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CHANGES TO
USA SWIMMING RULES TO CONFORM TO FINA
Effective September 21, 2005
Replace existing 101.1 in its entirety with the following:
101.1
BREASTSTROKE
.1 Start - The forward start shall be used.
.2 Stroke - From the beginning of the first arm stroke after
the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the
breast. It is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time.
Throughout the race the stroke cycle must be one arm stroke and one
leg kick in that order. All movements of the arms shall be
simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane without alternating
movement. The hands shall be pushed forward together from the
breast on, under, or over the water. The elbows shall be under
water except for the final stroke before the turn, during the turn
and for the final stroke at the finish. The hands shall be brought
back on or under the surface of the water. The hands shall not be
brought back beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke
after the start and each turn. During each complete cycle, some
part of the swimmer's head shall break the surface of the water.
After the start and after each turn, the swimmer may take one arm
stroke completely back to the legs. The head must break the surface
of the water before the hands turn inward at the widest part of the
second stroke.
.3 Kick - After the start and after each turn, a single
downward butterfly kick followed by a breaststroke kick is
permitted while wholly submerged. Following which, all movements of
the legs shall be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane
without alternating movement. The feet must be turned outwards
during the propulsive part of the kick. A scissors, flutter or
downward butterfly kick is not permitted except as provided herein.
Breaking the surface of the water with the feet is allowed unless
followed by a downward butterfly kick.
.4 Turns and Finish - At each turn and at the finish of the
race, the touch shall be made with both hands simultaneously at,
above, or below the water level. The head may be submerged after
the last arm pull prior to the touch, provided it breaks the
surface of the water at some point during the last complete or
incomplete cycle preceding the touch.
101.3 BACKSTROKE
.1 Start - The swimmers shall line up in the water
facing the starting end, with both hands placed on the gutter or on
the starting grips. Standing in or on the gutter, placing the toes
above the lip of the gutter, or bending the toes over the lip of
the gutter, before or after the start is prohibited.
I thought because the above rule
changes will become effective on September 21, 2005, I would inform
you of the interpretation by Bruce Stratton, Chairperson of the
Rules and Regulations Committee for these changes.
Breaststroke - After the start and
after each turn, and, after the swimmer has started or taken that
first stroke completely back to the legs or during that first
stroke to start the cycle (as some young swimmers do), the swimmer
is now allowed to take this first kick in one of two ways. (1) The
swimmer can just do the one breaststroke kick following by the next
stroke to keep the cycle continuing. This is the stroke and kick
that we have all become accustomed to in our instructions to the
swimmers and our observations of the swimmers. (2) The swimmer is
now permitted to use a single downward butterfly kick which is
followed by a breaststroke kick and then is followed by the next
stroke to keep the cycle continuing. The butterfly kick has to be
done before the breaststroke kick in this example. The butterfly
kick can not be the only kick used during this part of the
cycle.
Backstroke - FINA eliminated and
USA Swimming followed their example by taking out the section in
the backstroke start rule that said that the feet shall be placed
under the surface of the water where they needed to remain until
the starting signal. Most of the touch pads in international
competition use touch pads that are anchored on the deck with the
gutters not even showing. With that being the case, the feet can be
out of the water, but the swimmer can not stand in or on the
gutter. Their toes can not be placed above the lip of the gutter or
be bent over the lip of the gutter before or after the
start.
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