At the U.S. Trials there was one official in every lane looking at the turns, so now that we're in Athens, how does Kitajima get away with that dolphin kick on his turn? It seemed clear to me from the above water shot, then was confirmed with the underwater. Other breaststrokers care to weigh in?
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Originally posted by Allen Stark
Speaking of dolfin kicks I do think Aaron Piersol took an extra kick before the turn where he was almost DQ'd.It was subtle & I doubt I would have noticed without the controversy.
I'm not sure what you mean by "extra kick". The rules for backstroke turns simply say that:
"During the turn the shoulders may be turned over the vertical to the *** after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to initiate the turn. Once the body has left the position on the back, any kick or arm pull must be part of the continuous turning action. The swimmer must have returned to the position on the back upon leaving the wall. When executing the turn there must be a touch of the wall with some part of the swimmer’s body."
Note that while it specifies "a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull" (which would imply that only one arm pull is allowed), there is no similar provision regarding kicking. Historically, it has been ruled that any kicking that is done during the continuous turning action is considered part of it.
So if the arm pull was not continuous, or was not directly linked to the turning action (i.e., if there was a pause between the arm pull and the flip), any kicking done prior to the pause would be illegal. But this would really be irrelevant, since it would be a DQ even if there were no kicking prior to the pause, because the turning action would not have been continuous.
But if the arm pull was continuous, and was directly linked to the turning action, the only grounds for a DQ would be if there were a pause after the roll onto the *** and before the beginning of the arm pull, and if kicking occurred during that pause.
Originally posted by Allen Stark
Speaking of dolfin kicks I do think Aaron Piersol took an extra kick before the turn where he was almost DQ'd.It was subtle & I doubt I would have noticed without the controversy.
I'm not sure what you mean by "extra kick". The rules for backstroke turns simply say that:
"During the turn the shoulders may be turned over the vertical to the *** after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to initiate the turn. Once the body has left the position on the back, any kick or arm pull must be part of the continuous turning action. The swimmer must have returned to the position on the back upon leaving the wall. When executing the turn there must be a touch of the wall with some part of the swimmer’s body."
Note that while it specifies "a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull" (which would imply that only one arm pull is allowed), there is no similar provision regarding kicking. Historically, it has been ruled that any kicking that is done during the continuous turning action is considered part of it.
So if the arm pull was not continuous, or was not directly linked to the turning action (i.e., if there was a pause between the arm pull and the flip), any kicking done prior to the pause would be illegal. But this would really be irrelevant, since it would be a DQ even if there were no kicking prior to the pause, because the turning action would not have been continuous.
But if the arm pull was continuous, and was directly linked to the turning action, the only grounds for a DQ would be if there were a pause after the roll onto the *** and before the beginning of the arm pull, and if kicking occurred during that pause.
