Five Good Strokes
Quality over distance: swimmers build to five butterfly strokes with good rhythm, stopping as soon as technique breaks.
- Stages
- Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Butterfly, Stroke Efficiency
- Equipment
- None, Short Fins
- Age
- 9–99 years
- Group size
- 1–12 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Butterfly is tiring – allow full rests.
What it develops
- Butterfly with two-kick rhythm and forward breathing
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Efficient butterfly for a short distance
- Keep technique and stroke count as distance increases
How to run it
- Swim butterfly; stop the moment the rhythm or recovery breaks.
- Count your good strokes.
- Rest, then try to add one more good stroke.
- Record your best.
Teaching cues
- Good strokes only.
- Keep the rhythm.
- Stop when it breaks.
Make it easier
- Three good strokes with fins.
- Single-arm good strokes.
Make it harder
- Ten good strokes.
- Five good strokes into a turn.
Common faults
- Carrying on with a broken stroke.
- Rushing to add more.
Corrections
- Celebrate stopping in time.
- Rest longer between tries.
Assistant / L1 role
- Count 'good strokes' for one swimmer and tell them when the stroke broke.