Are you fond of swimming? Swimming is one of the most adored sports all over the world. Swimming is not just restricted to professional athletes and swimmers. Even laypeople can enjoy swimming. It is a sport that serves dual purposes – it helps you stay fit and healthy and also provides you and your family endless hours of fun.

On that note, how would you like learning about the butterfly stroke? This stroke is one of the most popular strokes in swimming, and this post teaches you how to master it.

Would you like to know more? Keep reading!

Swimming Strokes:

There are various swimming styles. However, the most famous are breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, and freestyle. Not everyone can master butterfly stroke, as it needs proper synchronization between the legs and arms. However, butterfly stroke is one of the best swimming exercises that help in toning and strengthening the entire body.

So, if you want to learn or improve your butterfly stroke, you should be looking to perform exercises that will facilitate this.

Here are the ten butterfly stroke swimming exercises that can help you tone your entire body and also improve your ability to swim this stroke.

1. Position Kick Exercise:

Position Kick is also known as dolphin kick and exercises your body from the chest till the toes. One has to hold their legs together in this position and move them up and down. This is considered to be the best butterfly stroke exercise for body strengthening.

You may bring variations into this exercise. Try and swim various lengths in different positions without actually moving your arms. You may practice kick exercise with the right arm extended above the head and later using the left arm. You may also practice the exercise on your back, left side and right side.

2. Arms-Only:

An excellent swimming exercise, Arms-Only is all about making the push-and-pull motion with your arms. One needs a pull buoy for this stroke. Hold the pull buoy between your thighs and practice push and pull strokes in a semi-circle. Don’t try and kick. You need to just focus on the push and pull strokes and nothing else. Rest after every length and repeat this exercise till you complete four lengths.

3. Chest Press:

Keep your hands by your side as you enter the water face down. Press your body, mainly your chest and head, inside the water so that your body starts feeling light. Act as if you have to press your lungs inside the water. All you have to do is press and release. You don’t need anything for this exercise, not even fins. Once you learn the basics, extend your arms to your front. Slowly add more pressure to your stroke.

4. Vertical Kick:

The vertical kick is an extension of the position kick exercise. You may call it a more balanced butterfly stroke that many international swimmers use.

Cross your arms in front of your chest while practicing this exercise. Stay in deep waters. Kick so that your head stays above the water, while your body is positioned vertically. One should do this exercise for half a minute and then rest for half a minute. Once you can do this exercise perfectly, bring your arm out of the water in such a manner that your elbows are bent and are inside the water. You may also use weights to add more power and resistance to your exercise.

5. One Arm Only:

If you want to improve your arm strength, try your hands at the one-arm exercise. Buy fins and a kickboard to do this exercise. Hold the kickboard with both the hands and keep it at an arm’s length from your body. Your face should be down, facing the water. Let go of the right hand and continue holding the board with your left arm. Exhale while doing push and pull. You can breathe only while you are pushing in the stroke. Kick as you breathe.

Once again do the right arm stroke bringing your arm to the front of your head. Don’t over-exert. Perform the stroke for around 50 yards and relax. Now repeat it using your left arm. If you wish to make these exercises difficult, avoid the kickboard. Snorkel and mask would help those who have difficulties in breathing.

6. Streamline Dolphin Kick:

Start with your arm placed behind your back and locked. Use your core and abs to kick. Ensure you use equal pressure on the upbeat and downbeat of the kick. Hold a pull buoy between your knees. This will ensure that you make the correct move, and thus, your abs would be exercised well. Try the same exercise sideways, just as you do in dolphin kick. Try and keep kicking from your core and not the knees. Treat arms, head and shoulders as one entity.

7. Fist Swimming:

Make a fist and swim in the fist swimming stroke. You are not allowed to position your hands like a karate chop. It is important to have a perfect body position. Your forearms should be in a catch. Use your forearm during the catch and during the stroke your elbow should be bent as much as possible.

8. Four Kicks Per Arm Cycle:

You would need fins to do this exercise. Wear fins and practice four dolphin kicks under the waterline. Next, attempt one full stroke. The purpose of the first two kicks is to ensure the catch position. The third kick brings arms in action, and the fourth kick is for underwater recovery. Keep kicking to ensure momentum.

One can keep breathing during the strokes. But don’t take high and deep breaths. As you take a stroke, pull your body forward in such a manner that your chin is low, and hips are high. Exhale. The same exercise can be done in a succession of five kicks or six kicks and single stroke to enhance its difficulty level.

9. Sculling:

You need to sweep through the water using your hands, and your elbows should be still. Use your hands as propeller blades. Change the position of the body with speed. One does not have any recovery motion in this stroke. Your hands help your body hold and offset gravity. You may swim down the pool bottom by merely changing the angle between the hands and forearm. Ensure your elbows are on the surface of the water. Follow windshield wiper drill by sweeping hands underneath. Include sculling motions in your swimming.

10. Free Style:

Freestyle is one of the most preferred strokes by swimmers. Also called the long axis stroke, as you swim, you rotate head to toe on your body. It has various variations by the addition of drills. Backstroke is often clubbed with freestyle to offer the swimmer the advantage of aerobic training sets.

Swimming Tips:

• Ensure you do warm-up and stretching exercises before starting off with any of these butterfly swimming exercises.
• Never over-exert yourself.
• Drink lots of fluids before and after swimming.

Tell us how this post has helped you. Let us know by commenting in the box below!

The post 10 Best Butterfly Stroke Swimming Exercises To Tone Your Body appeared first on STYLECRAZE.

by Daiwik Suresh Gejji via STYLECRAZE