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?
Former Member
...*** with fly kick? I'm almost good at that one.
Now, that is a rule change that I can support!!! Good idea!
I've seen that 200 fly finish many times, and I think she misjudged the wall. She might have been anxious to turn around to see the clock before her hands touched. Since she was turning to her right side, her right hand dropped and missed the wall before the touch.
It doesn't look like she was trying to cheat. But rules are rules, thus the controversy.
But ... there's no way of knowing why she missed the wall.
I understand your anxiousness to execute a fast turn. But you better be careful. One time it might only be an inch. The next time it might be three, enough for a judge to see that the wall wasn't touched.
The IM would be Fly,Breaststroke Kick,Free,and Breaststroke. All open water swims would be breaststroke. Seriously,I'd change the Breaststroke start and turn rule;no dolphin kick,no pulling the hands past the waist,but you can swim up to 15M underwater breaststroke.
I'd create a few new events... the 100bi and 150tri + other distances of course. The bi and tri events would involve swimming your best 2 or 3 strokes. You could use any combination of strokes but each leg would have to be of equal distance ie a 50 fly and 50 free = 100bi. Add a 50 back and you've got your 150tri. Besides, it also meets the qualifications for those above who want to outlaw breaststroke.
I would create an individual medley event that would allow you to swim it in any order. Although, it would be tough to officiate, it would be interesting to watch.
During a Skins meet in Australia each year, they do something similar to this idea. The exception, the swimmer draws out of a pot the order in which the strokes are swam.
Because butterfly isn't breaststroke. In back dolphin is OK because anything on your back is legal. In fly it's OK because dolphin is part of fly. In free it's OK because it's FREEstyle. But in breaststroke it is blaspheming the most beautiful stroke by allowing a movement from it's evil cousin. Also,it decreases the amount of breaststroke actually swum,making SCY even more of a turning contest and less of a swimming contest than it already is.
Down with all the breaststroke naysayers!!!
Change the IM so that all non-freestyle strokes have to be performed with a breaststroke kick. Woohoo, Top Ten here I come!!!! :laugh2:
For those that have trouble judging the backstroke turn, I can offer this advise. There are only two things you need to watch. Watch the hand doing the pull while the swimmer in on their front. When it stops, move the eyes to the head and shoulders. If the turning action has not started, then it is a DQ. If it has, then it is clean. The turning action could be pulling the head up to drive it down or just driving it down (faster by the way in most cases). Everything else is a distraction. The kick doesn't make a difference and the only reason it was mentioned was because FINA had it. FINA changed the wording because the French (the original language for the FINA rules) couldn't get it right (hence Peirsol's temporary DQ at the Olympics.)
Leo
