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.
Competitive Strokes
The four competitive strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and 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 swim by one 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
Freestyle is for everyone. In freestyle events, the competition may swim any stroke,
thus the term free style. 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. Most swimmers do the forward dive off of the
block, but swimmers can just jump or dive from the edge of the pool.
Backstroke
Backstroke is another good stroke for everyone. The backstroke consists of an
alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmer 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
Breaststroke is a difficult stroke to learn for most children. It requires simultaneous
movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. Breaststroke consists of a pull, breathe,
kick and glide motion. Some children pick up the breaststroke kick very quickly and naturally,
while others struggle with not being able to turn their feet out or with illegal flutter kicks. 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. Advanced breaststrokers will
learn to also do a breaststroke pullout for a multi-length race. When a swimmer does this, they
are allowed 1 full pull past their hips, a dolphin kick, 1 breaststroke kick and a glide. The pullout
must be done in this order, Pull-Kick-Glide-Breathe.
Butterfly
Butterfly s for swimmers with a strong dolphin kick and strong shoulders. This is usually
the last stroke the swimmers grasp. 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 parallel 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
Once the swimmers know all the strokes they can combine them into a medley. This is
is commonly referred to as the IM. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then
changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. An
individual medley requires the swimmer to follow all the stroke rules. Each length must be
finished just as a regular race of that stroke.
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), the race
will be called back.
Turns and Finishes
Freestyle: the feet have to touch the wall
Backstroke: swimmers have to be on their back when they touch the wall with 1 hand.
After he/she
touches, he/ she can then turn around without touching the bottom, but
he/she must push off on their
back. At the finish a swimmer must finish on his/her back. A swimmer
may not roll over and grab the wall until they have first touched it. Young
swimmer are usually afraid of hitting their heads on the wall. This is
normal, however, encourage them that if they are alternating their arms,
they will be protecting their head and they will hit the wall with an arm.
Encourage them to remember their magic number which will tell them
when they are near the wall. To do the backstroke flip turn, a swimmer
usually takes 4 6 strokes pasts the backstroke flags then then takes 1
freestyle pull with one arm. This freestyle pull takes the swimmer into the
freestyle flip turn, but then the swimmer must push off on his/her back
instead of on the stomach. The backstroke flip turn should be practiced
often before it is used in a race.
Breaststroke and Butterfly:
1. Swimmers have to touch with both hands at the same time.
2. A swimmer may not freestyle kick off the wall in either breaststroke or
butterfly.
3. When swimming butterfly, both arms must move at the same time.

Relay Exchanges

It is always disappointing when a relay is disqualified because of a bad relay exchange.
In this league, the benefit of the doubt is supposed to go to the swimmer. If the exchange is
obviously too early, then judges have to call it. An exchange is legal as long as the big toe nail is
still on the block as the swimmer in the water touches. This means that the swimmer on the
block can be over top of the swimmer in the pool as he/she touches as long as the toe is still on
the block. Most swimmers at this level do not have too many false starts unless the swimmer in
the water takes an extra stroke or slows down and the swimmer on the block did not anticipate
such a finish. There are times when a swimmer gets anxious and takes off too soon.

10 and Under Relays are special. In this league, the relays are only 100 meters in length.
This means that each swimmer only swims a 25 meter race. This puts two swimmers at both
ends and only blocks at the deep end. For a 10 and Under Relay Exchange to be legal, the
swimmer at the wall must enter the pool while their teammate is swimming towards them.
The swimmer on the wall must be holding onto the wall with one hand and one foot on the wall
as well. They can jump form side to side to dodge the one swimming into the wall, but they
must continue to have one hand and one foot on the wall until their teammate touches the
wall. There is never any diving at the shallow end of the pool for relays!


Technical Rules

Parents with a swimming background observe the swimmers during each event to
ensure compliance with these technical rules. If a swimmer commits an infraction of the rules,
he/she will be disqualified from that event. This simply means he/she will not receive a
participation award in that event. Disqualifications may result from actions such as:
Freestyle:
Missed wall
Touched bottom
Walking on the bottom
Pulling on the lane lines
Not completing the distance
Backstroke:
Turned over onto the stomach before the finish
Extra stroke
Turning past the vertical onto the stomach and gliding or kicking into the wall on
the turn (the roll must be part of a continuous turning action)
Pushing off the wall on the stomach after a turn
Not remaining of the back while swimming
Pulling on the lane lines
Touched the bottom
Butterfly:
One hand touch at the turns or at the finish
Touch the bottom
Flutter or Breaststroke kick
Alternating movements of the arms or legs
Pushing the arms forward under instead of over the surface of the water
Touched the bottom
Breaststroke:
One hand touch at the turns or at the finish
Touch the bottom
Flutter, scissor or dolphin kick instead of the breaststroke kick
Two underwater strokes
Pulling too far
Touched the bottom
Individual Medley:
Wrong order of strokes
Any of the reasons for each of the individual strokes