How to Use Arms in the Butterfly Stroke

Video Transcript

"PHILLIP TORIELLO: Hello and welcome to Expert Village. I'm Phillip Toriello from the Avila Bay Athletic Club. The butterfly arm motion. The butterfly arm motion is rather simple in theory but it involves quite a bit and it takes an incredible amount of upper body strength, so what we'll do is we'll start from a basic starting point. Up at the top, in your finish position, you'll work on bending the elbows for the catch, which again is the most important part of any stroke, the catch portion with your palms facing towards you. You work on your pull and just about the time when your arms are reaching your chest line, you're going to go into your push. Now you're going to go just to your hips, just at your hip line as far as the finish is concerned, and then recover back out of the water. The really important aspect of this stroke is you don't want to break the centerline. You don't want to come to the centerline as far as your stroke is concerned. Not only does this impact the shoulders but it also takes some time out of your stroke, coming all the way to here as opposed to in line with your shoulders. Catch, pull, push, recover. Catch, pull, push and recover."