Which is more important?  Inborn talent or dedication?  I would argue that perseverance & tenacity are the keys to success.  As a swim coach I RARELY am asked to help someone learn the Butterfly stroke.  Most swimmers stay far, far, FAR away from it because, if not done correctly, it’s truly exhausting.  Of the four strokes, it is made up of movements that are the most complicated, the most technical & the most unlike anything we do on land!

So, when a swimmer willingly spends months to years working on this stroke, I take my swim cap off to them!  Blake Olson has done just that despite frustration & disappointment.  Learning any stroke is a long process…but learning Butterfly…well, that’s a looooooong process!  I am so proud of your hard work, Blake!!

In Blake’s own words:

“‘Why can’t I do this’ was my never-ending mantra of disappointment regarding the butterfly.  For months I struggled with this stroke.

When I finally thought I could do rudimentary butterfly, I attempted it at the Idaho Senior Games.  My goal was to complete the race without being DQ’d (disqualified).  Unfortunately, I DQ’d within the first 05sec of the race.  What a humiliation!

This senecio reminded me of Grit:  The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Professor Dr. Angela Duckworth.  She is an expert in grit & self-control & she hypothesizes that the key to success may not be inborn talent, but a special blend of resilience & single-mindedness.

Duckworth was RIGHT!  Perseverance & tenacity are the keys to success.  Add that to learning from your failures & working to overcome disappointments & you have great barometers for predicting success.  So, I decided that I would continue, with Coach Michelle’s help, to work on butterfly.

Together we have dissected every piece of my butterfly.  Using video analysis, we have looked at:

• The position of my head, arms, hands, legs & feet
• The angle of my hands & arms
• The timing of my breath & my arms into & out of the water

And, after months of work, a more seamless & relaxed butterfly is emerging!  I have not conquered The Butterfly……yet.  But I’m getting there!”

If you’d like to work on your strokes, click here for more info on adult swim lessons.