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Teaching Butterfly and Breaststroke Turns The butterfly and breaststroke turns are very similar. The only difference is that with a breaststroke turn a split stroke is performed under water directly after the turn. A split stroke is 1.5 strokes under water. When reaching the wall at the turn and finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands. The hands may touch above, below or at the waterline. The hands do not have to be at the same height. However, it is vital that the shoulders remain horizontal.   The swimmer will use a leading arm which will move along the body line, and a rotation of the swimmer's body will occur. It is important that the swimmer maintains a streamlined body position. The swimmer's head must break the surface of the water before the arm stroke is performed.   Butterfly and Breaststroke Pivot Turns   Teaching Points Stand in chest-deep water, one arm's length from wall. Your swimmer may also swim toward the wall. Bend at waist. Reach toward wall if swimming. Grab pool gutter or the edge of pool with both hands. Keep shoulders level. Tuck legs underneath the body on the wall. Feet are parallel with the pool bottom. Let go of pool edge with the bottom hand. Throw other hand over head toward far end of pool. Extend both arms over head. Push off wall.       Reach toward pool wall with both hands.     Bring knees to chest and begin turn.     Bring both feet to pool wall and push off with both feet.     Assume a streamline position. Breaststroke Pivot Turn (Dartfish)     Coaching Tips Tell the swimmer to swim either breaststroke turn or butterfly to the wall. Encourage swimmer to keep his/her face in the water after the last stroke until both hands have left the wall. Remind swimmer that the push off is on the side, with the body rotating into a prone position.     Practice Butterfly and Breaststroke Turns after Swimming 15 Meters   Teaching Points Stand in chest-deep water 15 meters from wall. Swim either stroke to edge of the water. Touch the edge of the pool with both hands, keeping shoulders level. Keep the face in the water. Bend knees slightly and rotate body in either direction. Tuck legs underneath hips. Take one hand off the wall. Bring the other hand over the head. Extend both arms over the head. Push off wall.   Coaching Tips Encourage swimmer to keep his/her face in the water after the last stroke until both hands have left the water. Remind swimmer that the push off is on the side, with the body rotating into a prone position. For breaststroke, the swimmer is allowed one pull down and one kick under the water, the split stroke or 1.5 strokes under water. Swimmer needs to make their body as streamlined as possible when performing a split stroke. For butterfly, the swimmer begins the kick as soon as the feet leave the wall.

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