Teaching Butterfly To Beginners - Butterfly Basics

The Basics of Teaching Butterfly To Beginners

As I have said before, butterfly in my view is the most difficult of strokes to master. Teaching butterfly to beginners is challenging. That is of course unless you follow the steps.

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

Basically this is a promotional video for a particular swim school but it is very clear and simple to follow.

Admittedly they feature younger swimmers but that may be especially effective for older swimmers learning butterfly as well.

This teaching progression will aid swim instructors, coaches, and swimmers in developing a smooth and effective butterfly.

In my opinion, the biggest mistake that any swim teacher can make when teaching this stroke, is to concentrate on the dolphin kick. This is a difficult kick and the concept is often beyond some swimmers particularly children.

What I like most about this sequence in this video is the concentration on the head and bottom moment. The dolphin kick is quite difficult to mast if taught by itself. In this video, the concentration is on bobbing the head and bottom correctly. These are much easier things to master and explain; let alone comprehend. This is true particularly for children; though I would argue that many if not all adults have the same problem.

Concentration is on bobbing the head and bottom correctly, avoids confusion. As long as the students are instructed to keep their feet together as they do it, the legs and therefore the kick tends to come naturally as a result. Take a look at this version of the drills. They are easy to teach and for swimmers to quickly learn.

Enjoy
   Richard