How to Focus on Butterfly for IM Improvement

Mastering the Opening Act to Elevate Your Entire Medley

In the Individual Medley (IM), butterfly is more than just the first 100 meters — it’s the foundation of your race. A strong, controlled butterfly leg sets the tone for backstroke, conserves energy for breaststroke, and builds the confidence needed to finish freestyle with power. But too many IM swimmers treat butterfly as a “get-through” phase — sprinting hard, burning out early, and sacrificing their entire race.

The truth? Butterfly isn’t the part of the IM you survive — it’s the part you master to win.

By strategically focusing on butterfly technique, pacing, and efficiency, you can transform your weakest leg into your greatest advantage. In this guide, we’ll show you how to train butterfly specifically for IM success — with targeted drills, pacing strategies, and mental frameworks that carry you through all four strokes.

🦋 Why Butterfly Is the IM’s Critical Catalyst

Butterfly’s role in the IM is unique:

• It’s the most metabolically demanding stroke, producing high lactate early

• It sets your pace — go out too hard, and you’ll fade on breaststroke

• It impacts your backstroke start — a clean, legal turn is non-negotiable

• It builds race rhythm — a smooth butterfly creates momentum for the medley

“If your butterfly is chaotic, your IM is doomed — no matter how fast your freestyle is.”— Chase Kalisz, Olympic 400m IM Gold Medalist

🎯 4 Key Areas to Focus on for IM-Specific Butterfly

1. Pacing Strategy: Controlled Power, Not All-Out Sprint

Most IMers blow up by going 100% on butterfly. The winning approach? 90–95% effort with perfect rhythm.

✅ Ideal Pacing (200m IM):

• First 50: Strong but controlled — focus on clean breakouts and timing

• Second 50: Slightly faster, but never sprint — save 5% for breaststroke

✅ Drill:

• 4 x 100m IM order — descend 1–4, but keep butterfly at 90%

• Goal: Negative split the backstroke and freestyle legs

🎯 Cue: “Fly strong. Don’t fly desperate.”

2. Turn Efficiency: The Legal, Fast Backstroke Transition

The butterfly-to-backstroke turn is the most technical and high-risk transition in the IM.

✅ Key Elements:

• One dolphin kick underwater before the arm pull (FINA SW 8.3)

• Legal touch: Hands must touch simultaneously while on the stomach

• Quick tuck: Roll to back immediately after touch

• 5 underwater dolphin kicks off the backstroke start

✅ Drill:

• 8 x 25m: 12.5m fly → legal turn → 12.5m back

• Focus: Touch, tuck, roll, push — in under 1.2 seconds

⚠️ DQ Risk: Rolling before touching = disqualification

3. Stroke Efficiency: Less Effort, More Glide

In IM butterfly, efficiency beats power. A compact, rhythmic stroke conserves energy for the grind of breaststroke.

✅ Technique Focus:

• Chest-driven undulation — not knee kicks

• Low, forward breath — eyes to the wall, not the ceiling

• Relaxed recovery — arms “thrown,” not muscled

• Glide after kick — even 0.5 seconds reduces drag

✅ Drill:

• Tempo Trainer Sets: 6 x 50m @ 1.6s/stroke — focus on rhythm, not speed

• Fists-Only Fly: 4 x 25m — builds forearm catch, reduces arm fatigue

💡 Elite Insight: Adam Peaty’s 100m fly in IM is 1–2 seconds slower than his standalone time — by design.

4. Mental Toughness: Starting Calm, Not Chaotic

Butterfly in the IM is raced in a crowded, high-adrenaline environment. Panic here ruins everything.

✅ Mental Strategies:

• Pre-race breathing: 4-7-8 method to lower heart rate

• Mantra: “Rhythm first. Speed second.”

• Visualization: Rehearse a smooth first 50m nightly

🧠 Cue: “My butterfly isn’t a sprint — it’s a setup.”

📅 Sample IM-Focused Butterfly Workout (60 Minutes)

Warm-Up:

• 400m easy + 4 x 50m drills (6-kick switch, dolphin kick)

Technique Focus:

• 6 x 25m Tempo Trainer Fly (1.6s/stroke) — focus: chest press, low breath

• 4 x 25m Fists-Only Fly — focus: forearm catch

• 8 x 15m Butterfly Breakout Sprints — focus: legal pullout, 5 UDK

Race Simulation:

• 4 x 100m IM Order

  • Butterfly @ 90%

  • Backstroke @ 95% (negative split)

  • Breaststroke @ 90%

  • Freestyle @ 100%

• Rest: 90s

Cool-Down:

• 200m easy backstroke + stroke count reflection

📊 How to Track Butterfly’s Impact on Your IM

Metric	Why It Matters
Butterfly Split vs. Standalone	Should be 1–3 seconds slower in IM — if faster, you’re over-racing
Backstroke Start Time	<1.2s from fly touch to back push-off
Stroke Count Consistency	Should hold from 1st to 2nd 50 of fly
Perceived Effort (RPE)	Butterfly RPE should be 8/10, not 10/10

🎥 Film your fly-to-back turn monthly — check legality and streamline

💬 Pro Tips from IM Champions

“I don’t win IMs in freestyle. I win them by not losing them in butterfly.”— Chase Kalisz

“My coach makes me do 100 butterfly sprints — but never in IM sets. In IM, butterfly is about control.”

“If your butterfly looks panicked, your IM is already over.”

⚠️ Common IM Butterfly Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Going all-out on fly	Train IM butterfly at 90% — time it separately
Rushing the turn	Drill legal pullouts until they’re automatic
Lifting head high	Cue: “Breathe to the wall — not the sky”
Ignoring recovery	Use one-arm fly to build relaxed arm motion

Final Thoughts

In the IM, butterfly isn’t the beginning of the race —it’s the promise you make to the rest of your swim.

A controlled, efficient, and legally sound butterfly leg tells your body:

“We have energy. We have rhythm. We have time.”

And that promise?It carries you through the burn of breaststroke,the fatigue of freestyle,and straight to the finish — strong, smart, and in control.

So the next time you push off for IM butterfly,don’t just fly. Fly with purpose.

Chest down. Arms snap. Turn clean. Carry on.

Because in the IM, the race isn’t won in the last stroke —it’s won in the first glide. 🦋💙