Following rules should be followed by the competitors while swimming in a race.
(i) A swimmer shall swim the course alone and cover the whole distance to qualify.
(ii) A swimmer must finish the race in the same lane in which he started.
(iii) In all the events, a swimmer while turning, shall make physical contact with the end of the pool. The turn must be made from the wall, and it is not permissible to take a stride or step from the bottom of the pool.
(iv) Standing on the bottom during freestyle events or during the freestyle portion of medley events shall not disqualify a swimmer, but he shall not walk. (v) Pulling on the lane rope is not allowed.
(vi) Obstructing another swimmer by swimming across another lane or interfering the other shall disqualify the offender. Should the foul be intentional, the referee shall report the matter to the member promoting the race and to the swimmer so offending.
(vii) No swimmer shall be permitted to use or wear any device that may aid speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition (webbed gloves, fins, etc.). Goggles may be worn.
(viii) Any swimmer not participating in a race shall be disqualified, if they enter the water, in which an event is being conducted before the preceding team-mate touches the wall.
(ix) There shall be four swimmers in each relay team.
(x) In relay events, the team of swimmers whose feet lose touch with the starting platform before the preceding team-mate touches the wall, shall be disqualified.
(xi) Any relay team shall be disqualified from a race if a team member, other than the swimmer supposed to swim that length, enters the water when the race is being conducted, before swimmers of all the teams have finished the race being conducted.
(xii) The member of a relay team and their order of competing must be nominated before the race. Any relay team member may compete in the race only once. The composition of a relay team may be changed between the heats and finals of the event, provided that it is made up from the list of swimmers properly entered by a member of that event. Failure to swim in the order listed, will result in disqualification. Substitutions may be made only in the case of a documented medical emergency.
(xiii) Any swimmer having finished his race, or his distance in a relay event, must leave the pool as soon as possible without obstructing any other swimmer who has not yet finished his race. Otherwise the swimmer committing the fault or his relay team shall be disqualified.
(xiv) Should a foul endanger the chances of success of a swimmer, the referees shall have the power to allow him to compete in the next heat or, should the foul occur in a final event or in the last heat, he/she may order it to re-swim.
(xv) No pace-making shall be permitted, nor may any device be used which has that effect.
Swimwear
The swimwear includes swimsuit, cap and goggles, which shall be in good moral state and suitable for the individual sports disciplines and should not carry any symbol which may be considered offensive. The swimsuits shall be nontransparent. It is permissible to wear two caps.
Events Conducted in the World Championships in 50 m pool
Fundamental Techniques
Techniques in swimming are classified into three main categories—
1. Strokes
2. Starts
3. Turn
Strokes
In swimming, there are four strokes used in the competition all over the world.
1. Front Crawl or Freestyle
2. Back Crawl
3. Breast
4. Butterfly
Teaching stages of front crawl stroke
Front crawl stroke
1. Body Position: The basic body position for teaching the front crawl stroke is streamlined prone position. The swimmer lies flat on his stomach with both arms stretched out in front, passing by the side of ears and the water level is at hair line. Both legs are extended to the back with toes pointed.
2. Arm Action: The arms are pulled alternately from front to back inside the above. While one arm is pulling/pushing, the other arm is recovering. The arm strokes provide most of the forward propulsion. The arm action is further divided into entry, catch, pull, push, release, initial and final recovery.
3. Leg Action: The leg movements in front crawl is called the flutter kick. The legs move alternatively up and down. The leg movement originates from the hip joint. While one leg kicks downward, the other leg recovers upward. The knees are flexed with toes pointed during the downbeat and are kept straight with toes relaxed during the upbeat. Though, the leg action provides only a small amount of forward propulsion when combined with arm action, but it is essential to attain horizontal body position and reduce the body drag.
4. Lateral Breathing: Breathing in the front crawl stroke is done on the side, whichever side is convenient to the swimmer. The swimmer takes the breath through the mouth by turning the head to the side of the pushing arm, at the beginning of recovery. Soon the face goes back into the water and the swimmer breathes out more through the mouth and only a small portion through the nose. The mouth goes to the other side also while breathing out but does not come out of the water. The swimmer continues exhalation and goes back to the same side to inhale again. Usually the swimmers take breath every arm cycle.
5. Body Roll: The body of the front crawl stroke swimmer rotates around its long axis with every arm stroke so that the shoulder of the recovering arm is higher than the shoulder of the pulling/pushing arm. This helps the pulling arm to sink down and perform a deeper pull, and on the other hand, it facilitates a high elbow of the other arm.
Teaching stages of back crawl stroke
Back crawl stroke
1. Body Position: The basic body position for teaching the back crawl stroke is streamlined supine position. The swimmer lies flat on his back with both arms stretched back over head, passing by the side of ears. Face is out of the water and both legs are extended back with toes pointed. Hips are just below the water surface.
2. Arm Action: The arms are pulled alternately from back to front inside the water and recovers above the water with straight arm over the body. While one arm is pulling/pushing, the other arm is recovering. The arm strokes provide most of the forward propulsion. The arm action is further divided into various parts, such as, the entry, catch, pull, push, release, and recovery.
3. Leg Action: The legs move alternately up and down. The leg movement originates from the hip joint. While one leg kicks downward, the other leg recovers upward. The knees are flexed with toes pointed during the upbeat and are kept straight with toes relaxed during the downbeat.
4. Lateral Breathing: Breathing in backstroke is very easy, as the mouth and nose are usually above the water. The swimmer breathes once in every arm cycle.
Teaching stages of breast stroke
Breast stroke
1. Practise the kick and its movements on dry land of the water.
2. Practise the kick on the edge of the swimming pool in the water.
3. Kick back with a board held to the chest in prone position. Try to keep the knees stable at the surface and draw both the feet to the buttocks by bending at the knee, not at the hip. Allow the swimmer to let their feet work in a wide arc, if necessary, as the main aim is to get their feet turned out. Once the swimmer has their feet ready to kick back, it is advisable to get them to pause at this point and consciously turn their feet out before kicking back, and pause again while the legs are fully extended.
4. Kick on front, holding the board on the back and with thumbs underneath and arms fully extended. Place the face in water and proceed to do three kicks and then breathe. Stretch and glide after each kick. Keep the head very stable with the eyes looking to the front at all times. Rocking movements of the head are best avoided as they affect the body position and the swimmer can lose track of where their arms and legs are. A stable head helps maintain a reference point. The breathing is performed by raising and lowering the head as one unit.
5. Repeat Step 4 by doing two kicks and one round of breathing.
6. One breath and one kick. Holding the board (as above) with eyes looking directly ahead and arms and legs fully extended. Ask the swimmer to lift their head and shoulders (by contracting their back muscles), then lift their feet, lower their head and shoulder, then kick and glide. Repeat this sequence over and over—stressing to the swimmer that the first movement in the sequence is raising of the head and shoulders.
a. The Pull: Swimmers have a lot of difficulty with learning the pull because they achieve very little propulsion. This causes difficulty in teaching the stroke as the swimmers modify the pull incorrectly, in order to gain propulsion. To avoid this temptation, the use of fins is employed to enable them to propel themselves while they develop the correct stroke mechanics. As the swimmers become more proficient, the fins are removed.
b. The Complete Stroke: By following the above progression, the swimmer has learned to kick and breathe, and pull and breathe with the correct timing. All that remains to do now is, to connect the two skills together and the timing should look after itself – as it has already been taught.
(i) Three kicks with arms extended and one pull. Breathe only on the full stroke. Glide after each kick and look straight ahead at all times.
(ii) Two kicks with arms extended and one pull. Breathe only on the full stroke. Glide after each kick.
(iii) Normal breast stroke with a long glide— beginning the next stroke after exhalation has been completed. The above three skills are important for consolidating the stroke. Try to develop power in the pull and the kick whilst still holding a glide in the stroke. By doing this, you will develop speed and strength without running the risk of losing the timing. Only when the swimmer is swimming strongly and correctly, should the glide be reduced for faster swimming. Fast breast stroke swimming is achieved with minimum glide but with the maintenance of maximum arm and leg extension. Teaching breast stroke is an exercise of patience but if you follow the process outlined above, you will find it as an effective way for teaching breast stroke with good technique from the earliest stages.
