Butterfly
Butterfly is swum with a simultaneous over-water arm recovery and an undulating dolphin kick — the most physically demanding stroke, built on rhythm and core-driven body movement.
Overview
Both arms recover over the water together while the body undulates in a dolphin kick, driving from the chest and hips. It rewards rhythm and timing more than brute force: when the wave of the body and the two-beat kick line up, the stroke flows; when they do not, it feels exhausting.
Butterfly is usually the last stroke swimmers learn, because it asks for coordinated whole-body movement and a strong core, but it is one of the most satisfying to get right.
What defines it
- Simultaneous over-water recovery of both arms.
- Propelled by an undulating dolphin kick from the core.
- Depends on rhythm and timing more than raw strength.
- The most physically demanding of the four strokes.
Getting started
- 1Practise body undulation and the dolphin kick before adding the arms.
- 2Build the stroke in short bursts to keep the rhythm clean.
- 3Time your single breath forward without dropping the hips.
Other Swimming disciplines
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Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Butterfly to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Sports
- SwimmingA full-body, low-impact endurance sport suitable for almost every age and ability.
- Water PoloA demanding team sport played in deep water, blending swimming endurance with tactics.
- Functional FitnessVaried, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
- PilatesA low-impact mind-body method that builds core strength, control and posture through precise, controlled movement.
- RowingA rhythmic, full-body endurance sport on the water or on an indoor machine.
Rules
Playing surfaces
- WaterThe medium for aquatic sport — pool or open water that supports the body with buoyancy and resists movement with drag rather than giving footing.
- SnowCompacted or natural snow on slopes and trails — a low-friction surface built for gliding, where skis, boards and runners slide fast over frozen ground.
Movement patterns
- KickA ballistic single-support leg swing that whips force from the plant foot through the hip and knee to strike or propel a ball or target with the foot, distinct from the weight-bearing steps of locomotion.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
- CarryHolding and transporting a load while keeping the trunk braced and stable — an anti-movement pattern that builds grip, core stability and full-body strength.
- RotationRotating the trunk to generate and transfer power through the body's kinetic chain, plus anti-rotation — resisting unwanted twist to keep the trunk stable.
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.