While there are a lot of similarities between freestyle and...
Andrew Sheaff@AndrewKSheaff
78 views
Feb 20, 2026
~1 min read
1
While there are a lot of similarities between freestyle and butterfly pulling, there is one key difference.
In butterfly, swimmers will often angle and pitch their hands out.
In freestyle, they won’t.
Here’s why.
In butterfly, swimmers will often angle and pitch their hands out.
In freestyle, they won’t.
Here’s why.
2
Doing so allows butteflyers to push out and back at the same time.
If a freestyler tries to use this strategy, it will push them to the side out of alignment because only one rm is working at a time.
If a freestyler tries to use this strategy, it will push them to the side out of alignment because only one rm is working at a time.
3
But if a butterflyer does so with both arms working at the same time, the lateral component is cancelled out.
Instead, swimmers go UP.
And that’s exactly what they need to do to get an effective breath, power the pull, and transition into a smooth recovery.
Instead, swimmers go UP.
And that’s exactly what they need to do to get an effective breath, power the pull, and transition into a smooth recovery.
4
A simple change in hand position can have a dramatic impact on efficiency and speed in butterfly.
It’s something well worth exploring.
It’s something well worth exploring.
5
If you want fast flutter kickers, dolphin kickers, and underwater kickers, they all need to have snappy feet.
The feet snap through at the end of every kick, which helps swimmers create more propulsion.
But it’s not a conscious movement.
The feet snap through at the end of every kick, which helps swimmers create more propulsion.
But it’s not a conscious movement.