So the question is: does underwater kicking past the vertical toward your back count as backstroke? I think the answer is "no," but it's certainly a little hazy.The CURRENT rule for backstroke is “The swimmer shall push off on his back and continue swimming on the back throughout the race.” Lochte clearly did not “continue swimming on the back throughout the race”. Therefore it was not a legal backstroke.
And a couple of other examples of not-backstroke
1) A swimmer rotates the shoulders vertical towards the back while breathing during freestyle (often seen in younger/newer swimmers).
2) A swimmer flips straight over on freestyle and after pushing off the wall rotates t the towards the *** position to start swimming. Once the feet leave the wall the turn is complete and the stroke begins, even though the swimmer is not on the *** after the turn this is not backstroke.
Backstroke and freestyle rules don’t address kicking or arms so it doesn’t matter if you kick or or pull or just float. To swim a legal backstroke “The swimmer shall push off on his back and continue swimming on the back throughout the race.”
So the question is: does underwater kicking past the vertical toward your back count as backstroke? I think the answer is "no," but it's certainly a little hazy.The CURRENT rule for backstroke is “The swimmer shall push off on his back and continue swimming on the back throughout the race.” Lochte clearly did not “continue swimming on the back throughout the race”. Therefore it was not a legal backstroke.
And a couple of other examples of not-backstroke
1) A swimmer rotates the shoulders vertical towards the back while breathing during freestyle (often seen in younger/newer swimmers).
2) A swimmer flips straight over on freestyle and after pushing off the wall rotates t the towards the *** position to start swimming. Once the feet leave the wall the turn is complete and the stroke begins, even though the swimmer is not on the *** after the turn this is not backstroke.
Backstroke and freestyle rules don’t address kicking or arms so it doesn’t matter if you kick or or pull or just float. To swim a legal backstroke “The swimmer shall push off on his back and continue swimming on the back throughout the race.”
