FINA has issued a clarification on their new rules that went into effect on January 1, and specifically the rule that hands must be “separated” for a proper two-hand touch in butterfly and breaststroke.
Early on, this has led to quite a bit of trepidation, as well as some whistle-happy officiating, so the sport’s governing body has issued a clarification with what translates into every language: pictures.
They clarified that for hands to be “separated,” it was not necessary for there to be a space between the hands, and that hands touching would not result in a DQ. What FINA is trying to eliminate is the hand-over-hand ‘stacking.’
The clarification is above (click on the image to see it larger).
The justification for this rule could be one of many things, though it would be hard to say what all of the conversations were. The primary one might be that in a stacked hands situation, both hands are not actually touching the wall, so that makes it as much a ‘clarification of an existing rule’ as a new rule itself.
Our hunch is that it was issued in anticipation of more swimmers experimenting with flip-turns in breaststroke and butterfly, where being able to stack hands could make the ‘sweep’ tag easier to execute as a swimmer flips.
The two rules, one for each stroke, are cited specifically below:
(breaststroke) SW 7.6 At each turn and at the finish of the race, the touch shall be made with both hands separated and simultaneously at, above, or below the water level.
(butterfly) SW 8.4 At each turn and at the finish of the race, the touch shall be made with both hands separated and simultaneously, at, above or below the water surface.
The picture only serves more confusion. Why called the stacks hands as separated? In fact the 1st picture is separated and yet it is OK? Why FINA cannot come up with a more easier understd pictorial? Is it rocket science?
I feel it’s time to get rid of breaststroke all together. As a competitive stroke it’s just got too many problems. Ever since the butterfly, the breaststroke seems to be flailing in misery, for all the rule changes, cheaters and people who suck at it (like me). Breaststroke should just be a chill out stroke.
My solution for it’s replacement would be the “feet-first-freestyle” (or backwards swim). I was practicing this yesterday. There are many fresh and fun variations to be developed here. Because it’s freestyle, the only hard and fast rule would be that the feet go first.
Keeping the same order in the IM (Butterfly/Back/FeetFirst/Free) would be perfect. Imagine coming to the wall on backstroke and just… Read more »
🙂
What about touching separately, not stacked above each other, but the levels of the hands are slightly different?
How difficult would it have been to come up with:
“At the end of each lap both hands must touch the pool end wall simultaneously.”
It’s not rocket science. The whole rule book cries out for a complete re-write. I ta has been tinkered with so many times over the past 100+ years that it is lost in a sea of assumptions.
Any idea where the specific rules are on this, can you go past vertical on a breastroke or fly turn?
I am not sure how keeping your hands “stacked” would help a potential flip turn for fly or breast. Very, very, strange but… I guess the international bureaucrats need something to do.
Jason – stacking hands would reduce the amount of coordination needed to make sure one actually hit the wall on a flip.
Just a theory. I’ve tried the breaststroke flip turn, and my natural reaction was stacking my hands.
Back in the old days when we 1st started experimenting with the flip turn on fly and breast it was considerably easier to touch wide and flip. Regardless… too much legislation.
Wait, flip-turns are a thing that’re gonna start happening in place of open turns now?
That’s gonna be hilarious and potentially awesome, I’m in.
I think flip turns used to be a thing in breaststroke, and it might be making a comeback.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcyHKqYEJBg & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd1DYpql3Gg
Why does this need to be a rule at all?
fatsmcgee – nobody has said specifically that I’ve heard.
We had a few guesses.
Sometimes, you have to read to the end of the article, and then ask a question.