Dayton Raiders Swim Club
What to Watch in a Swim Meet
A guide to all of the strokes, the pool, strategies
and more (reprinted from USA-Swimming)
The Racing Course
The length of a long course racing pool is 50 meters. World records may only be
set in 50-meter (long course) or 25-meter pools. FINA added the 25-meter world
record at the 1991 FINA Congress in Perth, Australia. The competitive pool has a
minimum of eight lanes, each lane anywhere from seven to nine feet wide. The
racing course must be at least four feet deep and is frequently deeper. The top
pools in the U.S. are six to nine feet deep. The water temperature must be
between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The front edge of the starting blocks are
30 inches above the surface of the water.
The Meet
There are 14 individual events and three relays for men and women in a swimming
meet. In the Olympic Games, there are only 13 individual events and three relays
for men and women. In the Olympics, men do not swim an 800-meter freestyle and
the women do not swim a 1500-meter freestyle.
Freestyle
In the freestyle, the competitor may swim any stroke he or she wishes. The usual
stroke used is the Australian Crawl. This stroke is characterized by the
alternate overhand motion of the arms and a flutter kick which can be either a
six-beat-per stroke or two-beat-per-stroke cycle rhythm. The slower two-beat
kick is used in the distance races, while the faster, six-beat kick is used in
the sprint events and at the very end of the distance races. In all U.S.
Swimming and FINA competition, each swimmer's head must surface within 15 meters
of the start of the race. This rule was passed at the 1998 FINA Congress in
Perth, Australia. The freestyle is swum in 50-, 100-, 200-, 400-, 800- and
1500-meter distances at the Olympic Games. Women's events do not include the
1500-meter freestyle, while the men's schedule of events does not include the
800-meter freestyle.
Backstroke
In the backstroke the swimmer must stay on his or her back, except during the
turns. The stroke is an alternating motion of the arms -- much like the crawl
stroke -- with a flutter kick. Since April of 1991, a swimmer is no longer
required to touch the wall with his or her hand before executing the turn
maneuver. The key to proper interpretation of the backstroke rule is the phrase
"continuous turning action", i.e., a uniform, unbroken motion with no
pauses. In a more technical interpretation, after the shoulder rotates beyond
the vertical toward the breast, a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be
used to initiate the turn. There shall be no kick, arm pull, or floatation that
is independent of the turn. The position of the head is not relevant. In all
U.S. Swimming and FINA competition, each swimmer's head must surface within 15
meters of the start of the race. This is a change from the 1988 FINA rule change
which stated that a swimmer must surface within 10 meters of the start of a
race. The rule was passed after America's David Berkoff set a world record in
Seoul using a 35-meter underwater start, nicknamed the "Berkoff
Blastoff" by NBC swimming commentator John Naber. Backstroke race distances
are 100 and 200 meters.
Breaststroke
Perhaps one of the most difficult strokes to master, the breaststroke requires
simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are
pushed forward from the breast on or under the surface of the water and brought
backward in the propulsive stage of the stroke simultaneously. The kick is a
simultaneous thrust of the legs called a "frog" or breaststroke kick.
No flutter or dolphin kicking is allowed. Swimmers must touch the wall with both
hands at the same time before executing their turn. Breaststroke race distances
are 100 and 200 meters.
Butterfly
The most physically demanding stroke, the butterfly features the simultaneous
overhead stroke of the arms combined with the dolphin kick. The dolphin kick
features both legs moving up and down together. No flutter kicking is allowed.
As in the breaststroke, swimmers must touch the wall with both hands before
turning. The butterfly was "born" in the early 1950's as a loophole in
the breaststroke rules and in 1956 became an Olympic event in Melbourne,
Australia. In all U.S. Swimming and FINA competition, each swimmer's head must
surface within 15 meters of the start of the race. This rule was passed at the
1998 FINA Congress in Perth, Australia. USA's Misty Hyman, among other swimmers,
had utilized an extended underwater start prior to the restriction. Butterfly
races are swum in 100 and 200 meter distances.
Individual Medley
The individual medley, commonly referred to as the "I.M.," features
all four competitive strokes. In the I.M. a swimmer begins with the butterfly,
changes to the backstroke after one-fourth of the race, then the breaststroke
for another quarter and finally finishes with the freestyle. The
"no-touch" backstroke rule comes into play in the individual medley
events in that the new turn may be used in the 400-meter IM (100 meters of each
stroke) only in the middle of the backstroke leg. The new turn may not be used
in the backstroke to breaststroke turn, however, and is therefore not allowed in
a long course 200-meter individual medley race. The IM is swum in 200 and 400
meter distances.
Medley Relay
In the medley relay, all four strokes are swum by four different swimmers. No
swimmer may swim more than one leg of the relay, which is swum in backstroke,
breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle order. Addtionally it is possible to see a
world record in the 100-meter backsstroke (the first leg) in this race. Jeff
Rouse, the current men's world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke, set
that mark swimming the lead-off leg for the 1991 U.S. team at the Pan Pacific
Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and again on the `92 Olympic team in
Barcelona. The medley relay is 400 meters -- or 4x100 meters
Freestyle Relays
There are two freestyle relays -- 400 and 800 meters. In the freestyle relays,
four swimmers each swim one fourth of the total distance. As in the medley
relay, no individual may swim more than one leg of the relay.
Starts and Turns
Many races are lost in poor starts and turns. In the start, the swimmer is
called to starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers
are in the down positions and still. Then, once the starter is satisfied, the
race is started by either a gun or electronic tone. If the starter feels that
one of the swimmers has jumped early, the race will be recalled and the
offending swimmer disqualified. Quick turns are essential to a good race. In all
events the swimmer must touch the wall, but in the freestyle and the backstroke,
the swimmer may somersault as he or she reaches the wall, touching only with the
feet. In the other two competitive strokes, the swimmer must touch the wall with
one or both hands before executing the turn.
Strategies
The sprint races (50 and 100 meters) are an all-out scramble from start to
finish. The slightest mistake can cost precious hundredths of seconds -- and the
race. The 200-meter events require the swimmer to have a sense of pace as well
as the ability to swim a controlled sprint. This distance is considered by many
swimmers to be the most difficult to master. The 400, 800 and 1500-meter
freestyles require the swimmer to constantly be aware of where they are in the
water and the fatigue of their muscles. Swimming the first portion of the race
too fast can sap a swimmer's strength and cause a poor finish. Swimming the
first portion of the race too slowly can separate the swimmer from the pack and
make catching up impossible. Swimmers may elect to swim the race evenly (holding
the same pace throughout the race) or they may "negative split" the
race. A negative split occurs when the swimmer covers the second half of a race
faster than the first half. In the late 1970s and early `80s "negative
splitting" was considered the way to win a distance race. World records
have been set by Janet Evans and Jorg Hoffman using "even pace"
strategies as well.