A friend of mine has argued to me that in an IM if you were to dolphin kick off the wall on your back as you start the freestyle leg and then rotate and break out on your front at 14m that you would be DQed for having swum backstroke in the free leg, which is not legal. I think it would be legal. The rules don't specify exactly how different the freestyle leg must be from the three fixed strokes so there is definite ambiguity. If a swimmer swam a half length of fly and then a half length of *** should they be DQed? Would this logic apply to a half length of on the back dolphin followed by a half length of front crawl? This is not entirely academic as some people find they can dolphin faster on their back then on their front. And dolphin kicking on the front is legal fly so the same logic applies to any dolphin kicking.
Any high level officials that would like to weigh in?
Thanks!
P.S. Would butterfrog be legal for the free leg for non-masters but illegal for masters?
This is one of those trick questions that come up during the pre-meet meeting of the officials when we have run out of things to talk about. A kick does not define a stroke. The official has to wait until you complete at least one cycle to determine what you are swimming.
Just to play devil's advocate, what if the swimmer never takes a stroke? There's nothing in the rules saying the arms must be used. As long as you come to the surface within 15 meters you could just continue kicking on your back. Does that constitute backstroke? I'd say it does because backstroke could be defined as any swimming while you're on your back. That's pretty much how the rules define it.
This is one of those trick questions that come up during the pre-meet meeting of the officials when we have run out of things to talk about. A kick does not define a stroke. The official has to wait until you complete at least one cycle to determine what you are swimming.
Just to play devil's advocate, what if the swimmer never takes a stroke? There's nothing in the rules saying the arms must be used. As long as you come to the surface within 15 meters you could just continue kicking on your back. Does that constitute backstroke? I'd say it does because backstroke could be defined as any swimming while you're on your back. That's pretty much how the rules define it.
