Disqualifications 

 

Every swimmer will disqualify (DQ) at one point or another during their swimming career. It’s a part of life and learning correct stroke techniques. While you and your child might be disappointed or upset about a DQ, it’s not the end of the world! Swimming meets are judged by trained Stroke and Turn judges, Starters and Referees. These officials must attend mandatory NVSL training and many are also certified USA Swim officials. Parents are NEVER to approach or talk to an official during a swim meet. 

 

Here are the most common ways to DQ for a stroke infraction: 

 

FREESTYLE: This is the hardest stroke to be disqualified in, because there are no real stroke rules. Here are some examples of how you can be disqualified:

  • Failing to touch the wall on the turn in a multi-lap race. 

  • Pulling on the lane line to gain advantage. 

  • Pushing off the bottom to continue swimming. (Standing on the bottom is legal, but pushing off isn’t.) Freestyle is the only stroke when a swimmer is permitted to touch the bottom.

  • Not finishing in the lane you started in (yes, we’ve seen it happen.) 

 

BACKSTROKE: Similar to rules for freestyle, except swimmers have to stay on their backs (with the exception of turns in multi-lap races.) 

  • The biggest problem with younger swimmers is rolling over on their stomach at the end to touch the wall. The legal definition of this is “turning shoulders past vertical towards the stomach before completing a one lap race, or on the finish of a multi-lap race.” 

  • Pulling on the lane line to gain advantage. 

  • The Turn: This is tricky, but the rule is that swimmers may roll to their stomachs, take one arm stroke (or a double arm stroke) and, IN ONE CONTINUOUS MOTION, do a freestyle flip turn and then push off the wall on their back. The “one continuous motion” part of the rule is fairly subjective. (Still confused? Most commonly, if a swimmer rolls over, takes their one allotted arm stroke and then has to kick into the wall before they turn, they will probably DQ.) 

 

BREASTSTROKE: This is the most challenging stroke to swim legally. 

  • Both feet must be turned OUT during the propulsive part of the kick. Some swimmers tend to turn out one foot, but not the other (scissor kick.) Some turn both feet inward (dolphin kick.) Both scissor and dolphin kicks are illegal. 

  • Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously, at the finish and at the turn, although, like butterfly, they do NOT have to be on the same level. 

  • Cannot take more than one stroke and kick underwater. Only one pull-down stroke and one kick are allowed at the start and after a turn. The head must break the calm surface level of the water BEFORE the hands turn inward at the widest part of the second arm pull. Multiple underwater strokes will result in a DQ, because the swimmer’s head must be above the surface of the water at some point during each stroke cycle. (In other words, swimmers can’t go underwater for two or more strokes at a time, during the start, turn, or during the race). 

  • Hands may NOT pull beyond the HIP line except on the start and after a turn. 

  • Incorrect stroke cycle, the stroke cycle must be one arm pull followed by one leg kick. You cannot pull twice then kick or vice versa. At the start or after a turn the swimmer must start with an arm pull then a leg kick. This cycle must be continued throughout the race (i.e., no double pulls or double kicks. Breaststroke is the only stroke where a stroke cycle is specified. 

  • At the start or after a turn, a swimmer is permitted to take ONLY ONE dolphin kick EITHER BEFORE the arm pull has started, OR DURING/at the END of the first pull down stoke. “During” occurs once the hands have moved outward from the streamline. 

 

BUTTERFLY: 

  • Both hands must touch simultaneously, at the turn and finish, although they do NOT have to be on the same level. (i.e. one hand could be under the water the other could be above.) 

  • The feet have to kick together like a dolphin tail. Feet can be separated, but they have to STAY that way. If the feet cross even once, it’s no longer a dolphin kick, it is a flutter kick—and a DQ. 

  • Arms must recover OVER the water simultaneously. If the arms pull down and then recover for the next stroke under the water, then the stroke is essentially breaststroke, not butterfly. (Typically, the position of the elbows determine if the arms are above or below the water.) 

 

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY (IM): 

  • All the individual stroke rules apply during that segment of the race. 

  • On turns, swimmers must finish the stroke they are swimming before they transition to the next stroke. In other words, the butterfly to backstroke turn must incorporate a butterfly FINISH, and then a transition to backstroke that puts the swimmer on his back for that leg of the race. The sometimes-tricky one is backstroke to breaststroke. Swimmers must complete the backstroke leg on their backs and then transition to the breaststroke. It is legal to do a flip turn if the hand touch is done on the back during the backstroke finish. 

  • On the freestyle leg of the IM, a stroke OTHER than back, breast or fly MUST be swum. 

 

RELAYS: 

  • The same rules apply in relays as for the individual strokes above. 

  • False Start - Relay starts require the swimmer on the blocks/deck to have some part of his/her body still TOUCHING THE BLOCKS/DECK when the swimmer in the water touches the wall. (Hint: when watching take-offs, watch the swimmer’s TOES on the wall, not their moving body.) 

  • Physical assist from another person – at the start of a relay leg the swimmer on the block may NOT be physically assisted by anyone (coach, parent, other swimmer) else. Yelling is fine, touching is not. 

 

STARTS: 

  • Once “set,” swimmers may not move from his/her starting position before the starting horn sounds. Sometimes a swimmer may “flinch” before the horn sounds. This may result in a DQ. This includes slipping on a backstroke start.