Why was I DQed?

A Quick Guide to Stroke Law Mishaps

Swimmers new to the sport often suffer the ignominy of being disqualified. This can be very disheartening at the beginning, (although it does pass quickly.  It can be very upsetting at the top too, the most notable instance being when Ian Thorpe, the Australian World Record holder and Olympian swimming star, was disqualified at the Australian Olympic Trials.... Ooops.)

This article is not about good stroke technique. Your coach is there to teach you good stroke technique. It's about bad stroke technique - do this, and you get spotted,and you will earn a disqualification.

The judges are not actually there to ruin your day. They are only permitted to report what they have seen. If they think they saw it, it's not enough, and the swimmer gets the benefit of the doubt. They are there to ensure fair play

The ASA adopt the FINA laws: FINA is the worldwide governing body of swimming. The laws are there to ensure fair play.

You can read the full laws on the FINA or ASA websites if you want to (Here are shortcuts to the FINA rules and regulations, in particular the swimming laws, and the ASA Handbook, which has a section on the laws).

In any race, there are a number of elements: The Start, Swimming, Turns and the Finish.

You can get disqualified at any of these stages.  Particularly annoying to get disqualified for the start at the beginning of a 400IM or 1500 race! This is a short list of actions that will earn you a disqualification:

The Start

• The usual offence is starting before the starting signal. (Not moving - starting).

• It's also possible to be DQed for delaying the start, or (in relays) starting in the wrong order. I've not seen this, but it's possible.

Turns

• You can get disqualified in any stroke, if you don't touch the wall on the turns

Swimming

• In all events you may not obstruct another swimmer or pull on the lane ropes.

The Finish

• You have to finish the race in the same lane you started in. (changing lanes isn't an offence - provided you don't obstruct another swimmer. Just change back.).

• You must not obstruct another swimmer when getting out after your race or leg is completed.

For the individual strokes, the above always apply.  Extra rules for apply too:..

FREESTYLE

• Freestyle is the simplest rule set:  You can swim any stroke you like (except, note the medley rules). You can only be DQed for staying submerged for more than 15m after a start or turn, or walking.  Standing and resting is permitted, don't take a step...

BACKSTROKE

• When starting, don't curl your toes over the edge of the pool, or a pool gutter (like at Central). Not permitted.

• When starting or turning you must surface within 15m of the start or turn.  Not usually a problem....!

• You must not roll over on your front... (except to initiate a  tumble turn).  This means rolling past the vertical onto your front. Not a problem at the start, but make sure at the turns that your feet don't leave the wall whilst you are tilted over too far!

• The backstroke turn tumble turn is quite technical - the magic words are "continuous turning motion" so gliding in, kicking in with no arm movement are faults the judges are looking out for.

• Finally, when you finish a backstroke race, you must finish on your back. Don't turn over past the vertical...

BUTTERFLY

• When starting or turning you must surface within 15m of the start/turn.  Again, not usually a problem....!

• You must not roll onto your back - that's not rolling past the vertical on your back.  The area to watch is the turns, that your feet don't lose contact with the wall whilst you are tilted over too far!

• In Butterfly the common faults are not bringing the arms forward together or over the water. The legs may not alternate either - they must be simultaneous in movement. Breaststroke leg actions explicitly not permitted (except, curiously, in Masters swimming)

• At turns and the finish, touching with only one hand, or having the hands touch at different times, are violations.

• A common fault at the finish is being a bit too far from the wall, pulling the arms back a bit and then stretching out again - ie bringing the arms forward under the water. This will earn you a disqualification for underwater recovery of the arms.

BREASTSTROKE

Breaststroke is a very technical stroke, and has more rules than any other.  Simply they are:

• Stay on the breast at all times - never roll over past the vertical onto your back, even at turns.

• Arms and legs must be simultaneous, and in a horizontal plane.  The elbows must be underwater (except the last stroke before a turn/finish). In the leg motion the feet must be turned out during the "propulsive part"

• There is a sequence to the stroke - Arm then Legs.  Not Legs then Arms, so watch the turns

• At the start and turns, in the underwater phase, two strokes underwater is a violation. So the head must break the water "before the hands turn inwards at the widest part of the stroke"

• As with Butterfly, at turns and the finish, touching with only one hand, or having the hands touch at different times, are violations.

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

Medley is four races swum end-on-end. You can be disqualified for...

• Swimming the strokes in the wrong order

• Not finishing the stroke in the correct manner (i.e. backstroke must finish on the back before you start the next leg)

• Normally, freestyle can be any stroke you like... but in Medley it may not be Backstroke, Breaststroke or Butterfly.

MEDLEY AND RELAY RACES

Take-overs are the different thing here...

• Your feet must not lose contact with the starting platform before the incoming swimmer has touched.

You do still have to conform to the Individual Medley rules too... ie order (with the correct swimmer) and finishing rules for that stroke.

Hopefully, by not committing these faults your races will be  fun and trouble free.  If you do, and get spotted, you can expect to be DQed.  But please learn from your mistakes, and don't make the same mistake again...!