A serious question (I know, how unlikely is that?): I've been on the shelf most of the year since Nov., and I'm really curious as to how the new allowance of the single dolphin kick is being called. Not the official interpretation, but the actual experience of fellow breastrokers in meets, whether Open or Masters, local, zone or nats. At the time we originally discussed the new rule, there was the sentiment that some would push the envelope towards the second half-kick- is this happening, or are some calling it super-tight to avoid that?
Mens NCAA's, it looked to me like the guy who won the 100 and 200 ***(coming from behind to win in the last length) did 2 dolphins on the last turn in each race. It also looked to me that Lochte took a dolphin kick into his turn in the 200 IM. The quality of the tapes from ESPN2 weren't good and there were no underwater shots to speak of so I can't be sure.
Here is what is in the ILMSA newsletter. I think this is actually the comment from the USMS site, and is no doubt the basis for the DQ of my teammate:
The official interpretation for the changes to the breaststroke is that during, or at the end of the arm pull-down of the first stroke after the start and after each turn, a single downward butterfly kick is allowed, but not required, followed by a breastroke kick. During the pull-down, if a downward butterfly kick is taken, it must be followed by a breaststoke kick. It is not permissible to take only a downward butterfly kick without then taking a normal breastroke kick. The downward butterfly kick is not permissible prior to the arm pull-down. In addition, there is now a requirement for all movements of the legs to be “in the same horizontal plane and without alternating movement”. This was previously not included in our rules.
"there is now a requirement for all movements of the legs to be “in the same horizontal plane and without alternating movement”"
So back to the definition for those who want to be legal and utilize this legal kick.
Does the above quote interpret that you cannot change forward depth direction during the butterfly kick. ie go from a straight line underwater to an angle towards the surface during the kick?
Matt, you are hopelessly misguided (and long winded to boot). Allow me to point out that the breastroke is swum facing forward, which allows a swimmer to use the two eyes God/nature/happenstance (insert your chosen belief system here) placed in the head facing . . . all together now . . forward. As well, this happy forward-facing stroke places the nostrils in a generally downward direction, which anyone remotely conversant with the laws of gravity and the principles of liquids can affirm is, in the immortal words of Martha Stewart, a Good Thing.
No, my butterfly addled friend, the *** stroke of swimming is that senseless exercise in blind flailing known as the backstroke. It seems significant that it is the only stroke which must be started from the edge of the pool, with its own set of arcane rules governing the placement of one's toes, distance allowances while submerged, and varying tolerance for flipping to the natural, correct, and right side during the race but not at the end. Give me a stroke I can start with a manly dive off the blocks any day, and which doesn't require heroic anaerobic efforts or prophylactic measures to keep my head from filling up with the medium through which I am traveling.
And the fly is not actually swum by anyone who is not (a) an Olympic Trials qualifier; or (b) Dennis Baker. Oh, I acknowledge that some will occasionally complete a 100 here and, in the odd case, a 200 there, (why, I myself have been known to complete a 50, albeit with much huffing, puffing, and an interesting vertical kicking display near the end) but the reality is that those swimmers know, in their heart of hearts, that they were damn lucky simply to have survived the race.
No, the breastroke is a noble calling, worthy of its place in the hallowed pantheon of swimming. And a whole lot of rules.
Matt quote:
touch the wall simultaneously and at the same level. No haggling over BS.
Actually, you have not needed to touch "at the same level" for some time now. Both BS and BF changed away from the "same level" requirement at the same time - if I remember correctly.
Hey man,
Yet another reason not to swim *** stroke. The snail darter of the competitive swimming world. It's the slowest stroke. It has less in common with all the other strokes. And, it exists only with massive, artificial protection at the behest of "purists" who live in constant fear that it will somehow morph into some stroke "less aesthetic" than the good ole days of their fondly remembered high school swimming careers.
The best thing I can say about *** stroke is that the aforementioned massive protection resulted in the invention of the true stroke of the Gods, and acid test of who is a real swimmer instead of a rec swim pretender, the butterfly. Please note the contrast. Since its invention, I am unaware of any raging controversy (and the concomitant whining and hand wringing) about the legality of certain techniques in a butterfly race. Simple, recover your arms simultaneously and over the water, kick with your legs together, and touch the wall simultaneously and at the same level. No haggling over BS. No tiresome controversies about which phenominal swimmer and present or former world record holder is "cheating." The only challenge in fly is learning how to swim the darn thing easily and being in good enough shape to finish the darn race. Imagine that, swimming ability, and not the capacity to whine louder than anyone else, determining the outcome.
No, all this caterwauling over minutiae is not at all comparable to dolphining off of the turns in free and back. First, freestyle. Please note that by definition it is any form of locomotion that does not involving pushing off of the bottom of the pool or tugging on the lane line. Hence the delicious freedom from stroke judging controversy. But more to the point, body dolphining is completely in keeping with both the letter and the spirit of the stroke. Backstroke also has a simple concept; stay on your flippin' back. If you can body dolphin the entire length of the pool with your nose pointed more towards the surface of the water than the pool floor, hey, you're on your back. It is worth noting that backstroke does indeed come in third behind free and fly in that it has been permitted certain liberties to enable efficient turns, and similarly a reasonable limit has been placed on body dolphining to prevent backstroke from turning completely into a submarine race (as it might in a 25 yard pool, which is itself a fadish abomination that does not travel well outside of the borders of the U.S.) These artificial interventions have in fact generated more controversy than one sees in fly or free races. However, it is nothing compared to the stroke beloved by trial lawyers, devils' advocates, and general pains in the neck everywhere.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you the *** stroke, or whatever the heck it has morphed into this week.
Matt
Well said, Bill.
Back to the topic (yes, I know, I'm hardly one to object to thread-diversion), What I'm after is also that very subjective impression that some of you could share: are they calling the rule tightly, or highly erratically?
In the Illinois masters newsletter - I think Winter 2006, Nadine gives a very good explanation that makes a lot of sense to me. go to the website and read what she has written. www.ilmsa.com
