Rules and Officials: New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation

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New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation

Printed From: YMCA of the USA Competitive Swimming and Diving
Category: YMCA of the USA Competitive Swimming - General
Forum Name: Rules and Officials
Forum Discription: Questions and answers concerning swimming rules and officiating.
URL: http://www.ymcaswimminganddiving.org/forum/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1234
Printed Date: Sep/10/2010 at 4:22pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.06 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation

Posted By: Ed Miller
Subject: New Breaststroke Rule Interpretation
Date Posted: Dec/12/2008 at 10:45am

The USA Swimming Rules and Regulations Committee has issued a new interpretation concerning the downward butterfly kick allowed during the first stroke at the start and after each turn. As you know, by their charter, USA-S is required to follow FINA rules and this interpretation reflects the current thinking at FINA on this subject.

The interpretation states:

"For purposes of Article 101.2.3, as it relates to what constitutes the initiation of the first arm pull and the allowed single downward butterfly kick, the following applies:

After the start and each turn, any lateral or downward movement of the hands or arms is considered to be the initiation of the first arm pull."

This interpretation is effective immediately for all meets conducted under USA-S technical rules!

Undulating of the hands while in the streamlining position is not considered to be a lateral or downward movement as contemplated under the interpretation.

This interpretation only affects breaststroke; no parallels should be drawn to when the butterfly stroke begins for purposes of determining whether or not an underwater recovery has occurred.

Please continue to watch this Forum, as we will post additional guidance as it becomes available.

Ed Miller

National Officials' Committee Chair

Replies:

Posted By: jpsquires
Date Posted: Mar/16/2009 at 11:48am

Ed,

I worked USY Championships this weekend in Cary, NC. I was stroke and turn judge for finals of the 200 Breaststroke. The swimmer left the block in a stream line position with the hands slightly apart. She held this position and did not move her hands. She then initiated a dolphin kick, then initiated the pull. I made a call that the kick was initiated before the pull (out of sequence). The Referee overturned the call because of the new interpretation of the rule. His reasoning was that since the hands were separated there was no way to tell if any movement in the hands occurred. In his view if a swimmer is not in a hand over hand streamline this call can never be made.

Is this the intent of the new interpretation? I would like to pass a clear ruling on to my officials.

Thanks

John Squires

YMCA Officials Trainer.

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John Squires
YMCA Officials Trainer

Posted By: rhallapp
Date Posted: Mar/16/2009 at 8:58pm

I would like to see discussion of this point as well. While it is clear that any movement of the hands outward or downward is the initiation of the pull, it also seems clear that that the movement must continue in order to be a pull at all, and that merely separating from the hand-over-hand streamline to a static separated position is not a "pull." I think the purpose of the interpretation is simply to relieve stroke judges of the obligation to determine when the actual pull - catching water in the traditional sense - begins. The language of the rule does not relieve us of determining whether the movement is the start of a pull, or just a change of streamlining position. We make the same kind of determination in a continuous turn call, and I think the referee's position was too literal an interpretation of the interpretation, without considering the intent of it.

Posted By: Ed Miller
Date Posted: Mar/17/2009 at 11:55am

It is always difficult to answer questions about a specific disqualification when you haven't seen the infraction. However, in this case, as the facts were presented, it appears that a disqualification would have been in order. The rule interpretation allows that any lateral or downward motion of the hands is considered the initiation of the stroke for purposes of the downward butterfly kick. In this case, it appears that the turn judge discerned that there was no such motion so the disqualification was proper. This is going to be a tough one for a little while until we all get more familiar with it.

Ed Miller

National Officials' Committee Chair

Posted By: jpsquires
Date Posted: Mar/17/2009 at 12:02pm

Thanks for the reply(s). I agree that it should have been an infraction. My concern is that the word sent out from USA swimming is being taken the way this referee did, in a literal sense and possibly not the way it was intended. Rhallapp I believe hit it on the mark and that it is to relive the stroke judges of the obligation to determine when the actual pull starts.

I have posed the same question to our USA LSC chairs to ask their opinon.

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John Squires
YMCA Officials Trainer