Summer League 2024
Training Clinic
WELCOME
Melissa Broccolo
Certified Stroke & Turn Official USA Swimming
Stingray Parent since 2019
Stingray Head Stroke & Turn 2021-2023
Stingray Starter 2024
Table of Contents
01
02
03
04
01�Responsibilities
Your responsibilities as a judge
Your responsibilities as a judge
Observe and Report
Fairness and Consistency
Professionalism
Only call what you are POSITIVE you observed, not what you think you may have seen or what you did not see.
Observation should be consistent for all rules and all swimmers.
Be supportive but don’t cheer for one swimmer or team.
Volunteering for a Meet:
Bring a printed copy of your heat sheet.
Read the weekly meet info email(s).
Sign up online to volunteer.
Review the resources and recertify every two years.
Day of the Meet:
Arrive early for the judge’s briefing meeting.
Head S&T will give your positioning and jurisdiction.
Disputes should be handled by the Meet Director.
Ensure you have a clear view of the pool.
02�Stroke Rules
Rules governing each of stroke.
Benefit of the doubt ALWAYS goes to the swimmer.
Rules across all strokes
Rules across all strokes
Swimmers CANNOT stand on the bottom or hold onto the lane line except during freestyle event.
May stand or hold onto the lane line but cannot walk or push off bottom or lane line.
Any swimmer initiating a start before the starting signal is given shall be disqualified.
Both judges must observe the early start in their own jurisdiction.
Simultaneous
False Starts
No Standing
Simultaneous hands, arms, legs or feet need to move at the same time, but this does not have to be on the same plane.
Separated means hands cannot be stacked one on top of the other. It is not necessary to see a space between the hands. Incidental contact at the fingers is not a concern.
Rules across all strokes
Separated Hands
These examples are legal.
Separated means NO stacked hands.
This example is NOT legal.
Past Vertical Toward the Back
Past Vertical Toward the Breast
Shoulders AT Vertical
Captain Marvel is in legal body positions for Fly and Breast because her shoulders are “AT or PAST vertical toward the breast”.
Superman is in legal body positions for Backstroke because his shoulders are “AT or PAST vertical toward the back”.
Past Vertical Towards Breast/Back
In 25M/Y races, these rules do not apply:
Butterfly | 1M: Shoulders not at or past vertical towards breast off wall |
Backstroke | 2I: No touch at turn |
2J: Non-continuous turning action | |
Breaststroke | 3M: Shoulders not at or past vertical towards breast off wall |
Freestyle | 4K: No touch on turn |
Synchronous arms; “dolphin” kick; and body, which should conduct a wave-like movement throughout the stroke.
Forward start
Must surface by 15 meters after start and turns
Shoulders/chest must be at or past vertical toward the breast after start/turn
Stroke must be simultaneous, with forward arm motions over water and must break surface of water
Up and down leg/foot movements must be simultaneous, not alternating
Simultaneous, separated two hand touch on turns and finish at, above, or below water surface
Butterfly Rules
Stroke executed on the back and usually consisting of alternating circular arm pulls and a flutter kick.
Backstroke Rules
Can turn onto breast for turn but must begin turning motion immediately
Must surface by 15 meters
Must be at or past vertical toward the back during race except when turning
Any part of the body must touch the wall at finish
No special rules for arms, hands or legs
Turning motion may include one single or simultaneous double arm pull and must be followed buy turning motion
Must start/finish on back
Performed by extending arms in front of head while drawing knees forward and outward then sweeping arms back, palms out while kicking backward and outward.
Breaststroke Rules
Start
The forward start shall be used.
Swim
At start and after each turn, shoulders/chest must be at or past vertical toward breast.
Cycle
Cycle is one simultaneous arm stroke first followed by simultaneous breaststroke kick and head must break surface of water.
Elbows
Elbows must remain under water except the last stroke into the wall at turn/finish.
Breaststroke Rules
Hip Line
Hands shall not be brought back beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke after the start and each turn.
Head
At start and after each turn, head must break surface of water before hands turn inward at widest part of second stroke.
Feet
Legs/feet must move simultaneously. Feet must be turned outward during propulsive part of kick and can break surface of water but cannot be a downward butterfly kick.
Finish
Simultaneous, separated two hand touch on turns and finish at, above, or below water surface.
Any style stroke permitted, the most common being to circle arms forward in alternation, kicking feet up and down in a “flutter” motion, also known as “front crawl” stroke.
Freestyle Rules
Any style of swimming is allowed (except IM and Medley Relay)
Must surface by 15 meters
Any part of the body must touch the wall at turn/finish
No special rules for arms, hands or legs
Can hold lane line, but no pulling or pushing off
Can stand on bottom, but not walk or push off
Uses all four strokes on consecutive lengths and equal distance.
Order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle
Individual Medley Rules
Rules governing each stroke are applied to that part of the race
Transition turns must conform to FINISH RULES for the completing stroke
Freestyle must swim anything other than breast, back or fly
Intermediate turns must conform to TURN RULES for the stroke
Four swimmers participate as a relay team, each swimming an equal distance of the race.
Medley order: Back, Breast, Fly, Free (Alphabetical)
Free & Medley Relay Rules
Freestyle must swim any style other than breast, back or fly during Medley
Rules governing each stroke are applied to that part of the race during Medley
Watch the swimmer’s feet leave the starting platform then look down to verify touch at wall
Only one swimmer per leg of race; must leave water immediately upon finishing their leg, except last swimmer
03�Heat Sheets
An overview of meet heat sheets
How to Read the Heat Sheets
Event number, stroke, length, age group and girls/boys or mixed.
Event
Heat
Heat number or race within an event
Lane
Lane number in which the swimmer is swimming
Team
Name of swim team which the athlete swims for
Name
Swimmer’s name
How to Read the Heat Sheets
1st Leg = Backstroke
1
3rd leg = Butterfly
3
4th leg = Freestyle
4
2nd leg = Breaststroke
2
04�DQ Slips
How to fill out a DQ slip
DQ Slip
Event #, Heat #, Lane #, Swimmer last name plus first initial and Team name.
Both judges’ must initial DQ slip.
Pay attention to Start, Swim, Turn, Finish for each stroke
Other infractions
Key Points
Sign up for something at every meet!
Volunteer
Benefit of the doubt always goes to swimmer!
Golden Rule
Don’t forget to bring your own heat sheets!
Heat sheets
Judge’s Resources
Thank you!