Swimming Picture of the Week - August 26, 2008

Some people are going to have a tough time with a simultaneous touch, especially if they have one arm shorter than the other, which I have seen fairly often, particularly with people who have had surgeries within the shoulder girdle.

We can define "exact" in our minds as EXACT. The question is: How does the human eye (unassisted by technology) define "exact?" Is it exact to within a second? A tenth of a second? A hundredth of a second? A thousandth of a second? The human eye has a little squishier, analog definition than a high-rez digital camera that can capture 100 frames per second.

I think if we had high-rez cameras aimed at the walls during practice and meets, we'd find that about 10% of our touches are EXACT as the dictionary defines it.

Glenn, I haven't thought about this for a while . . . but your statement about no human ever touching with both hands at exactly the same time reminded me of the very first electronic timing system our team had ever purchased in '84. Colorado system, touch pads, etc. My assistant coach and I were hooking it all up like kids on a Christmas morning and once we got it all up and going decided that we would play a little game by seeing who could touch two different pads (one with the right hand and one with the left) and register a tie to the 100th. These pads were laying right next to each other. Niether of us could do it! Seriously! We tried for I don't know how long. I always remember that whenever I see a finish separated by 1/100th. Kind of a meaningless distance actually, but then I don't like ties in competitive sports and I don't think many competitors or fans do either. Everybody wants a clear outcome. There was a time in the 70's when electronic timing first arrived when they went to the 1/1000th. Somebody decided THAT was meaningless, so they backed it up to 1/100th. I think it's the right place to be.

I know that it is a swimming rule to touch with both hands in breast and fly...but I think it is a foolish rule. It doesn't make any sense. Very much in the same way that a flip turn is not allowed when swimming fly.
If there is a human inability to finish EXACTLY with both hands....what sense does that rule has?

Hey Tomas - if you do, I'll sign your petition!

However, not sure I love the flip turn idea on fly. I don't think I have enough wind left to hold my breath for an underwater turn!

Yeah... I know a few officials like that as well. Point well made. :)

To the first comment: "Some people are going to have a tough time with a simultaneous touch, especially if they have one arm shorter than the other, which I have seen fairly often, particularly with people who have had surgeries within the shoulder girdle."

Note what it says in the Paralympic rule book for swimmers with arms of different lengths: "At each turn and the finish of the race where a swimmer has different arm lengths only the longer arm must touch the wall, but both arms must be stretched forward
simultaneously."

And for those with shoulder/elbow restrictions: "At each turn and the finish of the race, where the swimmer who uses both arms but has restriction in the shoulder/elbow only the longer arm must touch the wall, but both arms must be stretched forward simultaneously."

In other words: there has to be an attempt/intent to touch simultaneously.

Ok, first off, Glenn has it right. From that angle you can't tell where the bottom hand really is. If I saw my turn official standing back far enough to see it like that, I would not take a DQ, and in fact would have the chief judge discussing with them how to observe a finish. Fortunately we don't see that, and when you look straight down it probably looks much better. This time, even at the Olympics, I saw officials right on the edge of the pool looking straight down for the turns and finish. That part I think they got after last time when the TV showed them still in chairs during the turns. I don't like the mandatory retirement age, but it did seem to work for that.

Now, in order to make the call you need to actually see the non-simultaneous touch. This isn't the same as "knowing" it happened. The questions you will likely be asked are which hand first and where exactly was the other hand at the time. So you need to be able to see one touch and see water between the other hand and the wall. Even if one comes straight in and one passes over the top, you need to be able to see when each hit to make the call. Any doubt benefits the swimmer. So, if you are called for it, it was very likely very clear. Also, if a swimmer has a disability (e.g. one arm significantly shorter than the other - needs to be a recognized disability), and the coach notifies the referee, they are then judged on the parts that work.

Thomas, the reason for the two handed touch is related to everything else in the strokes. If you can touch with 1 hand or non-simultaneously, you obviously are not moving simultaneously on the last stroke prior to it, thus you should have a stroke violation. Also, getting to pull one hand back early certainly speeds up your turns. Then how do you decide when you are allowed to move your arms independently. With the wall as the deciding factor, it is obvious. If we are not careful, short course fly will be under water for 15 meters, a fy breakout with freestyle into the wall and flip turn. Then those sports writers will be right. It will all be the same.

By the way, I have seen fly and breast flip turns as well. An Oregon team was teaching them for a while. They worked great for the one kid who had the timing down to graze the wall with his hands as he started flipping. The rest either missed entirely (no hand touch), or were too worried about bashing their faces on the wall so they hit, pushed back flipped and left. This took several more seconds than a standard turn.

Anyway, the thing to be careful of is seeing things on tape, particularly in slow motion, and seeing things that may not be there. I urge you all to go out and become certified as officials and stand on the end of the pool and watch.