Butterfly Biomechanics: Keep it Simple

In butterfly, it starts with the head and body position then the arm entry. As the hands enters the water, are they in front of the shoulder? At the beginning of the pull, do the elbows bend so the hands pass beneath the shoulder?

Cecil M. Colwin, in his book, “Swimming Dynamics: Winning Techniques and Strategies” covered every aspect of the sport, including improving stroke dynamics. His drawings of the freestyle stroke are clear.

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Cecil, a member of the Swimming Hall of Fame, was an internationally known competitive swim coach, educator, lecturer, researcher, author, cartoonist and illustrator. He wrote more than 100 articles and papers and was the author of numerous books on swimming. Cecil was a dynamic man. His life motto is best captured by Tennyson’s Ulysses: “To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”