The 100 metre butterfly as run at a national school sports meet: two lengths of the pool swum with simultaneous arm recovery and dolphin kick, the hardest of the four strokes to hold over a full 100 metres.
The 100 metres butterfly is two lengths of a 50 metre pool, or four lengths of a 25 metre pool, swum with both arms pulling together and recovering over the water at the same time, driven by a dolphin kick. It is started from the block with a dive, and the result is decided by the clock, but only for a swim that stays legal from start to finish.
Most of the difficulty lies in the second length. Butterfly demands strength through the shoulders and core, and a swimmer who sprints the first 50 metres often loses rhythm in the last 25, with the arms dropping low and the kick fading. Coaches therefore treat the 100 as a pacing race: a controlled first length, a clean turn, and a strong, steady finish.
The rules are strict about the shape of the stroke. Both arms must move together and recover forward over the water, the kicks must be dolphin kicks with the legs moving together, and the shoulders must stay level with the water surface. At the turn and at the finish the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands at the same time, level with each other. A one-hand touch is the most common reason for a disqualification.
In this template the item is entered by individual swimmers in four fields: Junior boys and Junior girls (under 17) and Senior boys and Senior girls (under 19). A finishing time in minutes, seconds and hundredths is recorded. The template carries a nominal five-minute limit with a four-minute warning; those are placeholders for the scoring screen, since the race takes a fraction of that, and a coordinator can ignore or tighten them. In this template a Gold finish carries 5 bonus points, Silver 3 and Bronze 1.
Where 100 meters Butterfly is run
In eTalenter the item is carried by the national school sports and games template for Indian school-board affiliates, in the swimming programme after the 100 metre backstroke. More widely, the 100 metre butterfly is a standard event at school galas, club meets and national and international championships.
- India (national school sports meet for board-affiliated schools)
- Worldwide as a swimming event
Key facts
- Individual race, run separately for boys and girls
- Four fields: Junior (U-17) and Senior (U-19), each for boys and for girls
- Two lengths of a 50 metre pool with one turn; simultaneous arms and dolphin kick
- Started with a dive from the block; two-hand touch at the turn and the finish
- Result is a finishing time in minutes, seconds and hundredths of a second
- Medal points in this template: Gold 5, Silver 3, Bronze 1
On eTalenter, 100 meters Butterfly is filed under Water Sports and typically scored with Time (MM:SS.ms). It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, 100 meters Butterfly is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Female, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
How it is scored
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means.
- Best score is
- the lowest
- Decimal places
- 2
- Unit
- seconds / milliseconds
- Used for
- Sports
Where it sits
The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed.
Others in this category: Swimming, Diving, Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Water Polo, Surfing
Judging criteria installed for it
eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed.
No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.
What judges look at in 100 meters Butterfly
What a 100 meters Butterfly panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Finishing time: the fastest legal swim wins, so hundredths of a second decide medals and tie rules should be agreed before the day
- Stroke legality: both arms must pull and recover together over the water, and an alternating arm movement is a disqualification
- Kick: only dolphin kicks are allowed, with the legs moving together, so a flutter or breaststroke kick during the swim is penalised
- Two-hand touch: both hands must touch the wall together and level at the turn and at the finish, and a one-hand touch loses the swim
- Start and records: the swimmer must not move before the signal, and times from every heat must be recorded per lane and checked before ranks are published
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for 100 meters Butterfly under Scoring Setup, or start from how judging, scoring and tabulation work on eTalenter.
How to prepare for 100 meters Butterfly
How entrants and their teachers usually get 100 meters Butterfly right on the day:
- Build the stroke in short pieces first: single-arm drills, then both arms together, so the timing of the kick with each pull becomes automatic
- Practise the two-hand touch at the wall in every training set, until the swimmer lands both hands level without thinking about it
- Train the pacing, not just the speed: swim 50 metre repeats at a rate that can be held, and learn what an even 100 feels like
- Strengthen the shoulders and core with dryland work such as planks and light band pulls, since fatigue shows first in the second length
- Breathe low and forward, and keep the head movement small, because lifting the head high drops the hips and breaks the rhythm
- Rehearse the dive and the first underwater kicks until they are repeatable, and check that the kick count off the wall is the same on both lengths
- On race day warm up with a few starts and turns, keep the stroke long in the first length, and avoid a heavy meal in the final hour
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 meters Butterfly judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Female, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What makes the butterfly different from the other strokes?
Both arms move together and recover over the water at the same time, and the legs kick together in a dolphin movement. Alternating arms or a flutter kick are not allowed.
Is the 100 metre butterfly judged by a panel?
No. The result is a finishing time. Officials only check that the start, stroke, turn and finish are legal.
Why do swimmers get disqualified in butterfly?
The common reasons are a one-hand touch at the wall, an alternating arm pull, or a kick that is not a dolphin kick. The touch must use both hands, level, at the turn and at the finish.
Who can enter the 100 metre butterfly in this template?
Individual swimmers in Junior (under 17) and Senior (under 19) fields, with separate races for boys and girls.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read how judging, scoring and tabulation work on eTalenter, or browse every water sports competition item.
Try 100 meters Butterfly in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs 100 meters Butterfly, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
