Improve Your Butterfly to Backstroke Transition
Getting faster at this transition will also improve your open turns
The key to a great IM is all in your transitions. When executed well, the transitions that come when you move from butterfly to backstroke, backstroke to breaststroke, and breaststroke to freestyle can set you apart from other swimmers by helping you conserve the momentum you’ve built up while setting you up for the next stroke in the strongest position possible.
The first of these critical moments comes when it’s time to transition from the butterfly to the backstroke segment of any IM event.
Open Turn Basics
Before we get to the specifics of improving your butterfly to backstroke turn, it’s important to review the basic skills involved in executing any kind of open turn.
I like to use the phrase “elbowing your brother and phoning your mother” when describing how to execute open turns. This means that as you come into the wall, you’ll drop one elbow back toward your hip as you pull your feet up to plant them on the wall. Once your feet have landed on the wall, release the other hand that’s been on the wall the whole time. Bring that hand up toward your ear, as though you were picking up a phone to listen to a call.
Meanwhile, the lower arm should swivel so that your hand is pointing toward the far end of the pool as the “phone” hand continues up above head to meets the other hand in a tight streamline. As this happens, your torso twists so that as you push off, you’ll glide onto your stomachThis basic series of movements should be the same whether you’re executing an open turn from freestyle to freestyle or any other prone (face-down) stroke to another prone stroke.
Going Supine
When transitioning from butterfly to backstroke, you’ll use the same basic series of events as during any other open turn. The biggest difference lies in the twist element. Instead of twisting onto your belly as you push off, glide onto your back and execute a few strong underwater dolphin kicks to bring your to the surface for the backstroke breakout.
Adding Speed
To add speed to this transition, work on bringing your knees up under your chest as quickly as possible. The faster you get your feet onto the wall, the quicker you can initiate the push-off.
