I read the following PDF regarding the updated rule and interpretation for the freestyle portion of the IM:
www.usms.org/.../20150911_fina_im_interpretation.pdf
My question is regarding the freestyle flip turn. When you turn, you flip onto your back, push off and start twisting to the proper position for freestyle. It usually happens fairly fast so you're not completely on the back for any more than one kick worth at the most and by then you've begun rotating to the side. Honestly, I still flip slightly diagonally, so my feet land a bit off-horizontal but I've been working on correcting it to what has been shown to me as a more proper technique.
But I know as soon as I post this notice for my masters team on Wednesday, they are going to ask the same questions. I would assume that this position of being on the back is normal in freestyle and wouldn't constitute backstroke swimming but I've been wrong plenty of times in trying to interpret rules. But it gets me into wondering, what's going to be the line between a normal freestyle flip turn and too much time on your back? Obviously, no SDK-ing on your back down the length of the pool but exactly how fast does that twist need to be? Is there a standpoint from the officials on this yet?
Thanks in advance!
the bigger question is:
why is it legal to swim on my *** to do a backstroke turn, but it is illegal to be on my back after a freestyle turn?
The answer to this is the IM. I don't believe its legal to swim on your *** to do a backstroke turn in the IM but its obviously legal in backstroke and if someone wanted to do it in any distance in a freestyle race it would be legal. With this new rule it would be illegal to be on your back after a freestyle turn in the IM but it would not be illegal to be on your back after a freestyle turn in a freestyle event. Since Ryan Lochte is kind of the inventor or pioneer of this because he believes it faster maybe he can test this in a 200 Free event to see if its actually faster like he believes it is in the 200 IM. To me the difference would be the speed coming into the wall would not be as great in breaststroke as in free and perhaps that is why it has not been tried.
I kinda of see the connection of dolphin kick in breaststroke as being part of fly but FINA can say the dolphin kick is part of *** because you can do it in the individual event and they made it legal in that event just like you can do a dolphin kick in backstroke off starts and turns.
the bigger question is:
why is it legal to swim on my *** to do a backstroke turn, but it is illegal to be on my back after a freestyle turn?
The answer to this is the IM. I don't believe its legal to swim on your *** to do a backstroke turn in the IM but its obviously legal in backstroke and if someone wanted to do it in any distance in a freestyle race it would be legal. With this new rule it would be illegal to be on your back after a freestyle turn in the IM but it would not be illegal to be on your back after a freestyle turn in a freestyle event. Since Ryan Lochte is kind of the inventor or pioneer of this because he believes it faster maybe he can test this in a 200 Free event to see if its actually faster like he believes it is in the 200 IM. To me the difference would be the speed coming into the wall would not be as great in breaststroke as in free and perhaps that is why it has not been tried.
I kinda of see the connection of dolphin kick in breaststroke as being part of fly but FINA can say the dolphin kick is part of *** because you can do it in the individual event and they made it legal in that event just like you can do a dolphin kick in backstroke off starts and turns.
