How to Do a Butterfly Kick

Getting into Position

Face the direction you want your kick to land. The butterfly kick is a rotating movement, so during the kick your head will be facing the opposite direction from your legs. Work out which direction you want your kick to land and then begin by facing that direction. Also work out if you want to travel from left to right, or right to left. In the explanation that follows, we will be traveling from right to left.

Begin in bow stance. This stance, which is sometimes called forward or front stance, is the correct starting position for your kick. Place your legs slightly wider than hip width apart. Place both feet at 45 degrees angles, as if at 2 o'clock on a clock face. Get into a lunging position. Your back leg should be straight, and your front leg bent at a 90-degree angle. Turn your hips in the direction of your front leg.

Extend your arms out. Placing your arms in the right starting position will allow you to build momentum for your rotation. While in bow stance, stretch the arm that corresponds to your straight leg in front of you with the shoulder by your ear. The arm that corresponds to your bent leg should be pointed behind you, with your upper arm close to the side of your torso. Your hands should be flat with the fingers stretching away from your body in both directions.

Executing the Kick

Pivot your feet. Footwork is important to execute the butterfly kick, here's how to get the footwork right. Starting from the bow position, pivot both feet 90 degrees. Do this by staying on the balls of your feet and lifting your heels off the ground. Shift your weight to the leg that was previously straight in the bow position. If you are traveling from right to left, you will therefore pivot your feet so that the toes point 45 degrees to the left. Bend the left leg and transfer most of your weight to it.

Swing your arms for momentum. During the rotating movement, whip your arms as if drawing semi-circles in the air. For example, the arm that was initially up by your ear in the starting position (in this case, the right arm), should end up stretched out behind you with the hand pointing down to the ground. Similarly, you should swing the arm that was initially stretched out behind you (in this case, the left arm) upwards. It should come to rest by your left ear. These arm movements give you vital momentum to take off with your kick. The direction is less important than maintaining good extension away from your body with the arms.

Bend your body forward. As you are pivoting your feet and bending the left leg, bend your body forward, hinging at the hips so that your chest is parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your back straight as you bend forward. Maintaining a straight back gives the butterfly kick its distinctive look.

Pivot 180 degrees on your left (standing) leg. As you began to pivot, you have transferred your weight to your left leg, which was initially the straight leg in bow stance. Keep pivoting until you execute a full 180-degree turn. At this point your head will be facing the back wall or the opposite direction that you were facing when you began your jump.

Lift your right leg up and extend it out behind you. As you are pivoting with the left foot, kick your right leg out behind you.

Jump off your standing leg and kick it out behind you. When you are mid-kick, all parts of the body are off the floor and your limbs are extended out from your body in a dynamic motion.

Land on your right leg. Your left leg will come down after the right. Bend the landing leg and straighten the left leg and you will find you are in the same bow stance that you started in.

Finessing Your Kick

Point your toes. As you are kicking, point the toes of both feet and extend your legs as much as possible. This will make your kick more aesthetically pleasing.

Keep your head up. When you are rotating make sure that your chest stays parallel to the floor and that your head looks up. Fix your gaze on something ahead of you, this technique is called spotting. Imagine that you are locking eyes with your opponent.

Practice. This is a relatively simple move, but it requires practice to build strength and accuracy. The more you practice the better, dedicate a few minutes per day and you will begin to notice improvement. Get a qualified person to spot you when you are just beginning. They can help by holding your arm and pulling you through as you rotate. Practice with a wall bar to support your weight, to help you build up to the full kick.