In Video: Butterfly Breathing: SAB vs. CMB
by TERRY LAUGHLIN

My favorite focal points are those that have a “voodoo” effect on speed, meaning that by focusing intently on the technique point – often a seemingly minor one – you just go faster. This approach is far superior to “trying” to go faster, which always creates more fatigue but only sometimes creates more speed.

One of my favorite “voodoo focal points” has been a subtle timing adjustment in Butterfly breathing. In both the BetterFly for Every Body and O2 in H2O DVDs, we demonstrate the key point of landing with your head aligned between your shoulders (also an essential skill in Breaststroke.)

It's important to do this with care. If you your head crashes down, you dive bottomward rather than travel forward and churn up the water you’ll be moving through. But when you get this movement right by smoothly extending your head forward and keeping it neutral as it lands, you feel an immediate increase in speed and momentum through “quiet” water.

What happens next is the subject of this article. If I hold my head in that neutral position for a moment – let’s call this the Sustained Alignment Breath (SAB) – I gain some extra distance in each stroke while also getting a moment of restfulness that keeps my heart rate lower. It’s a briefer version of the glide in Breaststroke.

When I want a steadier rhythm and more speed, I try to use voodoo rather than effort. Instead of pausing in that neutral position, I immediately begin moving my head back toward its next breath – but in a smooooth and seamless movement. I call this a Continuous Motion Breath (CMB). The barely perceptible adjustment in rhythm leads naturally to more speed. While it does require more energy, I’m usually so focused on getting the timing just right that I barely notice.

How does this translate in terms of stroke count and speed? When I swim 25-yard SAB repeats in practice, I’m usually at 7SPL and 21 to 22 seconds. With CMB, the stroke count increases by one or two, but my time goes down by two seconds.

How do I use each?
I generally use SAB for:
• the first three 50s of a 200 Fly,
• the 100 Fly in a 400 IM,
• the first 50 to 75 of a 100 Fly.

I shift to CMB for:
• the first 50 of a 200 IM,
• the last 50 of a 200 Fly,
• the last 25 or 50 of a 100 Fly.

Watch video of SAB and CMB.