Kick foundation
Drill 1 — Streamline Body Dolphin
Fixes: a stiff, flat body and a kick that comes only from the knees.
Push off on your front in a tight streamline and undulate the whole body. Press the chest down, let the wave roll through the hips, then the knees, then the feet. Small and continuous — like a ripple running head to toe.
Lead with the chest, not the feet
The wave originates in the core — the feet just finish it.
Stay small and connected
A big stiff kick means the wave broke somewhere up the chain.
Watch for
Bending only at the knees or isolating the kick from the hip.
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Kick strength
Drill 2 — Vertical Dolphin Kick
The Setup
Deep water, stay vertical. Arms crossed on the chest or held overhead. Dolphin kick to hold yourself up. Work short bursts of 20–30 seconds.
Fixes: a weak kick and a one-way kick that only pushes down.
Key Cues
Kick both directions
Equal snap on the up-kick and the down-kick. Both matter.
Drive from the hips
Feet fast and close together — the power source is above the knees.
Watch for
Floppy knees or only driving the kick downward.
Hip drive
Drill 3 — Dolphin Kick on Back
Fixes: kicking from the knees with no hip drive.
Streamline on your back and dolphin kick. On your back you can feel the belly and hips start the motion instead of the legs. Keep it small and quiet — this is about proprioception, not power.
Start the wave from the belly and hips
If your feet are moving but your core isn't, start over.
Fast, compact feet
Knees stay under the surface at all times.
Watch for
Knees popping out of the water — a clear sign of knee-driven kicking.
Run drills 1–3 every fly day as a warm-up. Butterfly lives and dies on the dolphin — never skip it.
Pull path + timing
Drill 4 — Single-Arm Butterfly
Fixes: a sloppy pull path and no feel for how the arm times with the kick.
One arm stays extended out front while the other swims a full butterfly pull and recovery. Breathe to the side or front — whatever keeps you flat. Do a set number of strokes, then switch arms.
Two kicks per stroke
One as the hand pulls in, one as it finishes past the hip.
Keyhole pull path
Thumb brushes the thigh on exit — trace it deliberately.
Watch for
A stiff straight pull or a dead, lifeless extended arm.
Arm coordination
Drill 5 — Right-Left-Full
Fixes: choppy arms that do not work together. This drill bridges the single-arm feel into the whole stroke.
Hold the same two-kick rhythm on every stroke — single or full. Stay long out front between strokes. The most common mistake is rushing into the full stroke and losing the timing you just built.
Elbow catch
Drill 6 — Fly with Fists
Fixes: slipping water, a dropped elbow, pulling with just the hand.
Swim butterfly with hands in fists for a few strokes, then open them. With no palm to grab, you are forced to press with the forearm. When the hands open, that whole surface should now be catching.
High elbow out front
Forearm faces back before you pull — not the palm, the forearm.
Press down and back
Continue the press all the way past the hips — don't stop early.
Open the hands
Feel the added grip. That's what a proper catch should feel like every stroke.
Watch for
A dropped elbow or a stiff straight-arm pull that bypasses the catch entirely.
Core timing
Drill 7 — Two-Kick, One-Pull Timing
Fixes: wrong timing between kick and pull — the single most common butterfly error at every level.
Kick 1 — Entry
Hands enter and shoot forward. First kick drives the hands long.
Pull Through
Arms sweep the keyhole path, pressing back past the hips.
Kick 2 — Exit
Hands finish the push. Second kick launches the recovery.
Breath timing
Drill 8 — Fly with a Snorkel
Fixes: a stroke that breaks apart every time you lift to breathe.
Put on a center-mount snorkel and swim full butterfly without ever turning to breathe. With the breath out of the way, all you have to manage is the body line and the two-kick timing. Groove a clean rhythm this way, then take the snorkel off and hold that same feel. This drill helps isolate the critical timing of the body and kick, allowing you to build muscle memory without the distraction of breathing.
Head stays down and still
Keep your eyes focused on the bottom of the pool. Avoid the urge to lift or peek.
Lock in two kicks per stroke
Focus purely on the dolphin kick timing with nothing else to disrupt your rhythm.
Watch for
Lifting the head out of habit or rushing the stroke now that the breath is gone.
Breakout power
Drill 9 — Underwater Dolphin Breakout
Fixes: a dead underwater and a first stroke that stalls off the wall.
Push off the wall in a tight streamline and hold it while you fire 4 to 6 fast dolphin kicks underwater. Then, break out into 2 or 3 strokes of butterfly without losing any speed. Using fins for this drill can help make the underwater quick enough that you can truly feel how the powerful kick is supposed to carry you into that crucial first stroke. This underwater phase is often where fly races are won or lost.
Stay tight and drive from core
Maintain a perfect streamline until the very first kick, then initiate power from your core.
Break out before slowing
Transition into your stroke while carrying momentum from the kicks, never gliding to a stop first.
Watch for
Popping straight to the surface too early, or letting that critical first stroke go soft and lose propulsion.
Front-end press & recovery
Drill 10 — Heads-Up Fly
Fixes: a weak front-end press and a slow, dragging recovery.
Swim short reps with your head up and eyes forward the whole time, chin near the surface. It forces a strong press on the front of the stroke and a fast, punchy recovery to keep moving. This one is hard, so keep the reps short, think 3 to 6 strokes. The constant engagement required to keep your head up builds crucial muscle memory for a powerful and efficient butterfly stroke.
Press the chest and shoot the hands forward
Initiate each stroke with a powerful chest press, driving your hands far out front to maximize propulsion.
Fast hands over the water with no pause
Maintain a quick, continuous recovery, sweeping your arms over the water without hesitation to maintain rhythm.
Watch for
Hips sinking excessively or the stroke slowing to a crawl, indicating a loss of momentum or improper body position.
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