Preparing for the 100 IM at Masters Nationals in May has lead me to think about the exchange between Backstroke and Breastroke. How can USA Swimming (and Masters) further bend over to pressure in the sport for additional speed and record breaking.
I propose that one be allowed to flip from back to *** on an IM by rolling over on to your stomach (like a normal backstroke turn or freestyle turn) and push off on your stomach for your pullout without touching the wall (with your hand).
This could cut as much as a half second off the race. I mean whats the point in touching the wall anymore? We don't do it on backstroke.
Besides, aren't rules made to be broken if its in favor of making the sport faster and breaking records..... :-)
John Smith
I had a discussion specifically about swimming IM during a freestyle race with the referee at our meet once. The only rule (besides not pushing off the bottom, or pulling on a laneline, or leaving your lane) in freestyle is that you have to break the surface of the water by 15 meters. So you can swim IM in any way you want, doing flipturns during the back to *** or *** to *** or whatever but just be careful your breaststroke pullout doesn't go beyond 15 meters. And if your breaststroke pullout does go beyond 15 meters after you've swum half an IM then that's quite impressive (and you probably didn't work your front half hard enough). The ref I was talking to did actually DQ a kid once in a USAS meet for going beyond 15 meters while doing *** in a free race.
Of course I'm not an official so you might want to take it with a grain of salt. Probably wouldn't hurt to ask the official at the meet what they think, and also let them know you're going to swim the race that way.
Now whether or not you're allowed to do a backstroke start during a freestyle race was debated by the refs at our meet and none of them could agree on its legality.
Edit:
Oh, and of course even if you do swim it as a perfectly legal IM it still won't count as an official IM time.
I had a discussion specifically about swimming IM during a freestyle race with the referee at our meet once. The only rule (besides not pushing off the bottom, or pulling on a laneline, or leaving your lane) in freestyle is that you have to break the surface of the water by 15 meters. So you can swim IM in any way you want, doing flipturns during the back to *** or *** to *** or whatever but just be careful your breaststroke pullout doesn't go beyond 15 meters. And if your breaststroke pullout does go beyond 15 meters after you've swum half an IM then that's quite impressive (and you probably didn't work your front half hard enough). The ref I was talking to did actually DQ a kid once in a USAS meet for going beyond 15 meters while doing *** in a free race.
Of course I'm not an official so you might want to take it with a grain of salt. Probably wouldn't hurt to ask the official at the meet what they think, and also let them know you're going to swim the race that way.
Now whether or not you're allowed to do a backstroke start during a freestyle race was debated by the refs at our meet and none of them could agree on its legality.
Edit:
Oh, and of course even if you do swim it as a perfectly legal IM it still won't count as an official IM time.
