Turns out chest presses are this easy? Mastering butterfly stroke takes just three weeks!

•6 min read
Turns out chest presses are this easy? Mastering butterfly stroke takes just three weeks!
Learning butterfly stroke has three key challenges: first, the butterfly kick; second, the butterfly arm movements; and third, the core engagement crucial to maintaining proper form. If you rely solely on instinct—moving without fully understanding why or how—you’re likely to face significant difficulties, as your actions may become inefficient or even counterproductive. Before diving into the actual technique, it’s essential to grasp *why* each movement works the way it does. This means not only mastering the specific mechanics of the stroke but also understanding the underlying principles that guide those movements. Only then can you approach butterfly practice with a rational, scientifically informed approach, ensuring steady progress and effective improvement.
Butterfly stroke works because the body creates waves as it moves through the water—waves that rise and fall. These waves are deliberately generated, and it’s only with the help of these undulations that the body can glide forward smoothly. Many people find butterfly challenging precisely because they get this relationship backward: instead of letting the body naturally follow the rhythm created by the waves, they try to force their bodies into the up-and-down motion themselves. As a result, they end up struggling to stay afloat—or if they manage to "butterfly," they do so inefficiently, never achieving true speed. This article shares essential beginner tips for mastering the butterfly stroke and helps clarify the most common mistakes in executing the movement.
1. The butterfly stroke originated from the breaststroke technique.
The first half of the butterfly stroke's arm movement is almost identical to the first half of the breaststroke's arm action. In fact, the butterfly stroke itself evolved from both the breaststroke and freestyle: the evolution began with breaststrokers transitioning their underwater arm recovery to an overwater recovery, gradually shaping it into the modern butterfly arm technique. This was followed by the adaptation of the breaststroke kick into the butterfly kick, and finally, the stroke evolved into its current form—combining the distinctive butterfly arm motion with the butterfly-specific leg kick.
Understanding the evolution of the butterfly stroke can serve as a useful reference for mastering the butterfly arm technique. When swimming breaststroke, after completing the outward sweep of your arms and achieving a high-elbow catch, avoid pulling inward by squeezing your elbows—instead, continue pushing the water backward in a motion identical to the arm pull used in freestyle. The only difference is that both arms execute this backward push simultaneously. Once the push is complete, completely relax your arms, then smoothly swing them upward out of the water. By repeating this drill several times while maintaining the familiar breaststroke kick, you’ll gradually feel comfortable with the butterfly arm movement. After practicing this sequence about ten times or so, you should effortlessly start to "get" the unique rhythm and flow of the butterfly stroke.

Note that for beginners learning the butterfly stroke, the focus of the arm movement isn’t on pushing the water or performing an outward sweep—but rather on the arm recovery and entry into the water. Practical experience shows that mastering the arm recovery and entry phase can help swimmers quickly get started. On the other hand, efforts spent on forcefully pushing the water or making overly wide outward strokes will only confuse swimmers further as they learn. Some swimmers even mistakenly believe that a powerful push through the water is essential to clear the surface during the butterfly stroke—this, too, is a serious misconception.
2. Major Issues Caused by Minor Mistakes in Butterfly Entry to the Water
Butterfly swimming relies on the seamless coordination of the butterfly arm and leg movements—miss the timing even slightly, and you won’t be able to execute the stroke properly. Common beginner mistakes, like "double bends" or a single head lift, usually stem from improper timing between the arms and legs. Some swimmers mistakenly try to rely on twisting their waist to find the rhythm for butterfly—but this approach is almost always ineffective.
Actually, all of this boils down to solving one key issue: the problem of the hands being too close together during the butterfly entry. When entering the water in butterfly, the distance between the two palms is typically about the same as the width of the shoulders—slightly narrower, in fact—and the outward sweep is very brief. The real focus lies in effectively catching the water and executing the subsequent push phase. If, however, the palms touch each other upon entry, the outward sweep will inevitably become overly wide, stretching out the movement unnecessarily. This delay not only disrupts the timing of the catch but also slows down the powerful push phase, ultimately causing the swimmer to lose synchronization with the butterfly kick.
3. The key to developing a butterfly kick lies in relaxation.
When swimming butterfly, the body moves in a distinctive undulating pattern—four distinct bends in a wave-like motion. The arm enters the water overhead while the head dips downward, followed by the hips rising and the legs descending, creating an /\/ shape that forms the foundation for generating those powerful waves. However, producing these waves isn’t the ultimate goal—it’s simply a tool to propel you forward through the water, not the destination itself. As you glide through each stroke, always remember to push forcefully *forward*, rather than upward or downward. For instance, as your arm enters the water, tuck your chin slightly to help your body dive deeper and faster; and when your arm exits, lift your head high to assist your body in shooting upward with momentum. In both actions—whether diving down or surging up—keep your neck fully extended to maximize efficiency and speed.
The awareness and movement of extending the neck are crucial—they’re just as important as the arm extension in freestyle swimming. Imagine the neck movements of a goose in flight: as it moves forward, its neck naturally stretches outward. For diving, extending the neck means tucking your chin while straightening your neck; for an upward surge, it means tilting your head back to lengthen your neck.

4. From breaststroke chest press to butterfly chest press
Breaststroke chest pressure is a common challenge for beginners—many mistakenly think it’s a specific movement, but in reality, it’s simply the natural body posture that emerges after lengthening your body and extending your neck. There’s no need to consciously try to perform it as a deliberate action.
Chest compression isn’t as difficult to master as you might think—after all, if you can swim breaststroke, you already know how to perform it. In fact, the range of motion for chest compression in butterfly is only slightly more pronounced than in breaststroke; the underlying principle remains the same. When swimming breaststroke, it’s recommended to glide briefly after the frog kick and leg squeeze. This is precisely when the chest compression naturally occurs—in the transition between the kick and the glide phase. If you slow down your movements during this glide, allowing yourself to fully experience the sensation, you’ll gradually develop a clearer understanding of the technique. Once you’ve mastered this, simply adapt the breaststroke arm movement into the butterfly-style hand motion, and the chest compression will feel even more natural and effortless.






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