Butterfly Breathe Every Two
Alternate a breathing stroke with a non-breathing stroke so the breath stops disrupting the butterfly rhythm.
- Stages
- Swimming – Stage 9, Swimming – Stage 10
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Aquatic Breathing, Butterfly, Stroke Timing
- Equipment
- None
- Age
- 9–99 years
- Group size
- 1–16 swimmers
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Swimmers breathe every stroke whenever they need to – no breath-holding.
What it develops
- Butterfly: low forward breath and linked strokes
- Butterfly with consistent rhythm and breathing
How to run it
- Swim butterfly breathing on every stroke for three strokes, noticing the rhythm.
- Then swim one stroke breathing forward, one stroke with the face down, repeating the pattern.
- Keep the breath low – chin forward, just clearing the water – and the head back down before the hands enter.
- Swim widths with the pattern, resting between.
Teaching cues
- Breathe as your arms push back.
- Chin forward, not up.
- Face down before your hands land.
Make it easier
- Practise the pattern with single-arm butterfly first.
Make it harder
- Keep the pattern for a full length.
- Compare stroke count breathing every stroke versus every two.
Common faults
- Head lifts high so the hips sink.
- Breath taken late as the arms recover.
- Forgetting to breathe and becoming breathless.
Corrections
- 'Look at the water just in front, not the far wall.'
- 'Breathe on the push, not the swing.'
- 'Breathe out underwater every stroke.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Stand at the end of the width and give a quiet 'two' reminder to swimmers before they set off, as directed by the teacher.