Wednesday, October 16, 2013

BASIC SWIMMING RULES

BASIC SWIMMING RULES
The technical rules of swimming are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions for competition and to promote uniformity in the sport.  Each swimming stroke has specific rules designed to ensure that no swimmer gets an unfair competitive advantage over another swimmer.  The technical rules for each stroke may be found in the publication “Unites States Swimming Rules and Regulations”.  You can ask the coach to see a copy of this booklet.

Competitive Strokes
The four competitive strokes are (1) freestyle, (2) backstroke, (3) breaststroke, and (4) butterfly. Events are held in all of the competitive strokes at varying distances depending on the age-group of the swimmer. In addition, there is a combination of the strokes swum by one swimmer called the individual medley (IM). Other swimming events include relays, which are a group of four swimmers who either all swim freestyle (freestyle relay) or each swim one of the competitive strokes in the order of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle (medley relay).

Freestyle
    
In Freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick. On turns and finishes, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. Most swimmers do a flip turn.

Backstroke 
    
The Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may rotate to the stomach and perform a flip turn and some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. The swimmer must finish on the back.

Breaststroke
The Breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart shaped pattern and recovered under or on the surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog.
On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at, above or below the water surface.

Butterfly
    
The Butterfly features a simultaneous recovery of the arms over the water combined with an
undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter,
scissors or use the breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the
finish.

Individual Medley
Commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. 

Starts   

The swimmers are not allowed a false start. If they jump the start and the starter thinks they are trying to get an advantage (whether intentional or not-it does not matter), they will be taken out of the race. This is not like the Olympics where they are allowed two false starts.

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