Swimming Basics

SKILLS
The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. A swimmer who swims all four strokes in one race is swimming the Individual Medley. Four different swimmers, each swimming one of the four strokes are swimming the Medley Relay.

FREESTYLE
In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke, but the fastest is what is often 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.

BACKSTROKE
Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may turn onto the stomach and do a flip turn (they cannot glide into the wall and then turn). Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall at the turn. The swimmer must finish on the back.

BREASTSTROKE
The breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pushed forward from the breast. In the return of the arms, the hand cannot go part the waist. 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. One of the hardest parts of the breaststroke is the start. After the dive, while still underwater, the swimmer can (but doesn’t have to) do one arm pull where the hands can go past the waist, one dolphin kick, and then another arm pull-with a breaststroke kick - to bring them to the surface.

BUTTERFLY
Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous movement of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor or breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish.

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY (I.M.)
The individual medley, commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke and finally freestyle. The rules of each stroke apply to that leg of the IM.

MEDLEY RELAY
In the medley relay, all four strokes are swum. The first swimmer swims backstroke, the second breaststroke, the third butterfly, and the final swimmer anchors the relay with freestyle.

FREESTYLE RELAY
The freestyle relay events consist of four swimmers, each swimming one quarter of the total distance of the event.

STARTS
Starts: Swimmers are called to the starting position by the starter (usually a whistle) who visually checks that all swimmers are motionless. When all swimmers are set, the starting horn is sounded to start the race. If the starter feels that one of the swimmers has moved, left early or achieved an unfair advantage, the guilty swimmer may be disqualified after the race for a false start. Should a swimmer inadvertently enter the water before the starting signal, they may be disqualified at the discretion of the officials.

 RULES
The technical rules of swimming provide fair and equitable conditions for competition and 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.

THE COURSE
High School competition pools are short course pools, either 25 yards or 25 meters.

OFFICIALS
Officials are present at all competitions to enforce the technical rules of swimming so the competition is fair and equitable. Officials attend clinics, pass a written examinations and apprentice at swim meets before being certified.

SCORING
High School swimming scores are tabulated as follows:

• Individual events – 1st – 6 points  2nd – 4 points  3rd – 3 points  4th – 2 points
  5th – 1 point
   
• Relays – 1st – 8 points  2nd – 4 points  3rd – 2 points

Team scores are calculated by the total number of points achieved – not by the number of first place finishes. For example – Team A places 1st, 5th and 6th for a total of 7 points.  Team B places 2nd, 3rd and 4th for a total of 9 points. Team B is ahead on points. Every point counts – meets have been decided by one point!

SWIMMERS EVENTS
Swimmers are assigned events by the coaching staff based on their ability to perform the stroke legally, their achieved time in that event, and the needs of the team. Often swimmers are asked to swim events that might not be their favorite, nor their best, events. This is to maximize the number of points the team can achieve.