Simple. You have absolute power to change any technique rules, start/finish rules, age up rules, sky is the limit as long as the rules pertain to swimming. What would you change and why?
Geek:
Wait a minute. You can do the breaststroke kick, but not the pull?
I thought we were referring to the new dolphin kick off the walls in breastroke, apparently not.
Geek:
No. I love the new dolphin kick off the wall rule too. The less breaststroke one has to swim the better.
I was referring to the dusty old masters rule that permits masters swimmers to use the breaststroke kick while swimming butterfly events. I was teasing Terry because he just swam a fly race that way. ugly, ugly, ugly. So if I were dictator, there would be no swimming fly in that ugly way.
You know if you ban the butterfrog, then you might take out a lot of the old timers who swim the distance fly using the *** kick because the can not do the conventional butterfly kick. Greg
I don't think anyone is serious about this and you make a good point, along with the two armed backstroke.
Geek:
No. I love the new dolphin kick off the wall rule too. The less breaststroke one has to swim the better.
I was referring to the dusty old masters rule that permits masters swimmers to use the breaststroke kick while swimming butterfly events. I was teasing Terry because he just swam a fly race that way. ugly, ugly, ugly. So if I were dictator, there would be no swimming fly in that ugly way.
Fortress:
Back in 1999, FINA had a rules proposal to get rid of the breastroke kick in Fly and have all swimmers be consistent with the FINA rules of swimming in that the stroke must be swam using the dolphin kick at all times. My understanding was that FINA wanted all the officiating to be consistent with both Master rules and Swimming rules for FINA. All of the member masters delegations to FINA protested this change because at that time people over 55 learned to swim the stroke using the frog kick and it was not until 1956 that Fly became a 4th stroke using the dolphin kick. Delegations felt this would be unfair for someone in there 70's, 80's and 90's to relearn and swim distances of 100 and 200 meters with the new dolphin kick. So FINA didn't change the rule and we now still have the different rules for Masters and for Swimming under FINA rules. However, I would say about maybe 15 to 20 years in the future, perhaps sooner that there will be a change and we will have one consistent rule for all of swimming.
The reason I say this is because when that time comes, there will be hardly any people that learned to swim this way and 1956 will look like the distant past. One of the reasons I believe FINA wanted to change the rule in the first place is because they saw a lot of people using the frog kick as a survival measure to swim a 200 meter Fly and that it had nothing to do what so ever with the Fly stroke and swimming it properly. So the reason or the excuse depending on your point of view is that in 20 years time you will not be able to use the learning to swim reason to swim because that time will have already past and it will be because of survival reasons like Terry has mentioned. My advice would be to swim the survival way if you have to but if you can learn the modern, faster, dolphin kick way because you will be ready when the change occurs in the future.
You know if you ban the butterfrog, then you might take out a lot of the old timers who swim the distance fly using the *** kick because the can not do the conventional butterfly kick. I have an appreciation for the 80+ swimmers who do long course 200 fly. I remember watching someone who took about 18:00 minutes doing the butterfrog but the whole place was on their feet cheering him on. Think about how difficult it would be for you to swim 200 fly for 18 minutes straight!
Greg
Another change I'd make is to have only prelims and finals at the Olympics. Semi-finals have no useful purpose for the swimmers. Alison,that coach is teaching his swimmers to cheat and should be flogged!
