Butterfly Swimming
Head Position and Body Undulation

In butterfly swimming it is important to properly position your head and body to avoid neck injuries and swim with good technique and maximum efficiency.

Head Position

In the butterfly stroke the head is aligned with the spine most of the time. During the inhale, the head can be a little bit lifted to the front but it's really the body undulation that should get the head out of the water.

To avoid straining the neck you should be looking down and somewhat in front of you instead of looking at the pool end.

At the end of the inhale the head goes back in a neutral position again and splashes in the water when the chest drops.

Body Undulation

Lying with the face down in the water, the body undulates vertically in a wave-like fashion. To do so, the chest and the head are first pressed down in the water, then released. As they are released, the hips are pushed down, then released in turn and the legs follow along to generate the dolphin kick.

This alternating movement is the base of the body undulation.

If you want to learn or improve this technique, here are some dolphin kick and body undulation drills to do so.

Butterfly Swim Tips

  • The butterfly can be really exhausting if it is not performed with perfect technique. Even then, most advanced swimmers can only perform some lengths of it. The difficulty lies in the fact that the wave-like body undulation and that the arms' recovery and legs' kicking must be perfectly synchronized with this undulation.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the shoulders and back don't need to have a particular flexibility. It's really the timing that makes or breaks a good butterfly technique.

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