The Butterfly

Shoulder Movement Analysis

Julian Read, Alex Laurenzo, Lilli DeLeon

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this project is to identify and analyze the

interaction of muscles in a short motion as well as to identify
and prevent possible injuries that may occur.
The goal in the butterfly is to swim forward, not downward,
which is a common misconception.
We have separated the stroke into 6 phases: the entry, catch,
pull, recovery, kick, and breath.
Within the shoulder girdle, elevation, retraction, depression,
and protraction occur.
Within the glenohumeral joint, flexion, adduction, internal
rotation, and abduction occur throughout the phases.
 VIDEO CLIPS:
http://www.hudl.com/technique/video/view/VImRgWiI

http://www.hudl.com/technique/video/view/AezPqV7O
Video Clip Analysis (Description of Starting Position)

After the swimmer dives into the water, they streamline, with hands touching
(palm to back of the hand), and the biceps muscles near the ears, squeezing
tightly.
The legs perform a dolphin kick until the hands reach the surface of the water.
After this, the arms are extended above the head and the scapula is protracted.
The scapula is also elevated prior to the first stroke to prepare for the
pulls.
The swimmers arms are held in an internally rotated position while the chin is
tucked into the chest, as the chest exerts a downward force on the water.
After this, the arms pulls down and backward, out of the water, to complete the
first stroke
The Streamline
PHASE 1: THE ENTRY

The first phase of the

butterfly stroke is the
entry.
During the entry, the
arms are extended and
inverted in a parallel
position.
In the glenohumeral
joint,flexion occurs.
Elevation occurs in the
shoulder girdle
PHASE 2: THE CATCH

Next, a high elbow

catch is
initiated, with
hands anchored
just outside the
shoulder.
Pressure is
exerted in a
backward motion,
and the elbows
stay high.
 PHASE 3: THE PULL

Next, the pull is the path the hands

take in the water after the catch.
This path resembles an hourglass or
keyhole shape, and the hands should
remain inverted.
The push helps to propel the body
upward and outward from the water.
This is the final active movement
within the arm.
Retraction and depression occurs in
the shoulder girdle.
Glenohumeral adduction and internal
rotation take place.
 PHASE 4: THE RECOVERY

The path the arms take

outside the water on
their way back to the
entry.
Elevation and
protraction Occur in the
shoulder girdle.
In the glenohumeral
joint, internal rotation
remains constant, and
extension and abduction
follow through.
PHASE 5: THE KICK

The first kick is

synced to the entry
of the hands, as the
chest presses down
into the water and
the hips elevate.
The second kick
comes at the exit of
the arms, at the
beginning of the
recovery.
PHASE 6: THE BREATH

The body exhales as

the hands enter the
catch phase.
As soon as the mouth
clears the surface
of the water, the
body inhales, and
the chin returns to
a tucked position to
reduce upward
motion.
MUSCULAR ANALYSIS
In the water, there is leg retraction and
extension to make a kicking motion called
a dolphin kick.
During the high elbow catch phase, the
agonist force comes from the biceps,
triceps, trapezius, deltoid and forearms.
In the final phase, the pull, there is no
agonist force because you aren't gaining
any speed in this phase.
- The beginning of the butterfly stroke is
an isometric contraction, there is no
change in muscle length, force and
resistance are constant prior to pulling
into the first step of the stroke
- Core movement utilizes the area from the
spine to the lower back, a contraction
occurs to begin the undulation of the
core and torso
- A concentric contraction occurs as the
arms pull back, the biceps and triceps
help the arms propel out of the water
and above the swimmers head, through
this eccentric contraction, the
swimmers muscles contract to be able to
control the weight of water
- The scapula concentrically contracts to
pull the arms up and back into the water
Injury Prevention

Swimmer's Shoulder has the possibility

of leading to shoulder pain and
tendinitis, or a rotator cuff
impingement.
To fix or reduce shoulder impingement, a
supraspinatus stretch is suggested.
Strengthening the smaller muscles is key
to avoiding overuse injuries.
Dumbbell scarecrows, band pull-apart,
and unilateral lifts are all exercises
that can be used to target small muscles
within the shoulders, targeting
especially scapular and biceps muscles.
WORKS CITED

Kahn , Stuart. Master Butterfly. U.S. Masters Swimming, 6 Dec. 2012.

www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?aid=1935 . Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.

Poirier-Leroy, Olivier. "The Butterfly Stroke: Everything You Ever Wanted to

Know." Yourswimlog.com, edited by Olivier Poirier-Leroy, Lane 6 Publishing,
www.yourswimlog.com/butterfly-stroke/ . Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.

Keller, Christophe. "About Us." Enjoy Swimming, 2014. Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.