It isn't a new rule, it is just a "reinterpretation" of an existing rule! Got it.
(They just keep trying to make breaststroke faster...shades of Pinocchio, maybe it will be a real stroke someday...)
This is confusing but, to me anyway, isn't this a tightening up of the rule such that any arm movement in any direction is considered the initiation of the pull?
Yes, jokes aside, I think it is an attempt to be consistent.
Peg, you hands don't need to be nearly as separated as in the "superman" position. One of coaches was talking about it this morning, they were thinking that a slight movement out from full streamline -- even just turning your hands outward in preparation of the pull (a slight "lateral movement") -- would be sufficient for the pull to be considered initiated.
So I don't know if the new interpretation will make things easier or not. It is hard to see the slightest movement, so in effect it may well be that this interpretation just allows one to kick before the pull.
I'm not a breaststroker (if that's news to anybody). I know Kitajima does the kick first but it is hard to see that it would be faster than doing it during the pull itself, when it feels more natural. What do the real breaststrokers here think?
Plus -- maybe I'm mistaken on this -- I thought the intent of the original rule to allow dolphin kicks (ie, Kitajima v 1.0) was because there was a natural tendency to move the hips a little in the pullout and it could be hard to distinguish between that and a full-blown (intentional) dolphin kick. If that's the case, now one might be able to get away with two dolphin kicks during the pull-down: one before the pull and one during it. I bet Kitajima will do that in London.
Maybe in 10 years there will just be a 15m rule like in the other strokes; anything goes until that point.
This is confusing but, to me anyway, isn't this a tightening up of the rule such that any arm movement in any direction is considered the initiation of the pull?
Yes, jokes aside, I think it is an attempt to be consistent.
Peg, you hands don't need to be nearly as separated as in the "superman" position. One of coaches was talking about it this morning, they were thinking that a slight movement out from full streamline -- even just turning your hands outward in preparation of the pull (a slight "lateral movement") -- would be sufficient for the pull to be considered initiated.
So I don't know if the new interpretation will make things easier or not. It is hard to see the slightest movement, so in effect it may well be that this interpretation just allows one to kick before the pull.
I'm not a breaststroker (if that's news to anybody). I know Kitajima does the kick first but it is hard to see that it would be faster than doing it during the pull itself, when it feels more natural. What do the real breaststrokers here think?
Plus -- maybe I'm mistaken on this -- I thought the intent of the original rule to allow dolphin kicks (ie, Kitajima v 1.0) was because there was a natural tendency to move the hips a little in the pullout and it could be hard to distinguish between that and a full-blown (intentional) dolphin kick. If that's the case, now one might be able to get away with two dolphin kicks during the pull-down: one before the pull and one during it. I bet Kitajima will do that in London.
Maybe in 10 years there will just be a 15m rule like in the other strokes; anything goes until that point.
