4 Signs that the Butterfly Life Has Chosen You

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Delaney Lanker, Swimming World Magazine College Intern (From the Archive)

I once had a coach tell me that butterfly was the easiest stroke. At the time, I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. But, here I am years later, a Division I butterflier, and I might have come to believe him. This means I must have gone crazy right? But after endless 100 and 200 butterfly sets and constantly sore shoulders, it doesn’t seem that bad anymore.

But you don’t choose the butterfly life. The butterfly life chooses you.

1. Your butterfly is just as fast as your freestyle.

Yup, it’s come to that now. When I have to do a timed 100 freestyle off the blocks, all I can hope is that the time is faster than the 100 fly I did right before it. Because, when nine times out of 10 the answer to the question “do I have to do this butterfly?” is yes, sometimes it is just easier to do a set butterfly than freestyle.

2. You secretly like the 200 fly.

Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick

Yes, the 200 fly is my favorite event. It’s a love/hate kind of relationship but at the end of the day, I’d pick the 200 fly over any other event (except for maybe the 50).

With all of the butterfly at practice we do, a 200 fly in a race seems like nothing. Those long butterfly training trip sets are something you live and die for. Knowing they will hurt, feeling like the lifeguard may have to come in and save you at any moment but remembering that at the end of the season, it will all be worth it.

So yes, I like the 200 fly more than your average swimmer, but but there is no better feeling than finally touching the wall at the end of the race.

3. Coaches can’t use it as a punishment.

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

When coaches threaten to make you do 100s butterfly after practice because of lazy practice habits like breathing into and out of your walls, it’s not punishment for us butterfliers, its just an extension of the practice we already had that day.

But please don’t make us do breaststroke.

4. Your hips don’t lie.

MPUnderWater

We can dolphin kick for days and sometimes wishing we were a mermaid is all that can get us through the end of a long set. Any good butterflier knows the secret to the stroke is actually swimming it as little as possible, and rather underwater kicking your way through the race.

And let’s be honest, Shakira’s hips don’t have anything on those of a butterflier.

119 Comments

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liquidassets

7 years ago

I got chosen by breastroke; as did my two older brothers. It’s in my genes. But I always wished it was the fly, such a great stroke. Although it’s technically my second fastest stroke in sheer time, compared to peers, records, and time standards, it’s by far my worst and I know it has something to do with my core and hips. I have a mental block against improving in it. I hope to take “butterfly lessons” and learn how to make it more natural for me before I die. Is it too late to teach an old dog new tricks? 😉

Mmg

3 months ago

Reply to liquidassets

Since u ate a breast stroke try doing 3 stroke breaks 2 strokes fly using your body the same way u do breast through your core. I bet your fly gets better

Anthony Lucas Santos

7 years ago

Hahah Gabriela Cuzzi Fernandes “seu borbo é mais rápido doq seu crawl”

Timo Schürmann

7 years ago

Lars Illing?

Lars Illing

7 years ago

Reply to Timo Schürmann

Kann ich nur bestätigen?

Natalie Archer

7 years ago

Brittany Archer

Aury Rosales

7 years ago

This style was hard for me when i was doing swimming in my teens but i never regretted it. Love swimming.

Genny Billings Skrobanek

7 years ago

Victoria Winters ?

Brittany Russell

7 years ago

Nope nope nope.

Kelly Globke Forst

7 years ago

Max Forst

Eileen Nordquist

7 years ago

Grace Nordquist . . This is so you

Lone Weinreich

7 years ago

Laura Weinreich – passer nu meget godt???

Kelly Spillane-Call

7 years ago

Danielle Bright Schoolcraft for Keira

Danielle Bright Schoolcraft

7 years ago

Reply to Kelly Spillane-Call

I will definitely show her thus one. Thanks for passing it our way 🙂

Michael Madigan

7 years ago

Daniel Madigan

Magnus Vinjebo

7 years ago

Mads Claussen

Kai Schirmer

7 years ago

Fabian, Check das mal

Fabian Thorwesten

7 years ago

Reply to Kai Schirmer

Maul ?

Armando Magallanes Marrufo

7 years ago

So true. Haha. Butterfly is my stroke! When I swim on my own, I usually do a total of 1000 to 1500 m of fly in my workouts (sets, swims, kicks, & drills)

Emily Garratt

7 years ago

Ben Garratt

Yolanda Villalobos

7 years ago

Zephie Villalobos

Kellan Scheiris

7 years ago

Bryan Adams
How about “no”?

Amanda Prager

7 years ago

Shari Herrin Bergmann – yes. My butterfly was definitely almost or faster than my freestyle at times lol

Fabiana Garcia

7 years ago

Por anos nadei essa modalidade, não era a minha em especial porém nadava super bem ela, foi aí que consegui ficar que nem o Hulk por alguns anos, fiquei forte pra porra

Anonymous

7 years ago

Is this what you were talking about this morning, Laura Semonche Jones?

Laura Semonche Jones

7 years ago

Reply to Anonymous

I wish! But kind of…:-)

Susie Kunz-Saddoris

7 years ago

Sydnie Saddoris

Sigfrido Garcia

7 years ago

Julian Garcia Gabriela Barragan

Lindsey Lentz

7 years ago

Jade Ely 🙂

Jade Ely

7 years ago

Reply to Lindsey Lentz

Haha our lives suck ????

Lindsey Lentz

7 years ago

Reply to Lindsey Lentz

but at least our hips don’t lie 😉

Tom Garrett

7 years ago

Alex Vine

Tony White

7 years ago

Max

Rony Daher

7 years ago

Hernan Campos Zapata mira la #3 ?????????

Siham Zouhairi

7 years ago

Imad Elmoustakim

Eva van Ginneken

7 years ago

Sanne Rebers nummer 3 laatste zin?

Sanne Rebers

7 years ago

Reply to Eva van Ginneken

Nikita Baraba

7 years ago

Ellena Šušteršić

7 years ago

Reply to Nikita Baraba

-.- <3

Nikita Baraba

7 years ago

Reply to Nikita Baraba

Tocno to?

Ellena Šušteršić

7 years ago

Reply to Nikita Baraba

ahhh a tako je kako je hahahah

Anna Bricknell

7 years ago

Claire D’Attoma

Paul Hufschmidt

7 years ago

Lina Ahorner?

Gabriela Barragan

7 years ago

Julian Garcia Ziggy Garcia Sigfrido Garcia your hips won’t lie…now it makes so much sense

Sue Williams

7 years ago

Lisa, I think Ashy would agree.

Nicolas Charalambous

7 years ago

Silje Tvedt omg yaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssaaaa

Silje Tvedt

7 years ago

Reply to Nicolas Charalambous

Haahahh ?

Tina Moore Stahl

7 years ago

One of my Lexi’s new favs

YaYa QueCo

7 years ago

Sol Elizaldi

Sebastián Betanzos

7 years ago

Lizbeth Denisse

7 years ago

Reply to Sebastián Betanzos

Trueeee

Oliver Nauroth

7 years ago

Anna de Boer, Fabian Natusch, kennen wir oder? ?

Fabian Natusch

7 years ago

Reply to Oliver Nauroth

vor allem das 3. 😀

Oliver Nauroth

7 years ago

Reply to Oliver Nauroth

hahah ja 😀

Anna de Boer

7 years ago

Reply to Oliver Nauroth

Punkt 3 …Bitte kein Brust ?

Haydn Belshaw

7 years ago

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