Prosses Report On Swimming The Essay, Research Paper

In swimming there is no stroke harder to learn then the Butterfly

stroke. This is the stroke where the swimmer swims kicking like a dolphin

and pulling with his or her hands at the same time under the water and

recovering for the next stroke above water with both arms at the same

time in an almost circular motion. There are many steps in learning how to

execute this stroke correctly. These steps are called drills, when you

perform them in the pool. The first drill you should learn is the Kick drill.

In this drill you learn to kick with your feet like a dolphin, making sure not

to flutter kick with your feet, to move smoothly through the water with

your head connected with your spine; this is the position your head is in

when you stand with good posture, and make one smooth motion with

your arms at your side thrusting only your hips, making a smooth relaxed

shallow rolling motion through the water. Also, only one part of your

body at a time should be slightly out of the water, starting from the back

of your head, and continued down your back to your feet.

The next drill to learn is the balance drill. This drill, to me, was

extremely difficult to do. The balance drill is almost the same as the kick

drill, only the swimmer puts his or her arms out in front of them with one

hand on top of the other squeezing his or her head with their arms just

behind the ears, remembering the kick drill to keep your head connected

with your spine. Make the same smooth rolling motion only this time

making sure your fingers are always pointing perpendicular to the wall of

the pool, beginning with the back of your arms and head slightly out of the

water. Continued down your back and to your feet. When trying this drill,

I always moved my hands up and down as I did the rolling motion and it

did nothing but make me dive deeper under the water then I wanted to,

thus making me go slower. When you can do this drill without drowning

yourself, your ready to start your pull drill.

The pull drill you should do, is a one arm pull drill. This drill is

supposed to help make your shoulders and pectoral muscles more

flexible. While flutter kicking, keeping your head connected with your

spine, with you arms out in front of you, with one arm, point your hand

down perpendicular to the bottom of the pool. Pull back with your elbow

bent at about 90?. With your tricep level with the surface of the water

until your forearm is pointing straight towards the bottom of the pool, or

when your hand is straight with your forearm, then you start to make a

pushing motion like your trying to push something down into a hole with

one hand at your side until your elbow is straight. Then you recover, with

your arm straight. Bring your arm up and over the surface of the water

back to the starting position. Repeat this motion, alternating arms until

your ready to add the kick.

Adding the kick to the stroke is hard to explain but I found that it

came quit naturally. It seems that every time you kick, after your head has

been briefly part way out of the water, you pull with one arm, and when

you recover you should have completed one smooth kick and as you

bring you arm over to their starting position, it should seem like the

momentum of your arm recovery will give your next kick a jump start.

Then, repeat this motion alternating each arm. After all these drills you

should be ready to put together the whole stroke which presents new

problems. I will start you at the starting block to bring you through step

by step a 50 yard butterfly stroke.

You’re up behind the starting block the announcer says

“Swimmers step up”. You step up on the block, bent over ready to

grab the front of the starting block, with one foot in front of the other, the

toes of your front foot gripping the front of the starting block or both feet

together with toes griping the front of the block. Looking about 6 or 7

feet out into the water, or the place you’re gonna dive into out in the

water. The starter says,

“Take your mark”. You grip the front of the starting block with

your hands.

“Beeeep!” The buzzer goes off. You spring forward off the block,

pushing off with your feet where you grip the block with your toes. Throw

your arms up and squeeze your head just behind your ears with your

biceps, one hand on top of the other. You dive at a shallow angle into the

water at the spot you were looking at before the start. You are now

under the water and you start doing your balance kick with your arms out

in front of you until you feel your body brake the surface of the water.

Then, you point both of your hands toward the bottom of the pool and

pull back making an hour glass shape under the water with both your

hands. You make one full recovery, making sure you keep your face in

the water. But, this time, before you take your next stroke, you don’t put

you hands on top of each other, ensted you put them level with each other

like setting them flat on top of a table. You do one full stroke and one

more full recovery, when you suddenly need a breath of air. This time,

when you do your pull, you put your head up, making sure you stick out

your chin like your reaching with your chin for the finish line in a race.

Also, keeping your chin so that it is just slightly touching the surface of the

water, take one quick breath and when your arms come back up over for

the recovery you tuck your head back down into the rite position. Before

you know it you have reached the wall. You reach out and touch the wall

with both hands and to a turn (but that’s a whole other process), you

finish the last 25 yards with an under water finish, making sure you touch

the wall with both hands.