The DQ thread got me thinking about swimming rules I'd like to see repealed. Here's my list:
15M rule on freestyle -- You're allowed to do virtually anything you want in a freestyle race provided you touch the walls, don't push off the bottom and don't pull on the lane lines. Why is going beyond 15 meters doing SDK not "freestyle?"
15M rule on backstroke -- Again, the rule seems arbitrary as I could go 15M underwater SDK, pop up and then kick the rest of the way still doing SDK on my back and be perfectly legal. What's so magical about 15M?
Dolphin kick off the wall on a breaststroke pullout -- just have the guts to DQ Kitajima back when he should've been DQd and this whole :worms:wouldn't have been opened.
Rollover backstroke turns -- go back to the bucket turn (touch on your back, turn, push off on your back) and you save a whole bunch of DQ hassles for swimmers & judges. Yeah, times will be way slower, but we banned tech suits, so clearly the swimming purists should be lined up behind this one.
Standup backstroke starts -- what's so magical about starting with your toes / feet in the water when we get to start with our feet out of the water on all other races? Let's stop the discrimination against backstrokers!
For the record, with the exception of #5, I would derive no speed benefit from any of the above rule changes as a competitor (I can't hold my breath in a race for 15M and my doplhin kick on the *** pullout is weak at best). As an S&T judge, though, all of these would make my life easier and, I believe (#5 possibly excepted), be more consistent with the overall rules for the strokes.
Interesting list. The logic for freestyle seems obvious. But actually I think lifting the 15m rule would have very little effect on events over 50 yards/meters. Certainly that's true for masters; the main effect for me is that I'd worry less about the start (b/c it is so easy to go past 15m).
I've gotten kind of used to the rollover backstroke turns. It does make sense to have the bucket turns: backstroke should be entirely on your back. Isn't that the reason we still have different starts for backstroke? An added advantage is that initial splits would be easier to do b/c they'd be official finishes.
I believe, though, that I think a main reason they allowed them was b/c it was difficult to judge cross-over turns. Kitajima all over again.
But if we're going to keep the rollover turns, forget about the standup starts (which I also loved): I say that backstrokers should be able to dive off the blocks! As long as you are on your back by the time you surface, you're good.
It would have the added benefit of allowing meets to run faster, since dive-overs would now be possible for all events. We could also do medley relays in IM order, the way God intended.
Interesting list. The logic for freestyle seems obvious. But actually I think lifting the 15m rule would have very little effect on events over 50 yards/meters. Certainly that's true for masters; the main effect for me is that I'd worry less about the start (b/c it is so easy to go past 15m).
I've gotten kind of used to the rollover backstroke turns. It does make sense to have the bucket turns: backstroke should be entirely on your back. Isn't that the reason we still have different starts for backstroke? An added advantage is that initial splits would be easier to do b/c they'd be official finishes.
I believe, though, that I think a main reason they allowed them was b/c it was difficult to judge cross-over turns. Kitajima all over again.
But if we're going to keep the rollover turns, forget about the standup starts (which I also loved): I say that backstrokers should be able to dive off the blocks! As long as you are on your back by the time you surface, you're good.
It would have the added benefit of allowing meets to run faster, since dive-overs would now be possible for all events. We could also do medley relays in IM order, the way God intended.
