surface of the water. Put your face in the water and practise the arm action.

Do the same practice again, this time using four leg beats followed by a glide and one arm pull. Try to keep this going, concentrating on the pull. Think about pressing the hands in towards the centre line beneath the body. Later you can reduce the number of kicks.

Now try to make the arm stroke continuous and leave out the glide. Aim to kick your legs twice during each complete arm cycle. Hold your breath as you do these practices, but try to increase arm strokes every time. Just concentrate on pulling.
Master the arm technique and you will be able to swim the butterfly perfectly.