Stroke & Turn Judge Certification Clinic Stroke & Turn - PDF document

Stroke & Turn Judge Certification Clinic

Stroke & Turn Judge Certification Clinic • Certification Requirements • Philosophy of Officiating • The Rules – Video – Common Infractions • Assignment and Jurisdiction of Officials • Stoke & Turn Judge Procedures • Test

Handouts and Forms • Copy of certification requirements • Training cards • Forms (DQ slip, relay take-off slip) • Recommended stroke briefing • Recommended jurisdiction • Non-athlete registration form

S&T Judge Certification Requirements (Summary) • Certified as a Timer • Attend training clinic • Pass written test • Must join USA Swimming/VSI and display registration card while on deck • Complete six training sessions (not in white & blue) and predominantly at B/C meets • Satisfactorily work an additional two sessions (with B/C swimmers) with an assigned trainer and make calls (in white & blue)

S&T Judge Certification Requirements Cont’d • Certified for one-year probationary period • Upon satisfactory completion of the one year probationary period, re-certified for a one year period (ending in December) • Must work a minimum of 8 sessions per year to re-certify

Philosophy of Officiating “All competitive swimming events held under USA Swimming sanction shall be conducted in accordance with the following rules which are designed to provide fair and equitable conditions of competition and promote uniformity in the sport so that no swimmer shall obtain unfair advantage over another.” Preamble to the USA-S Technical Rules

Fair and Equitable • Judging should be consistent among different officials at a meet • Judging should be consistent at different meets • All of the rules are enforced, we don’t individually choose to enforce some rules and ignore others

Fair and Equitable Cont’d • The rules are enforced across all age groups and levels of ability • Officials should be neutral in their enforcement of the rules; don’t favor one team over another, don’t favor one swimmer over another

Mental Traps • Advantage vs. disadvantage • The “twice theory” • “We don’t disqualify 8 & unders” • “Don’t ask me to judge my child” • Don’t infer (Call what you see, not what you don’t see)

Rules of Thumb • The benefit of the doubt ALWAYS goes to the swimmer – No loss of yardage, foul shots, penalty box Black Grey White Illegal Legal Legal

Rules of Thumb Cont’d • Ugly ain’t (necessarily) illegal • Know the rules; review the rules before meets • Experience, experience, experience

Officiating Swimming Video • Clear and consistent knowledge of the rules • Clarify proper interpretation of the rules as they pertain to the most common disqualification calls made (in italics in following slides) • Following slides give representative, but not comprehensive, examples of rules violations

USA Swimming Video •Video Link

Butterfly Rules 101.3 BUTTERFLY .1 Start — The forward start shall be used. .2 Stroke — After the start and after each turn, the swimmer’s shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the breast. The swimmer is permitted one or more leg kicks, but only one arm pull under water, which must bring the swimmer to the surface. It shall be permissible for a swimmer to be completely submerged for a distance of not more than 15 meters (16.4 yards) after the start and after each turn. By that point, the head must have broken the surface. The swimmer must remain on the surface until the next turn or finish. From the beginning of the first arm pull, the body shall be kept on the breast. Both arms must be brought forward over the water and pulled back simultaneously. .3 Kick — All up and down movements of the legs and feet must be simultaneous. The position of the legs or the feet need not be on the same level, but they shall not alternate in relation to each other. A scissors or breaststroke kicking movement is not permitted. .4 Turns — At each turn the body shall be on the breast. The touch shall be made with both hands simultaneously at, above, or below the water surface. Once a touch has been made, the swimmer may turn in any manner desired. The shoulders must be at or past the vertical toward the breast when the swimmer leaves the wall. .5 Finish — At the finish, the body shall be on the breast and the touch shall be made with both hands simultaneously at, above, or below the water surface.

Butterfly Infractions • Not at or past vertical towards the breast after the start and after each turn • Head not up at 15 meters • More than 1 underwater pull • Non-simultaneous pull or arm recovery – Need not be symmetrical • Arms not recovered over the surface of the water – The arm is anything above the wrist and below the shoulder – Looking for any part of the arm to break the water surface

Butterfly Infractions Cont’d • Upward or downward movements of the legs not simultaneous • Legs or feet alternate in relationship to each other – Legs and feet do not have to be on the same level • A scissors or breaststroke kicking movement • Not on the breast during swim • One hand or non-simultaneous touch at turns or finish

Backstroke Rules 101.4 BACKSTROKE .1 Start — The swimmers shall line up in the water facing the starting end, with both hands placed on the gutter or on the starting grips. Standing in or on the gutter, placing the toes above the lip of the gutter, or bending the toes over the lip of the gutter, before or after the start, is prohibited. .2 Stroke — The swimmer shall push off on his back and continue swimming on the back throughout the race. Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race, except it is permissible for the swimmer to be completely submerged during the turn, at the finish and for a distance of not more than 15 meters (16.4 yards) after the start and after each turn. By that point, the head must have broken the surface of the water. .3 Turns — Upon completion of each length, some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. During the turn the shoulders may be turned past the vertical toward the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to execute the turn. The swimmer must have returned to a position on the back upon leaving the wall. .4 Finish — Upon the finish of the race, the swimmer must touch the wall while on the back.

Backstroke Infractions • Not on the back throughout race • Head not up at 15 meters • Non-continuous turning motion • Failing to touch the wall at the turn • Shoulders not past vertical toward the back prior to leaving the wall • Toes curling over the gutter after the starting signal (before the starting signal is the Starter’s responsibility)

Backstroke Infractions Cont’d • A poorly executed turn in which the swimmer turns too close to the wall and who’s hand(s) contact the wall rather than continuing through the flipping motion is legal as long it was a continuous turn up to the point at which contact with the wall was made.

Backstroke Infractions Cont’d Judging an underwater finish: • If the swimmer completely submerges prior to the Turn Judge having to shift his/her attention to the touch at the wall, this would be a DQ. • Once the Turn Judge shifts his/her attention to watching the touch at the finish, it is then legal for the swimmer to be fully submerged.

Breaststroke Rules 101.2 BREASTSTROKE .1 Start — The forward start shall be used. .2 Stroke — From the beginning of the first arm stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the breast. It is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time. Throughout the race the stroke cycle must be one arm stroke and one leg kick in that order. All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane without alternating movement. The hands shall be pushed forward together from the breast on, under, or over the water. The elbows shall be under water except for the final stroke before the turn, during the turn and for the final stroke at the finish. The hands shall be brought back on or under the surface of the water. The hands shall not be brought back beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke after the start and each turn. During each complete cycle, some part of the swimmer’s head shall break the surface of the water. After the start and after each turn, the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely back to the legs. The head must break the surface of the water before the hands turn inward at the widest part of the second stroke.