Hello!

As apart of our E-Learning Experience, we will provide you with important information on water safety and learn-to-swim skills, as well as swimming technique, breaking down the mechanics and explaining why these skills are most efficient. Additionally, test your knowledge with a short quiz at the end of each worksheet. These online exercises will help us think about the approach to each skill and the proper technique of all four competitive strokes, as well as racing starts, turns and finishes. Below is some helpful information on the most important points. We should always be thinking about and practicing these fundamentals until they become good habits!

This worksheet’s focus is Breaststroke and Butterfly! Both strokes are considered Short Axis strokes – the axis is across our hip so that head up = legs down and legs down = head up. Short axis energy is coming from our hips. Long axis runs along the center of our body so that right side up = left side down and vice versa - this energy is coming from rotational momentum.

Breaststroke Main Points:

  • Body position flat on the water
  • EYES LOOKING DOWN including during the breath
  • Hands out front, elbows straight
  • Index fingers together, thumbs down, palms out (90 degrees from each other)
  • Hands press wide outside the elbows (PRESS OUT, PITCH UP)
  • Anchor the elbows
  • Sweep hands down and inward, FAST
  • Hands recover fast to start position
  • KICK STRAIGHT BACK from hips (toes rotated out)
  • TIMING IS PULL, BREATH, KICK, GLIDE
  • Breaststroke begins and finishes with a streamlinedbody
  • Two hand touches on every wall!

Butterfly Main Points:

  • Body position long and flat on the water
  • FLAT NECK, EYES LOOKING DOWN (If head goes up, legs go down)
  • HANDS GO IN, BUTT GOES UP (chest presses downward to start)
  • Hands enter at 11 and 1
  • Catch the water, elbows up
  • Push through the hips, hands exit little finger first
  • Arms LOW, FLAT, STRAIGHT as they fly forward (this momentum will produce propulsion)
  • Start your breath as you start your pull (breath early in the catch)
  • Breath forward with chin on the water (long neck)
  • Head back down fast before arms fly forward
  • Kick is hip driven – KICK UP AND DOWN
  • Kick when hands enter water, kick when hands exit water
  • TIMING IS ALWAYS FIRST “hands go in, butt goes up”
  • Two hand touches on every wall!

Don’t forget Starting Position every time we leave the wall! One hand up and one hand down, palms facing down. Push off the wall, in your tightest streamline – Our arms squeeze our ears, one hand on top of the other and stretch! Head & Body Position Drills: Remember! Drills break down each stroke into its different movements. When we work on each movement of a stroke separately and correctly, we can perfect our stroke. Below are important drills DSC does for Breaststroke and Butterfly, they should be familiar to our swimmers as this is everyday practice lingo.

1. Breaststroke 2 Kicks 1 Pull Drill – Take 2 Breaststroke kicks in streamline and 1 Breaststroke pull then repeat.

2. Breaststroke 3 Second Glide Drill – Take 1 Breaststroke pull, 1 breaststroke kick and glide for 3 seconds in streamline then repeat.

3. Butterfly 3/3/3 Drill – Keeping a good dolphin kick, take 3 right arm pulls, 3 left arm pulls, and 3 full Butterfly strokes then repeat

**Attached is a short quiz on Freestyle and Backstroke starting position and head and body position. Remember our body position is determined by the position of our head – if our head is up our legs go down. This creates resistance against the water which will make swimming difficult and slow.

  1. How many hands touch the wall with breaststroke and butterfly?

2. Which is the correct timing for Breaststroke?

3. Which is the correct kick for Butterfly?

4. Where should our chin be when taking a breath swimming Butterfly?

5. Which is the correct breaststroke kick?

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