The dolphin kick will be allowed in breaststroke races soon. This will make Japan happy, as will it make a certain university in California vindicated that all of its breaststrokers have been doing that kick for at least 15 years.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../9740.asp
Personally, I don't want to do it. But of course I'll have to if I want to win against those who have total freedom to do it.
This is the worst rule change ever.
Former Member
Originally posted by aztimm
How do you jump off the bottom? Must be a shallow pool is all I could think. Do you mean instead of pushing off a wall, or between the walls?
Our pool had a three foot ledge dividing the 9' from the 5' deep water, not only did I push off this ledge I grabbed it with my hands pulled then put my feet on it and pushed. The ledge was removed twenty years ago because of safety issues. You must understand this happenned when I was young and foolish.
Remeber what I wrote in my first submission to this thrread. The whole reason that there is a butterfly stroke developed was to distinguish the kick from ***. During WWII, and I think into the mid-1950s, you could do either kick. I'i'M STILL RESEARCHING WHEN THE DISTINCTION WAS MADE.
I'm surprised that nobody has said anything about the change in the FINA backstroke start rule. I found a more comprehensive description of all the FINA rule changes:
During the breaststroke start and turns, while the swimmer is wholly submerged, a single downward dolphin kick followed by a breaststroke kick is permitted. The new rule ends decades of controversies (the first one occurred in Berlin, in 1978, at the World Championships, the latest last year in Athens, at the Olympics).
The backstroke finish rule has officially been clarified. Now it is legal for a swimmer to be completely submerged not only during the turn but also during the last stroke.
Also in backstroke, swimmers are now allowed to start with their feet out of the water. It is no more mandatory that “The feet, including the toes, shall be under the surface of the water”.
As one who's had some bad experiences with my feet slipping on overly slippery touch pads during my backstroke start, I actually think this change is welcome (though I suspect it will provide a new way for backstrokers to improve their times, since they will be able to start with their bodies higher and will therefore be able to travel farther before they hit the water).
Bob
so is it in effect now?
if not when does it go into effect?
better start working on it
ande
Originally posted by Jeff Commings
The dolphin kick will be allowed in breaststroke races soon. This will make Japan happy, as will it make a certain university in California vindicated that all of its breaststrokers have been doing that kick for at least 15 years.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../9740.asp
Personally, I don't want to do it. But of course I'll have to if I want to win against those who have total freedom to do it.
This is the worst rule change ever.
Originally posted by Jeff Commings
I'm thinking that this will be an allowable rule in masters as well, especially those run by FINA rules. Since every stroke we swim goes by FINA rules (except the breaststroke kick on fly), I imagine this will be allowed in 60 days.
USMS also allows the backstroke start to be used in freestyle (which is illegal under USA Swimming rules and FINA rules), and also allows swimmers to start in the water rather than on the blocks (which is also legal under USA Swimming rules, but not under FINA rules).
In general, USMS has modified its rules to allow everything that is allowed by FINA, but not necessarily to ban everything that is banned by FINA.
Bob
Don't get to excited, just because FINA adopts it doens't mean its coming to masters anytime soon! There we're a couple of other changes they made ahile back as well, one was related to this (which i guess now is defunct) the other had two do with the transition from back to front into the backstroke turn.
The rule goes into effect 60 days from now. So Hansen doesn't have to worry. If Kitajima does the kick then he'll be DQ'd.
I'm thinking that this will be an allowable rule in masters as well, especially those run by FINA rules. Since every stroke we swim goes by FINA rules (except the breaststroke kick on fly), I imagine this will be allowed in 60 days.
I don't want to have to do this, even if it was allowed 50 years ago. But I'll start working on it when I go to swim tomorrow.
I remember when they penalized guys like Berkoff by only allowing 15M under water for backstroke. I see guys break the surface all the time past the 15M mark but they hardly ever get DQ'd for it.
For the lif of me I don't understand why it is 15M in SC pools also. Like it or not the backstroke sprints in short course are nothing but a contest to see who has the strongest dolphin kick and lung capacity. It is not a swimming race.
Breaststroke has changed so much over the years, I really wonder what world records would look like if you were still not allowed to drop you head below the surface of the water, and had to come up after one pull and kick, not while starting your second stroke.
I am completely in favor of this. My *** stroke stinks so any advantage that keeps me from finishing dead last is appreciated.
I think this is going to cause the *** stroke to be faster and we might see impacts on records in relays and individual events. A few big dolphin kicks coming off the wall over the course of a race will increase speed I would think. Anyone else agree?
