@andrewksheaff: ‘The head is in a race with the hands’.   It’s one of the easiest ways to help swimmers understand how they need to breathe effectively in butterfly.   First, the head needs to start coming up as soon as the arms start applying pressure with the pull.   If there’s a delay, swimmers are going to struggle to get the head up to breathe.   Second, the head needs to get back down in the water before the arms enter the water after the recovery.   If there’s a delay, swimmers are going to be creating more drag than they need to for longer than they need to.   And a mistake in one area is going to make a mistake more likely in another area.   It’s always a race.    The more swimmers can stay ahead of their arms when they breathe, the easier it will be to breathe effectively and the less likely it is that the breath will negatively impact the stroke.   Follow @andrewksheaff for more on the key skills in swimming, and how to improve them.

Andrew Sheaff

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Region: BR

Tuesday 01 September 2026 11:06:30 GMT