How to Swim Butterfly Like Michael Phelps
Swimming butterfly, or "dolphin," as seasoned swimmers call it, is a challenging feat. The stroke is called dolphin because the person swims in the fashion of a dolphin: diving in and out of the surface of the water. The butterfly swimmer pulls with both of his arms at the same time to propel himself forward and upward with each stroke. Before and immediately following the arm stroke, the swimmer kicks with both legs, stabilizing the swimmer near the surface and reducing the amount of drag on his body by keeping him at a relatively shallow depth.
To swim the butterfly like Michael Phelps, a swimmer must dedicate himself to training and learning flawless butterfly stroke technique. Michael Phelps is known for his unorthodox breathing style -- he breathes every stroke while most butterflyers breathe every other stroke, as usually is taught. He does this, he says, because he is more comfortable swimming butterfly in this fashion. Considering that Phelps is the active world record holder in all of the butterfly events, not even his coach will argue with him over his style.
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Things You'll Need
- Swimsuit
- Goggles
- Kickboard
- Hand paddles
- Old shoes and shirts
- An experienced swim coach
Instructions
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Flexibility, Strengthening and Coaching
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1
Develop a regular stretching routine that you employ before and after any workout, and be sure to hydrate regularly to avoid dehydration.
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2
Cross-train on land as well as in the water. Standard exercises like running, pushups, situps, pullups and dips are all acceptable cross-training activities for swimmers. Strength training with free weights and machines will help strengthen a swimmer's body independently of any water.
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3
Hire an experienced swim coach or join a swim team. Guidance is very important when it comes to learning a new stroke, especially if you want to achieve a flawless stroke like Phelps'. You may learn everything there is know about butterfly mechanics, but without an expert to watch you swimming butterfly, you can receive virtually no feedback on your progress. This will slow your stroke development.
Kicking, Breath Timing and Skulling
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4
Kick with your hands on a kickboard to learn the butterfly kick. Flex and extend your abdominal muscles to make a bodily motion that mimics the action of a racing dolphin. Keeping your legs and feet together, kick with them at the same time in a swooping fashion to propel yourself forward.
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Practice this and breathe every four kicks, lifting your head to inhale and then exhaling underwater. As you strengthen, you can lose the kickboard and kick in the streamline position by clasping your hands above your head and straightening your elbows. Continue to lift your head to breathe every four kicks. This will be much more challenging than kicking with a kickboard.
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Practice skulling with your hands in between kicks while continuing to breathe every four kicks. Skulling is a practice that strengthens the forearms by using them to push water. Flatten your palms together and hold them rigidly while stiffening your wrists. Relax your elbows slightly, unclasp your hands, turn your palms outward and push against the water sideways in both directions, being careful to angle your palms so that the pushed water goes behind you, propelling you forward.
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Turn your palms downward and pull them underneath your chest, bending your elbows but not your shoulders. Pull the water with rigid palms so that it travels under and behind you. Breathe now, as this is the highest point that your body will reach in the water while swimming butterfly. Remember to breathe every four kicks.
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Continue your pull following your breath by bending your shoulders and sweeping your hands perpendicularly along your stomach, pulling as much water as possible behind you. Once your hands have reached your groin, press outwardly and kick again, while sweeping your hand in a parallel fashion back along your stomach and back into the streamline position. Practice this skulling drill frequently.
The Butterfly Recovery
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Pull on the water as if swimming freestyle, but with both arms at the same time. Remember to breathe every stroke. Complete a stroke every two kicks by using the first kick to lift yourself slightly in the water -- beginning the "dive" motion of the dolphin stroke.
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10
Breathe while skulling the water as described in Section 2. Once your arms have straightened and now lie beside you, lift them both out of the water elbow first and swing them around your head as it enters the water following your breath.
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Enter the water with your hands slightly to the sides of your head and complete your second kick, finishing the "dive" motion of butterfly swimming and visually illustrating why the stroke is sometimes called "dolphin." Repeat this stroke pattern while not breathing and follow with a breathless stroke. Swim like this -- breathing every other stroke -- until you reach the other side of the pool.
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Grasp the wall with both hands when you reach the other side of the pool. Let go of the wall with one hand and turn to that side -- right handed swimmer's normally turn left and vice versa -- and pull your legs up underneath your torso.
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Let your body fall deeper into the water and let go of the wall. As you push off in the other direction, make the streamline position with your arms and butterfly kick to the surface before beginning to swim butterfly.
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14
Adapt your butterfly style to that of Michael Phelps by beginning to breathe every stroke. Emphasize your dolphin motions while breathing every stroke so that your stroke pattern resembles a combination of diving, pulling and gliding movements. The lung power that you have built up learning to swim butterfly while breathing every other stroke will make your new "Michael Phelps style" style of butterfly breathing much more efficient!
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Tips & Warnings
Augment your butterfly by training using all four strokes. This will strengthen all of your swimming muscles and improve every stroke.
Use special training equipment like hand paddles to further strengthen your arms.
Add intensity to your workout by training in old shoes and t-shirts to increase the amount of drag on your body while swimming, making it more difficult and making you stronger.
Be patient. To swim butterfly like Michael Phelps, you must dedicate substantial portions of time, discipline and effort.
References
- Photo Credit Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
