How to Learn Butterfly

Martin Gomez   Aug 20, 2026

How to Learn Butterfly

 

 

Butterfly is generally the most advanced of the four basic swimming strokes because it requires a combination of body position, body wave, dolphin kick, arm movement, breathing, rhythm, and coordination.

The key is not to start by trying to swim the complete stroke. Learn each movement separately and gradually put everything together.

1. Body Position

Keep the body long, relaxed, and close to the surface.

Butterfly includes an undulating movement, but the goal is to travel forward rather than move excessively up and down.

Long Body → Relax → Move Forward

2. Body Wave

Before adding the arms, learn the natural wave movement of butterfly.

The movement flows through the body:

CHEST → HIPS → LEGS

Think of the body as one continuous wave rather than separate movements.

3. Dolphin Kick

Both legs move together and simultaneously.

The movement begins mainly from the hips and travels through the legs to the feet.

Hips → Legs → Feet

A simple progression is:

Body Wave → Dolphin Kick → Streamline Dolphin Kick

4. Kick Rhythm

In full butterfly, swimmers typically use two dolphin kicks for each arm cycle.

For beginners, a simple rhythm is:

Kick → Pull → Kick → Recover

Develop the rhythm first, then refine the timing of each kick.

5. Arm Movement

Both arms move simultaneously.

The arm cycle is:

Entry → Catch → Pull → Push → Recovery

Start with:

One Butterfly Pull → Glide

Then gradually progress to continuous strokes.

6. Breathing

Breathing should work naturally with the stroke.

As the arms finish the pull, lift the head only enough to take a breath. Return the head to the water as the arms recover forward.

Pull → Breathe → Head Down → Recover

Avoid lifting the head too high because this can cause the hips to drop and increase resistance.

7. Coordination

Now combine the skills:

Body Wave + Dolphin Kick + Arms + Breathing

Start gradually:

1 Stroke → 2 Strokes → 3 Strokes → Short Distance

A swimmer does not need to swim an entire pool when first learning butterfly.

8. Move Forward, Not Up

One of the most important concepts in butterfly is:

FORWARD, NOT UP.

Trying to lift the body too high wastes energy. The stroke should feel long, smooth, rhythmic, and directed forward.

9. Build Distance Gradually

Once the swimmer develops good coordination:

1 Stroke → 3 Strokes → 5 Strokes → Short Distance → Half Pool → Full Length

Technique and rhythm come first. Endurance and speed come later.

Butterfly Learning Progression

BODY POSITION → BODY WAVE → DOLPHIN KICK → KICK RHYTHM → ARMS → BREATHING → TIMING → COORDINATION → FULL BUTTERFLY

Easy Way to Remember

WAVE → KICK → PULL → BREATHE → KICK → RECOVER → GLIDE

Rhythm before power. Technique before speed.

In butterfly, using more strength does not always produce better swimming. When the body, kicks, arms, and breathing work together with the correct rhythm, butterfly becomes smoother, more efficient, and less exhausting.