After seeing some accomplished swimmers get disqualified in Austin, our masters group has been trying to interpret the rules on both the butterfly and breaststroke turns.
The first question is related to the "simultaneous touch":
The 2008 USA Swimming Rules and Regulations book states for both strokes: "The touch shall be made simultaneously at, above, or below the water surface."
Does this mean that one hand can be above the water and one below the water as long as they touch at the same time? We all seem to remember as kids that the touch had to be simultaneous on the same horizontal plane.
For breaststroke, the book also states that throughout the stroke "the arms shall be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane...", so if that is the case, then the swimmer would have to touch the wall at the same level.
There is no such added description for arms in the butterfly stroke.
The second question is regarding the body position upon leaving the wall:
For breaststroke, the book states: "...after each turn when the swimmer leaves the wall, the body shall be kept on the ***." Must the swimmer be 100% flat as soon as their feet leave the wall?
For butterfly, it states: "Once the turn has been made, the shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the *** when the swimmer leaves the wall."
To further complicate things, for the backstroke to breaststroke turn in the IM, the rule book states: "Once the legal touch has been made, the swimmer may turn in any manner but the shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the *** when the swimmer leaves the wall and the prescribed breasstroke form must be attained prior to the first arm stroke."
Does anyone have any insight into these rules?
Thanks!
There has been much discussion about this as everyone watches the Japanese breaststroker. Below is the FINA interpretation, but it can be hard to see from the deck in an official's position, especially off the start due to the splash. In the video that I have watched, he is still doing the dolphin kick during his first arm pull, so I don't see them calling that; it still fits within that interpretation.
FINA Interpretation: A dolphin kick is not part of the cycle and is only permitted at the start and turn whilst the arms are pulling back to the legs or after the arm pull whilst wholly submerged followed by a breaststroke kick.
In USMS rules the dolphin kick is permitted during or at the completion of the first arm pull. The arm stroke is first in the stroke cycle, so a kick may not start the stroke. If the official with jurisdiction clearly sees that the kick was initiated before the arm pull, that is a DQ. If it is unclear to the official whether the swimmer had started the arm pull first, the decision is usually in favor of the swimmer. As far as "exact criteria", that can vary with with different swimmers' arm strokes (some tend to drift hands apart as they start to pull and some pull with clear force to start with). Most officials have very good common sense about seeing the difference between a stroke that starts with an arm pull versus one that starts with a kick. The key is that it has to be clear to the official that there was a violation.
I recall the "widest part of the outsweep" being used as a measure for the head to surface after the first stroke underwater off the start and turn, which favored the swimmer trying to make it to the surface. I don't see officials using that as a measure for initiation of the kick.
Kathy Casey
There has been much discussion about this as everyone watches the Japanese breaststroker. Below is the FINA interpretation, but it can be hard to see from the deck in an official's position, especially off the start due to the splash. In the video that I have watched, he is still doing the dolphin kick during his first arm pull, so I don't see them calling that; it still fits within that interpretation.
FINA Interpretation: A dolphin kick is not part of the cycle and is only permitted at the start and turn whilst the arms are pulling back to the legs or after the arm pull whilst wholly submerged followed by a breaststroke kick.
In USMS rules the dolphin kick is permitted during or at the completion of the first arm pull. The arm stroke is first in the stroke cycle, so a kick may not start the stroke. If the official with jurisdiction clearly sees that the kick was initiated before the arm pull, that is a DQ. If it is unclear to the official whether the swimmer had started the arm pull first, the decision is usually in favor of the swimmer. As far as "exact criteria", that can vary with with different swimmers' arm strokes (some tend to drift hands apart as they start to pull and some pull with clear force to start with). Most officials have very good common sense about seeing the difference between a stroke that starts with an arm pull versus one that starts with a kick. The key is that it has to be clear to the official that there was a violation.
I recall the "widest part of the outsweep" being used as a measure for the head to surface after the first stroke underwater off the start and turn, which favored the swimmer trying to make it to the surface. I don't see officials using that as a measure for initiation of the kick.
Kathy Casey
