You will find that in competitive swimming there are rules one must follow in order to stay in a meet and stay away from disqualification. In previous articles we have spoken about the strokes, turns, and starts themselves, but not about some of the rules. You will find that the rules can change, as with any sport. Most often in a competition a swimmer must limit the number of events he or she is going to swim each day. This rule tends to depend on the meet you are at. There are technical rules of swimming to help make the competition as fair as possible. The strokes are designed to make sure no swimmer will have an unfair advantage over another.
There is also going to be a referee to check on each swimmer. These referees are trained to observe the swimmers in each event to make sure they are in compliance of the technical rules. Disqualifications can result from not getting to the starting platform on time, a false start, performing strokes in an illegal manner or by having inappropriate behaviour.
During competition there are certain rules that apply to the turns. For the backstroke the swimmer will complete each length, allowing some part of the body to touch the wall. During the turn the shoulders may be turned past the vertical toward the breast. At this point a single or double arm pull can be executed to touch the wall and turn. Once the body has left the back position any kick or arm pull must be part of the turning action and the back position must be returned once the swimmer has left the wall. The rules state that any swimmer, who turns past vertical and in a continuous motion, grabs the wall before pushing off with the feet, is considered to be using a continuous turning action. Always make sure the feet come in to contact with the wall as you complete the turn.
For freestyle the best method of turning is going to be a fluid motion in which at least one hand touches the wall before during a flip. Again with this type of turn the feet need to push off of the wall, and a dolphin kick can be used for no more than 15 feet from the wall before regular leg kicks resume.
Each stroke has a proper turn the swimmer must use in order to successfully complete the meet. If the swimmer fails to complete a proper turn they can be disqualified. For the breaststroke you must touch both hands in sync to the wall, just below the water level. The head must stay submerged after the last arm pull prior to that touch, but can come out of the water at the last complete cycle preceding the touch. Once the hands touch the wall the swimmer can then duck their head and arms to have the legs flip, and push off from the wall. The feet will also have to touch in sync. The swimmer is then allowed to use the dolphin kick for less than fifteen feet to get started again.
For the turn during the butterfly stroke the body must be on the breast. The hands must touch in sync when they reach the wall just above, or below the water surface. When the touch has been made the swimmer will then turn, usually with the feet making contact with the wall in sync. The shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the breast as the swimmer leaves the wall.
You will find that like any other sport competitive swimming has age groups for the meets. Depending on the area you live and just how far you would like to get in competitive swimming the age groups can vary. For most you will have age groups of 10 and under, 11-12, 13-15, 16-18. This means that during a competition there are usually a few days of swimming and it will depend on your age group as to when you will swim. You will notice that for the Olympics that age groups are combined, but for most swimming competitions to give a fair competitive advantage the age groups have been designed. You will also find that it will be up to your coach as to, which age group you are in during practice. In some smaller towns age groups can be combined to offer better training with a group. You will also find that at the meets you must be in the age group you fit in or your birthday must have come on the day of the competition to move age groups.
In our last article we touched on yoga as a breathing exercise to help better your technique with competitive swimming. When you are a competitive swimmer you know that breathing is just as essential as your form to create the most speed. The four different strokes for competitive swimming are going to offer different ways for you to breathe.
For instance with freestyle you have to time your breathing with your arm movements. Most of us tend to take a breath on our natural side. For right handed individuals this usually means a motion in turning the head to the side with the freestyle. Every time you have an arm revolution that offers you to breath to the side you are not going to need a breath, but you also don’t want to run out of air before the next chance. This means you are usually going to establish a breathing pattern before you get the fluidity of your motion in place. If you know that you can breathe on every third arm cycle then you are going to prepare for that next breath during the next cycle, mentally.
Often time you will find in competitive swimming there are going to be a few different coaches at the meet. Most individuals interested in a career as a competitive swimmer will have their own coach that they will train with outside of the team. The team coach is going to have practice sessions, offer training tips, and of course sign the swimmer up for the events. The private coaches, some swimmers have are designed to help perfect techniques, offer more training, and of course work individually to help the swimmer. Most often the private coaches are going to work with a competitive swimmer interested in the Olympics. The coaches are going to usually set the pace at a training session, they will work the swimmers through the routine, offer advice on the swimmers technique and help them improve the swimmers time as well as the strokes.
Often the coach will offer mind training as well as breathing training to enhance the swimmer. There may also be additional training with weights and aerobics to help use different muscles to prepare the swimmer for in water training.
You will find that meet procedures for competitive swimming can vary, but for the most part the following information is standard. At a meet there will be a minimum number of personnel that you can have in order to provide a fair event. There are usually one referee, one starter, and two stroke and turn judges. Each person is going to be looking for specific things during the meet.
For instance the referee is going to make sure the swimmers are on time to the platform and that their behaviour is aboveboard for the competition. The start is going to make sure that no one had an unfair advantage as the bell rings for the start of an event. In other words they are looking for false starts. Both the referee and start can be the judges as well for the turns and strokes. The judges will be looking for the proper strokes during the laps as well as the proper turns and kicks. There will also be two timers per lane if an automatic timing device is not used. This will ensure that the swimmers are marked appropriately for their time.
When a competitive swimmer doesn’t breathe often enough they will over work their system, increase lactate levels, and increase the stress during a competition. You also have to balance when you breathe with the timing of your movements. You will find that improper breathing is going to through off your rhythm, technique and your time. There are several activities or techniques you can practice in the pool as well as out of the pool to increase your overall performance during a competition.
One of the best ways to gain a better breathing pattern is yoga. Yoga concentrates on how you breathe. The exercises you do will tell you when to exhale, when to breath in, and allow you to build up the eight different muscles you use to breath. You will also find that with yoga you have a larger lung capacity. You are able to hold more air, and therefore choose the appropriate time to breathe. Practicing yoga allows you to understand the fundamentals of breathing, while gaining the control you need. It also teaches you when to breathe so that you don’t run out of air before the exercise is complete.
Many coaches who teach competitive swimming and work to get their team to be the best are going to have training in breathing techniques. Often you will find a swimmer will have breathing sets or a pattern. Have you been swimming a long time and just begun in competitions? If you have you may be learning that you should be breath after a certain number of strokes. In fact most swimmers have a 3-5-7-9 by 25 breathing pattern. This means you are breathing after every third, fifth, seventh, and ninth stroke in a 25 metre length. The thought behind this breathing pattern is to make sure the swimmer can handle their stress as well as the different venues for swimming. A swimmer who travels to a high altitude meet is going to need the breathing training in order to deal with the thinner air. You will also find someone who travels out of altitude is going to have more air. Having a pattern that will help you perform better no matter the altitude you are in will help you increase your performance.
The breaststroke is one of four competitive swimming strokes used in the different races as well as the Olympics. If you have been a competitive swimmer for years you know how important recognizing the techniques elements can be to your overall performance. The breaststroke is very time oriented as a stroke. You have to make sure the leg kick and arm cycles are perfectly timed to have the most efficient movement and best form. With both hands, thumbs together, you should reach forward to fully extend the arm at the elbow. The leg kick is going to start as you push back to continue that forward motion. Basically you want to make sure you are gliding, rather than working hard. If you have the timing of the movement down you will find your arms are pulling while your legs are getting ready to push you for the glide.
For this move you want to make sure as you are in the recovery stage that your elbows are close to your chest to reduce the drag. You also want to make sure the kicking motion is together. The legs should always be in unison, rather than the stronger leg creating an uneven keel.