Referee Briefing Guidelines

Welcome and Overview

The following information should be covered by the referee in his/her briefing to officials prior to the start of a session:

• Welcome
• Introduction of Referees, starters, Chief Timers, Advisory Referee (where there is one) and the Meet Manager
• Highlight of the officials code of conduct
• Remind officials that they are responsible for giving their full attention to the swimmers. Use of cell-phones is not permitted.
• Timing Systems and role of timers (i.e. – splits, bells, double laneing etc.)
• Infraction procedures as they relate to the session – timed final events, preliminaries and finals.
• Positioning of stroke and turn judges
• Judging of relay take-over’s if applicable
• Overview of Strokes. It is important to speak to what the officials should be “seeing” as a legal stroke versus telling them what to look for or what they should not be seeing.
• Any other pertinent information to assist them in performing their roles and ensuring a technically proficient meet for the swimmers.

Stroke and Turn
The following information should be reviewed in the briefing as it relates to the strokes:

Please remind officials that we are there to judge the legality of the strokes. If in doubt the benefit goes to the swimmer. The judge must be 100% certain that what they observed was an infraction.

The official must be in the correct position to observe the swimmer(s). As an Inspector of Turns, if they are required to judge more than one lane and they have two swimmers coming in at the same time, they should choose one lane and judge that lane. An Inspector of Turns is responsible for observing the last full pull into the wall on a turn until the point the swimmer takes their first full stroke after touching the wall. The Judge of Strokes is responsible for judging the entire length of the pool. They should assist the Inspector of Turns in judging the turns. The Judge of Strokes is also responsible for observing the 15-metre mark at the start of each race in Butterfly, Backstroke and Freestyle.

Freestyle:

• Dive start.
• Some part of the head must surface by the 15-metre mark (recall rope) off the start and at each turn.
• The swimmer can do any stroke and any combination of stokes.
• The swimmer must touch at every turn and at the finish.
• Walking along the bottom; pushing off the bottom in the direction of the race; or pulling on the lane ropes is not permitted.

Butterfly:

• Dive start. The race is swum on the breast.
• Some part of the head must surface at the 15-metre mark off the start and at each turn; the swimmer may choose to do a butterfly kick underwater to this point.
• The swimmer is permitted one arm pull under the water at the start and at each turn, which must bring him to the surface of the water. After which,
• Both arms must be brought forward together over the water and brought backwards simultaneously throughout the race
• The kick is the butterfly kick. (Masters swimmers are permitted to do a breaststroke kick). All up and down movements of the legs shall be simultaneous. The legs and feet need not be on the same level, but they shall not alternate in relation to each other.
• The touch at the turn and at the final touch is a simultaneous two-hand touch. The hands may touch at different levels, but both hands must touch at the same time.

Backstroke:

• The start is from the water, the swimmer lines up facing the starting end with both hands holding the starting grips. The feet need not be under the water, but the toes are not permitted to bend over the lip or gutter.
• Some part of the head must surface at the 15-metre mark.
• The swimmer must remain on the back throughout the race and is permitted to do any stroke on the back.
• At the turn, the swimmer may touch the wall on their back. It is also acceptable to use turns such as the so-called “suicide” turn, or a “saucer” turn. These turns are executed while still on the back without the shoulders passing the 90 degrees vertical prior to the touch.
• OR, if they choose to do a tumble turn - Once on their breast, they may take one single arm pull or a simultaneous double arm pull. Once the arm has completed the pull (the hand is past the hips), the swimmer must be initiating the turn. Kicking is acceptable if it is part of the turning action. The swimmer must be observed in total.
• At the completion of the turn, the swimmer must leave the wall on their back.
• The finish touch must be on the back.

Breaststroke:

• Dive start
• From the start and at each turn, the swimmer may take a full arm stroke past the hips and one kick. At the widest part of the second arm pull, some part of the head must surface.
• A single butterfly kick is permitted after the start and each turn during the first arm stroke. The first arm stroke begins with the separation of the hands; when there is any downward or outward lateral MOVEMENT of the hands or arms. The first arm stroke is complete when the hands have completed the pull back beyond the hip line to the legs.
• Immediately following the butterfly kick is a breaststroke kick. The breaststroke kick is the only kick that is permitted throughout the stroke.
• All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous and on the same horizontal plane without alternating movement.
• The stroke is symmetrical in that what you see the left side of the body doing, the right side shall mirror.
• The touch at the turn and at the final touch is a simultaneous two-hand touch. The hands may touch at different levels, but both hands must touch at the same time.
• The swimmer must leave the wall on the breast.
• The elbows are to be in the water throughout the stroke with the exceptions of the last stroke before a turn and at the finish touch, where the swimmer may reach for the wall with the elbows out over the water.

Individual Medley (IM)

• The order for IM is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle
• The freestyle stroke must be something other than fly, back or breast
• The finish touch of each stroke must be as they would finish each individual stroke; for example with the backstroke, the swimmer must touch on their back.

Medley Relay

• The order for the relay is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle

Judging Relay Takeovers:

• The takeover judge is observing that the departing swimmer does not leave prior to the touch of the incoming swimmer.
• The judge will observe the departing swimmers toes and once they have left the starting platform, the judge drops their eyes to the incoming swimmer to ensure that they have touched.
• The departing swimmer may be in motion on the starting platform prior to their toes leaving
• The swimmers MUST swim in the order their names appear on the relay entry card held by the timers. The timers should verify that swimmers name when the swimmer exits the pool after their leg of the relay.
• Any swimmer whose feet lose touch with the starting platform prior to the touch of the preceding swimmer will be disqualified. A swimmer who leaves early is not permitted to return to the start to touch out.