**Step #4:  Timing (Separation Drill with Arms First)**
To teach butterfly timing from on deck, I demonstrate by starting in a flat-back butterfly float position.  I show one pull – float…diamond…press…swing -- with a soft landing, then I stand up with arms overhead and do one body dolphin.

I have them try just one cycle. The instructions are: FLOAT…DIAMOND…PRESS…SWING…FLOAT…BODY DOLPHIN.

When the swimmer can do one cycle correctly, you may notice that they start to take out the pause between landing the hands…and pressing immediately into their body dolphin.   They’re actually taking away the separation.  

This is a good sign.  You may also notice that they begin the next pull as soon as they feel the body return to the surface.  

These two steps -- pressing immediately into the body dolphin when the hands land, and beginning the next pull as soon as the swimmer returns to the surface – are critical to performing multiple stroke cycles. 

The pull must start before the swimmer’s shoulders break the surface.

The swimmer must think to pull forward to come up, and not to float up to the surface, and then pull.


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Timing - Separation Drill Hands First