Those of you following USA Swimming Nationals will know that several swimmers were disqualified in the 400 IM for violating the "Lochte Rule." Essentially this rule was FINAs response to something Ryan Lochte did at 2015 Worlds. At that competition Lochte kicked on his back off the wall on the free leg of the 200 IM before rotating around, surfacing on his stomach and completing the free leg normally. Lochte wasn't DQ'd for doing this, but FINA quickly reacted and issued a statement that going forward this would not be allowed. FINAs stance is that leaving the wall on one's back constitutes swimming backstroke and the rules for IMs and medley relays state that the fourth leg must be swum in a style not previously swum.
This seems fair enough until you realize that swimmers are taught to push off on their backs on a freestyle flip turn. So how far is too far to be on your back? By the letter of the law if your feet leave the wall while you are past vertical toward your back you should be DQ'd.
I think there are two major problems with this rule. The first is that it becomes a very difficult judgment call for the turn judge and this leads to uneven enforcement. The second is that it requires swimmers to use a different turn technique for freestyle during an IM event versus a normal free event. As we all know, during a race muscle memory takes over.
In my opinion the current rule is a bad rule, but the solution to this is simple. Just remove the wording that the fourth leg needs to be a style different than the first three legs. Almost everyone that wants to competitive will still swim what all of us would consider to be "freestyle" anyway, and if someone really wants repeat one of the other strokes who really cares? With this rule change the two problems I stated above go away.
well at a few meets now...there is a "ledge" for back stroke starts. ah but not ALL meets...just some!
just like some meets have the "wedge" blocks and some dont
but to point more to the stupidity of fina....the underwater cameras cannot be used to DQ someone...no, just to confirm it?
wait if you cannot DQ them by the camera, why are you using it at all?
oh i cannot see correctly from the deck so i need to look in the water...but i cant look in the water in the 1st place?
and why is it that there is only 1 judge on a side except at the really big meets and then its 1 per lane?
are you not capable of looking at the underwater video? oh wait...thats only after the on deck calls the DQ. which we now need 8 of. and that 1 judge per lane seems blind to THREE (3) dolphin kicks in a single *** stroke turn!!!
if BACKstroke includes swimming on your ***....what exactly is legal on the 4th leg of an IM? you cannot swim on your back and since backstroke includes swimming on your ***? is truely only SIDEstroke allowed?
well at a few meets now...there is a "ledge" for back stroke starts. ah but not ALL meets...just some!
just like some meets have the "wedge" blocks and some dont
but to point more to the stupidity of fina....the underwater cameras cannot be used to DQ someone...no, just to confirm it?
wait if you cannot DQ them by the camera, why are you using it at all?
oh i cannot see correctly from the deck so i need to look in the water...but i cant look in the water in the 1st place?
and why is it that there is only 1 judge on a side except at the really big meets and then its 1 per lane?
are you not capable of looking at the underwater video? oh wait...thats only after the on deck calls the DQ. which we now need 8 of. and that 1 judge per lane seems blind to THREE (3) dolphin kicks in a single *** stroke turn!!!
if BACKstroke includes swimming on your ***....what exactly is legal on the 4th leg of an IM? you cannot swim on your back and since backstroke includes swimming on your ***? is truely only SIDEstroke allowed?
