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Developing a solid second kick in butterfly for age groupers gives them a complete stroke to build on.

Why do it:
Thinking about kicking the hands in almost isn’t necessary as it’s more instinctual and the natural flow of the stroke, but thinking about kicking the hands OUT takes more focus.  This second kick helps fly the hands into the recovery and keeps the swimmer moving forward.

How to do it:
We’re going to turn to our local expert, Patrick Park, the current Arizona State University 200 fly record holder (now post-grad) and how he learned it.  Thanks Pat!

1 - Start with fins to make it more dynamic.
2 - Push off and glide a bit to get ready for the kick.
3 - Initiate the pull and with exaggeration set up a BIG KICK as the hands finish the pull through.
4 - Allow the hands to land forward without any additional kick.
5 - Glide for a bit then repeat.

How to do it really well (the fine points):
You’re switching what is natural for most, so take your time and start slowly.

Use big exaggeration for the second kick, allowing the feet to come out of the water and even too much knee bend.  This drill is about breaking the instinct and potentially building a new one.

Start to remove the pause out front and use a more natural butterfly rhythm.

Don’t worry if younger swimmers still kick the hands in, it’s natural and trying to remove it may add additional confusion.

Eventually, take the fins off and start the process over.

Take out the glide and slowly build the rhythm back in without fins... until you’re swimming pretty fast fly with two fairly equal kicks.

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Butterfly - 2nd Kick Focus