Butterfly Arms Walk
Swimmers walk in waist-to-chest-deep water practising butterfly arms – the keyhole pull and low swinging recovery.
- Stages
- Stage 4, Stage 5
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Skills
- Butterfly Arms
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 6–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 3 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Space swimmers well – arms swing wide.
What it develops
- Show dolphin kick and early butterfly movement
- Butterfly rhythm with early full-stroke arms
How to run it
- Lean forward with chin on the water.
- Both arms enter at shoulder width, sweep under the body and push past the hips.
- Swing both arms low and relaxed over the water back to the front.
- Walk forward with each stroke.
Teaching cues
- Both arms together.
- Push past your hips.
- Swing low.
Make it easier
- Stand still and practise.
- One arm at a time.
Make it harder
- Add a jump forward on each stroke (dolphin dive).
- Swim three strokes with dolphin kick.
Common faults
- Arms entering wide.
- Stopping the pull at the tummy.
- Lifting the arms high over the head.
Corrections
- 'Hands go in in front of your shoulders.'
- 'Thumbs brush your legs.'
- 'Skim the water on the way round.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand in front of swimmers and demonstrate the low swinging recovery.