Marvelous Manatees - Stronger than Ever! (Page 12)

Has anyone been successful in mastering butterfly stroke, and if so - did you find any benefits of it?

I learned the stroke many years ago, during swim lessons, but my goal at that time was to learn and master free, so I did not really care about the fly. All I remember is that the fly was EXHAUSTING and I was only able to do a half of the length (and felt as if I run a marathon with sprint pace...)

My current swim workouts are a mix of all strokes (free, breast, back) mostly because I want to make sure I have a back-up stroke for the race, with free to be the main #1 stroke for racing (after I had a panic attack during a race and breast stroke saved me, I want to make sure I have strong #2 stroke, which is breast). Obviously, I am not planning to have fly as my #2 (or not even #3), I was thinking more of the overall fitness and health benefits of the stroke. This would probably be one length, maybe one day i would be able to do one lap, during my workout/drill days.

What I am looking for is your experience on 1) learning and mastering the stroke, and 2) have you niticed that swimming this stroke even in a short distance helped you with fitness, other stroke, anything....

We FINALLY got snow over night! I've used my snowblower once this winter. I've been able to run on the rail trail all winter (no slush or ice). This is NOT NORMAL!

SO I cleared the driveway early and went to the trails down the street and got some XC skiing in. It was awesome. In the woods, alone without a single track but my own! Snow was wet and heavy so not fast moving but I don't care. I needed to see some snow!

I am an 'adult' swimming so I am still trying to master freestyle. I can do breast and back stroke as well. I see people once in awhile do butterfly but not often. I don't know what benefit it would have but then again I am definitely not a swim expert. I would drills if anything would be helpful. I am now swimming with a group and it's really helping. We do things I'd never be able to come up with...

I felt old and stiff on Sunday and Monday but a little better today! Thanks for asking!

We are getting a ridiculous amount of snow today. Early in our season we got a couple feet plus that shut things down for a day. Then we didn't get much for awhile. I imagine we'll have 18" by end of day if it keeps going.

I need to ski Alyeska. We hiked it in June 2018 and rode the tram.

Really good skiing there, although it has gotten ridiculously expensive. $120/day for a lift ticket. Taking my son up there next week for his birthday, but we definitely no longer do several trips a year there given the prices. We don't have too much for options though.

Well, it has finally happened. I tested positive for COVID last night. First time, which is pretty surprising given the number of people that I am around that have had it. I started with sort of a scratchy throat on Monday and losing my voice but no other symptoms really. Currently in a trial and one of the attorneys was positive a couple weeks ago (we are in week 5 of trial), so we've all been testing somewhat regularly. So I was testing before and after my scratchy throat started, and those were all negative. Last night I started feeling really congested in nasal passages, and tested again. So here we are. So far it hasn't been too terrible. I've definitely had worse colds, and still seem to have taste and smell. My wife had it back in November and it kicked her down pretty good. So I feel pretty lucky so far. The worst part of it has actually been the guilt that I might have exposed others because I know how awful it can be on some people. Obviously we never know when we might get it or have it, but I've definitely had every person that I've been within a a couple feet of the last few days running through my head. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Ugh! Sorry. It seems inevitable that we will all get it. My Mom got it 2nweeks ago. She is the first of our family tonget it. Fortunately, it was really just a bad cold for her.

Butterfly advice! Not an expert but it was one of my events as a kid, I swam it on our relay in high school, and have coached kids and taught it, despite a lack of formal qualifications. Yes, I think there is a benefit to incorporating fly or attempts at it into training. It is great for building strength (once you can do it without fins, at least) and cardio (I think it's the most taxing of all the strokes), and the undulation involved is great for stretching out your back, hamstrings, and other areas that tend to get cramped up from biking and running. You can enjoy the latter benefits even from just doing underwater dolphin kick, with or without the fins. There is a kind of progression to learning fly. You can Google it but here's my go at it:

1. Put on some good "floating" type fins (the longer swim fins) and practice the dolphin kick (both legs together) underwater. Try to get the up and down body motion going. The kick originates from the core and hips, NOT the knees. (Watch on Youtube.) Come up to breathe whenever you want to. (When I first got back in the pool after breaking my elbow, literally 90% of my first workouts were just dolphin kick with fins. You're still moving through water, working core muscles, and getting some of the cardio and range of motion benefits of swimming, if not any upper body work.)

2. When you feel confident with the kick, add the arm motions. Come up to breathe each time. It helps to think about push-ups: you press down with your hands/arms and then your head comes up and you breathe, like you're doing a push-up out of the water. Then arms up and over, down, and repeat. The kick, pull, and body undulation can be very hard to get in sync. Fins and Youtube (and a live instructor if possible) are your friends. Many people find it easier to start doing to pull with one arm at a time, and then put them together. For some reason, it's always been easier for me just to do both.

3. If you REALLY want the cardio and strength benefits of fly (and there's a lifeguard), try to wean yourself off the fins, starting with very short distances. Maybe push off the wall and try to go a few strokes of fly before switching to something less strenuous. Work up distance slowly. I'm sort of still in this stage after not doing fly for a couple years when injured, mainly because I just don't have to do it. I used to be able to do 200m without fins; don't think I've done over 50 in the last 2-3 years. It just hasn't been a goal. But even 25 meters or yards will really get your heart rate up!

Glad your mom is doing ok Robin. So far just a medium-ish cold for me. I agree the incubation period is tough on this. You can have no symptoms and have it, or you can have symptoms and you think you have it, but you won’t test positive for several days. Very frustration for trying to protect others from catching it from you. Hopefully you avoided it Ann-Marie.

Ironically, my daughter is thousands of miles away at college, and she tested positive last night too. She’s been a bit sick for a few days now but also tested negative several times. Cruelly, Facebook gave me a photo last night to remind me that one year ago today, she and I caught a blue marlin in Kona. Definitely a change of scenery this year.

Glad your mom is doing ok Robin. So far just a medium-ish cold for me. I agree the incubation period is tough on this. You can have no symptoms and have it, or you can have symptoms and you think you have it, but you won’t test positive for several days. Very frustration for trying to protect others from catching it from you. Hopefully you avoided it Ann-Marie.

Ironically, my daughter is thousands of miles away at college, and she tested positive last night too. She’s been a bit sick for a few days now but also tested negative several times. Cruelly, Facebook gave me a photo last night to remind me that one year ago today, she and I caught a blue marlin in Kona. Definitely a change of scenery this year.

Currently binge watching Better Call Saul.

Edited by alaskatri 2023-03-04 12:53 PM

I told her last night “when I said you should follow in my footsteps, I meant go to law school, not this.” :-)

Seems like there is another wave of Covid going around. We have had a lot of kids with "colds" at school and a few kids who still test routinely (they get them for free as part of a university research program) have tested positive in the past week. Some had cold symptoms and coughs, some didn't. We just had a family move back from China and the kids got sick on their second day, so maybe they brought it in, or maybe it's just out there in the community. I'm still wearing a KN95 mask when teaching and figure it's going to be that way till I retire. Masks are not required and I don't push them, but most of my kiddos now wear one or ask for one if they are having cold symptoms. Nice to see that kids can be so considerate, even if (I'm sure) the masks aren't 100% effective, especially with this age/size of kid (most are too big to comfortably wear a kid mask, and the smaller ones can't get adult masks to fit tightly enough). We do have better attendance than the middle school with whom we share a campus, and most elementary schools locally. Stomach bugs also going around--I wish the kids would be as good about hand-washing!

So far have not gotten Covid again, to my knowledge (knock on wood). My experience with it was basically a standard head cold. Laryngitis and sore throat for a few days, then a stuffy head for a few weeks. It hit during wildfire season when our air was crap, so unsure how much of the lingering sinus issues were due to virus vs. air quality. Only a few days of feeling "sick". I felt much worse with whatever I had during winter break, when I tested negative multiple times (chest congestion, nausea, loss of energy and appetite). Guessing the latter was probably one of the flu bugs.

Ugh for those who have COVID right now or have been exposed to it. Hoping you all have mild symptoms!

200 fly was my favorite event as a kid. If backstroke wouldn't have been involved, the 400IM would have been my favorite but I hate backstroke with a passion haha.

As to does fly have an benefits? Yes and no in my opinion.

Fly is 100% a rhythm stroke. If you don't have the rhythm correct it's only going to drive you crazy. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you don't have a good fly rhythm. As Hot Runner said, the kick originates from the core and hips and not the knees. You have to make sure your lower back is moving with the rhythm of your core and hips or the kick will be worthless.

The positive of incorporating fly is it does build strength, but more importantly it allows you to use your hips more while doing free.

Personally, I do not full fly most of the time but 1-arm fly instead. It still gives me the rhythm of the core and hips without sucking the energy out of me for the rest of the swim.

I would concentrate on learning a good dolphin kick instead of learning full fly.