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Original poster

To think that learning to swim butterfly is pointless?

104 replies

Justajot · 05/10/2019 23:57

Watching my DD's swimming lesson, I finally realised that no one ever needs to be able to swim bufferfly. Breaststroke is good for ploughing up and down, front crawl is good for going faster and back crawl is lovely and chilled, each has a role. But butterfly is there just to be awkward. I've only ever seen one adult swim butterfly at a public pool and they were so slow they might as well have been going backwards. Why do children still dutifully learn butterfly?

OP posts:
ConFusion360 · 06/10/2019 00:13

My DH swims butterfly and he's very fast. By his own admission, done fast, it's a very antisocial stroke so he tends to only do it in an empty pool or the sea. He also has a toned down version that is slower but doesn't drown everybody else around him.

SnuggyBuggy · 06/10/2019 00:16

If I fell out of a boat and had to swim to safety I doubt its the stroke I'd pick

Honeyroar · 06/10/2019 00:17

I'm with you! I used to do a lot of swimming and lower level racing when a child, but I was useless at Butterfly! I think you need a heck of a lot of strength to do it well. I clearly didn't!

Powerplant · 06/10/2019 00:19

But it’s a challenge. I could never master it as a kid as you need so much strength

whyamidoingthis · 06/10/2019 00:21

My dd swims butterfly way faster than any other stroke. Done properly, it's a brilliant stroke. Most people can't do it properly.

jayho · 06/10/2019 00:23

It's really hard! I like it as a sporting challenge but otherwise redundant. however, the dolphin leg kick is invaluable for a good breaststroke start and scuba diving with fins

WhatTiggersDoBest · 06/10/2019 00:25

Do they learn it for strength training/to work unusual muscles? If not then yeah, useless.
Also I want to know how exactly someone invented it because I'm imagining a bodybuilder flailing in water a lot then suddenly going "aha!".

NearlyGranny · 06/10/2019 00:25

Anything splashy is a waste of energy. Butterfly is for showing off. I love a sleek, rolling front crawl with bilateral breathing and minimal splash.

Many a churning younger male swimmer has looked shocked as a tubby old lady powered smoothly past leaving a neat trail of exhaled bubbles.

In a South Pacific island nation nobody has ever heard of, I recently went swimming a lot in ocean and river with local friends. They all swim confidently but none has ever had a lesson, and it's doggy paddle all the way. This is clearly how we were intended to swim and I'd love to see it as an Olympic event!

Miljah · 06/10/2019 00:33

There is no point to butterfly.

Do not allow it to impinge upon your short time upon Earth.

Miljah · 06/10/2019 00:34

nearlygranny where? Pure curiosity!

Rezie · 06/10/2019 00:36

Swimming lesson as in a lesson to learn to swim so you don't drown? Or a swimming lesson so that they can go and compete?

For general not to drown swimming it is useless unless you are super experienced and need a challenge. As a sport it is one of those things you have to know.

managedmis · 06/10/2019 00:38

But why do people do it? As a cardio workout?

Apileofballyhoo · 06/10/2019 00:42

In a South Pacific island nation nobody has ever heard of, I recently went swimming a lot in ocean and river with local friends. They all swim confidently but none has ever had a lesson, and it's doggy paddle all the way. This is clearly how we were intended to swim and I'd love to see it as an Olympic event!

This is lovely, Nearly. Conjures up such a beautiful happy image. I learned to swim when my sister dropped me in the water off her back for a second, she was giving me a piggy back, wading not swimming, but I was quite little, though I could have possibly stood. She went to pick me up but I had discovered doggy paddle!

jewel1968 · 06/10/2019 00:42

I would ban breast stroke. I have so many bruises from people with long arms and legs doing breast stroke. And it is sooooo slow.... I find backstroke quite challenging if done properly

QualCheckBot · 06/10/2019 00:47

Learning the different strokes is good for water confidence and developing a feel for the water.

Butterfly can be a good stroke to learn for swimmers who are better at the lateral type strokes, such as front crawl and it also suits certain body types better than front crawl, breaststroke and back crawl, as they all suit people with long upper bodies best.

Its a really good stroke for open water swimming, particularly when the water is rough, as it enables the head to be out of the water more than the other strokes.

It also uses a very different type of powerful leg kick than the other strokes so can be good for those who for physical reasons cant use their arms so well or who want to develop a stronger kick for the other strokes.

Its actually quite a fast stroke when done well. I'm one of those strange people who found butterfly easier to learn than front crawl and I'd much rather do it than breastroke, which feels like wading through treacle. Its not that tiring once you get used to it. Its a lovely stroke, much nicer than front crawl.

Children learn it because if they ever join a swimming club, they will need to do it as part of general conditioning even if they never race it as their event.

sayanythingelse · 06/10/2019 00:48

it's doggy paddle all the way. This is clearly how we were intended to swim and I'd love to see it as an Olympic event!

Doggy paddle is the best! DH makes fun of me because I'm in my 30's and can only swim doggy paddle and breaststroke. He says it looks like I'm drowning.

The jokes on him cos I haven't drowned yet.

safariboot · 06/10/2019 02:14

How "advanced" are the lessons? Butterfly is one of the main competition styles, and as such I'd expect it to be covered at some point. But it's not for beginners.

CleopatraTomato · 06/10/2019 03:34

Love it and always do a length if I can - but it is knackering!! All sports are pointless if looked at from the perspective of usefulness.

Dongdingdong · 06/10/2019 03:45

All sports are pointless if looked at from the perspective of usefulness.

Apart from swimming!

Bluetac19 · 06/10/2019 04:50

Done well, it feels amazing!

LeGrandBleu · 06/10/2019 05:14

And so beautiful to watch.

My son is a competitive swimmer. Butterfly is so strong and graceful at the same time. I love it.

Gotnopokerface · 06/10/2019 05:50

I loved it when I swam. I was a breastroker but I competed in individual medleys. It isn't as hard as it looks and the abdominal work out is something else.

ForalltheSaints · 06/10/2019 07:18

It may not be necessary as a lifesaving skill, but why not do something just for the challenge and pleasure, and understanding when watching swimming championships (if you choose to)?

pinkdelight · 06/10/2019 07:26

My conspiracy theory is that it's included in kids swimming lessons so they take years instead of months/weeks to learn to swim, racking up £££. Seriously, I had to tell DCs instructors to please stop teaching them butterfly. Parcelling out bits of four strokes over 30mins was time-consuming and confusing and costing me a bomb. Crawl, breaststroke and backstroke is plenty. If a kid masters them fast and had a knack for it, by all means progress to butterfly and have fun competing and hogging the fast lane for life. But otherwise you are completely correct. It's an irrelevance at best and at worst a scam.

Howlovely · 06/10/2019 07:55

I am certainly no expert but it seems to me to be the least efficient of all the strokes and, unless perfected, looks clumsy.

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