To think that learning to swim butterfly is pointless?

[Justajot]

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?

My DC's swim school had a ridiculous rule that you couldn't love up from one level until you were proficient at Butterfly.

After months of being in the same class, being very strong at front crawl & breast stroke but unable to do a full length of butterfly my DC asked to leave the class & I allowed it.

The swimming we do as a family has progressed their diving and swimming abilities way more than the hours spent trying to perfect one (frankly bizarre) stroke.

DD is in stage 9 "competitive swimming", and I think butterfly should be banned from the curriculum of all child stages. Virtually no child can swim it properly. The time and energy would be better spend refining their other strokes.

If a child is trying to be a competitive swimmer when they're a teenager, and don't want to restrict themselves to races that don't require it, they can start learning it then. It's a waste of time, energy and money teaching it across-the-board to primary-age children.

If a child is trying to be a competitive swimmer when they're a teenager, and don't want to restrict themselves to races that don't require it, they can start learning it then.

If you want to be a competitive swimmer waiting until you are a teenager to learn butterfly is completely useless my DS is 9 and a competitive swimmer and even those who don't swim butterfly as an individual event need it for the medley.

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.

Same here. I have never had a lesson and this is how my body naturally does it (and sometimes like how the Little Mermaid swims but I don't know what that's called).

I think you are right. Dogs have never had lessons either. Natural all the way 🐶

Swimming's my exercise of choice (together with riding). I'm reasonably strong in a pool, try to do at least a mile a week alternating breast and crawl, and have done so for years.

I can't do butterfly to save my life!

DC (5) attended Water Babies from 3 months then went on to structured swimming classes. They're only just now graduating from doggy paddle to crawl. Interesting to hear the theory about kids' swimming stages and keeping them going as long as possible. I've already started to suspect this idea has a basis and it's interesting that other parents think likewise!

and sometimes like how the Little Mermaid swims but I don't know what that's called

Dolphin kicks, if my memory's correct!

Dolphin kicks, if my memory's correct!

Which is of course the leg part of butterfly...

I've noticed that Olympic swimmers nearly always pick this stroke when it's a freestyle event.

I watched my sisters (8 yo) swimming class a few weeks ago and was in awe at how well she does the butterfly. It's her favourite stroke. I dont recall ever learning it in my lessons but then I never mastered anything beyond a crap breaststroke. I'm hoping to start some adult lessons to properly learn the techniques and would love to give the butterfly a go.

Yanbu.
I've spent £3k on swimming lessons over five years and the insistence of Swim England getting children to constantly learn butterfly has tipped me close to the edge. They can barely tread water for more than a minute, a lifeboat would take 15 I guess, but they can do a semi ok length of butterfly . Fan-fucking-tastic.

They're finishing lessons this month and going private where they can refine breast, crawl and treading water. Stuff that they can actually use for fitness and might save their lives.

Fly is the second fastest stroke after frontcrawl. It's great for stamina and the kick is essential for frontcrawl/backstroke starts and turns as well. The way breaststroke is evolving, it's also a core part of that stroke too.
I'm not sure I've understood a PP earlier who says that most Olympic swimmers pick this for a freestyle event. I'm pretty sure no swimmer in recent times has ever swum anything but frontcrawl in a freestyle event in the Olympics.

No one butterflied away from the Titanic.

megletthesecond I don't really understand your point - all bar school lessons are "private", if you chose a Swim England class, then of course it's going to include learning for the sport, they're a sports governing body.

If they can tread water for a minute, but can't tread water for more than a minute, isn't it mostly fitness they're lacking?

People rarely need to do back flips on beams but fucking gymnasts just always at it.

sirfred I was under the impression that swimming lessons taught practical swimming and lifesaving skills. Swim England isn't concerned about water safety, just perfecting strokes and filtering up the best swimmers for competitions.
They practice treading water for a minute or two and that's all. In my day we spent ages on it. And yes, my children do need more fitness to tread water. But that's something I naively expected the swim school to teach them. It's taken years for me to realise they won't teach them. Hence the move to private 1 to 2 lessons.

He'd ban breast stroke if he could because due to having HSP and dodgy hips he can't do it. He does fly legs and breast arms (and keeps up grin).

I'm the opposite, i do breaststroke kick with butterfly arms when I can get away with it (when the coach isn't looking!)

In my DC's swimming lessons they seem to start butterfly at stage 4 (there are 3 levels in each stage), when they've already mastered backstroke, front crawl, breaststroke and can make a good stab at diving. So my 9-year old has just started butterfly. I'm happy enough but don't want too much time spent on it.

Reasons to learn butterfly: Fun, variety, enjoying a challenge, learning what your body can do. Any one of those is enough reason imho.

As someone who got to mid 20s only able to doggy paddle, I disagree with those who think it's adequate. Being able to front crawl or even breast-stroke is wildly more efficient.

Knowing a stroke makes it workable to swim as regular fitness activity. Another +.

My stroke of preference is that breast variation where you don’t get your face/hair wet. So there.

DS(17) is a club swimmer and prefers butterfly- fast and powerful. Wouldn’t catch me dead even attempting it.

Dd (9) loves the dolphin kick part of butterfly but struggles with the arms. She passed stage 7 and then wanted to quit lessons as it seemed to just become endless lengths and endurance training. She now does rookie lifeguards and loves it (and not once has the instructor asked them to rescue a casualty by bombing over to them with butterfly!)

Ds (5) has just gone up to stage 4. He will probably remain there for years trying to coordirate arms and legs for breaststroke and butterfly.

I learnt to swim from age 3.5. I was / am a fairly confident swimmer as a result. Fly was hell during lessons it wiped out energy which could have been used to concentrate on strokes which are actually useful and other techniques such as diving and turns. It also wiped any confidence which you had gained in other strokes. It is an utterly pointless stroke imo. As others have said I can't think of any occasion where you would need to use it

The fly kick is v useful for swimming with fins and also with some of the other strokes when you do underwater swimming.

I agree OP. Our leisure centre operator insists that everyone learns it, (including the adult learners) and it is such a waste of time. Leave it to the clubs to teach. The rest of us are happy with the other strokes.

DS got through the stages without having to do much of it but I think that was the teachers turning a blind eye and concentrating on the other three strokes. But the pool is now run by one of the major chains rather than the local council and they follow the rules set by the ASA etc.

To do butterfly well (ie not mega-splashy) requires a huge amount of core strength. Most people compensate for their poor core strength by trying to get the kick power from their thighs and stabilising with their back. In reality, the kick should come from your hips, whose power comes from your core. The former creates a jerky splashy stroke (often alongside flailing arms) that the swimmer can only do quickly. Slow butterfly is so much harder because you have to use your body better.

It's a stroke that is also arguably more sensitive to rhythm and coordination of arms and legs than other strokes. Improving these helps the other strokes hugely.

In a increasingly sedentary society, where the core takes the brunt of muscle weakening (so more back problems etc), perhaps we should all be working towards being able to do butterfly properly? Being difficult does not equal useless!

Billy William, "No one butterflied away from the Titanic"

You win! 😂