# Freestyle swimming--how free?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 20, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030 "2014-08-20T19:35:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/1 "2014-08-20T19:35:48Z")
I’ve never been on a swim team. (The fact that I can barely dog paddle has something to do with that.) But I’ve seen Olympic swimming, and I have a question about the rules.
I know they have judges who make sure that that the swimmers follow the rules about the different strokes. For the breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke, you have to kick a certain way, move your arms a certain way, etc. If you don’t, you’re disqualified.
But what about freestyle? Obviously, what I grew up calling “the crawl” is faster than the other three strokes. A competitor will want to use it in a race. But if someone did, for whatever reason, decide to use a different stroke (maybe even something weird like the Man from Atlantis one or the sidestroke), would he or she be disqualified?
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/2 "2014-08-20T19:40:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> SW 5.1 Freestyle means that in an event so designated the swimmer may swim any
> style, except that in individual medley or medley relay events, freestyle means any style
> other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly.
> SW 5.2 Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall upon completion of each length
> and at the finish.
> SW 5.3 Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the
> race, except it shall be permissible for the swimmer to be completely submerged during
> the turn and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By
> that point, the head must have broken the surface.
[http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/rules/FINAswrules\_20132017.pdf](http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/rules/FINAswrules_20132017.pdf) - warning: pdf
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/3 "2014-08-20T19:54:07Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#):
>
> … would he or she be disqualified?
No, just slower than everybody else.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/4 "2014-08-20T20:14:43Z")
That’s why that event is called **free** style.
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### Author:  [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/5 "2014-08-20T21:28:47Z")
The only “stroke” that’s faster than the crawl is to do a submerged dolphin kick, but that’s illegal by rule 5.3.
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### Author:  [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/6 "2014-08-21T12:06:59Z")
I’ve been to many swim meets where competitors swam the backstroke, breastroke or butterfly in a freestyle event. Some were or thought they were faster with the structured stroke, or were simply practicing for their preferred event. It’s allowed, but most swimmers swim the crawl faster than the other three styles.
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### Author:  [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/7 "2014-08-21T12:39:21Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#):
>
> The only “stroke” that’s faster than the crawl is to do a submerged dolphin kick, but that’s illegal by rule 5.3.
It’s not illegal from the wall to the 15 meter mark, after which the swimmer has to have some part of the body out of the water at all times.
> [@Orwell](#):
>
> I’ve been to many swim meets where competitors swam the backstroke, breastroke or butterfly in a freestyle event. Some were or thought they were faster with the structured stroke, or were simply practicing for their preferred event. It’s allowed, but most swimmers swim the crawl faster than the other three styles.
Some people’s other stroke is faster then their crawl. I’ve seen people who’s breast stroke is their fastest!
As the rules state, for the most part you can swim whatever you’d like in free style, unless it’s the last part of an individual medley, in which case you can’t swim the other three strokes. As I also said, the swimmer can not be fully submerged after they break the surface of the water. The newer style breast stroke actually has the swimmer fully submerged so you could get disqualified for that as well.
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EFjQDgIfKM) will show how much faster someone can go underwater. Which is why they changed the rules and added the 15 meter mark.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/8 "2014-08-22T02:33:01Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> No, just slower than everybody else.
“No fair! No fair! She used her arms!”
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/9 "2014-08-22T15:08:09Z")
So, is there any event where going all underwater is allowed?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/10 "2014-08-22T15:30:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> So, is there any event where going all underwater is allowed?
Not in competitive swimming, no.
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### Author:  [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/11 "2014-08-22T16:28:32Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#):
>
> [http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/rules/FINAswrules\_20132017.pdf](http://www.fina.org/H2O/docs/rules/FINAswrules_20132017.pdf) - warning: pdf
> [@](#):
>
> SW 5.1 Freestyle means that in an event so designated the swimmer may swim any style, **except that in individual medley or medley relay events, freestyle means any style other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly**.
What’s the reason for this rule/exception?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/12 "2014-08-22T16:40:52Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#):
>
> What’s the reason for this rule/exception?
In a medley the other swimmers (or in IM, the one swimmer) is swimming a leg in those other strokes. You want to make the swimmer change strokes to show coverage of all the disciplines. The reality is that crawl is the fastest stroke for essentially all competitive swimmers so they would use it regardless of the rule.
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### Author:  [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/13 "2014-08-22T16:48:54Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> In a medley the other swimmers (or in IM, the one swimmer) is swimming a leg in those other strokes. You want to make the swimmer change strokes to show coverage of all the disciplines. The reality is that crawl is the fastest stroke for essentially all competitive swimmers so they would use it regardless of the rule.
Yes, for all practical purposes, the crawl is the only stroke a freestyle swimmer will ever use. But I imagine a medley swimmer on his last leg who is totally exhausted, not able to perform a proper crawl anymore who resorts to some weak breast strokes, just to finish the race. Would he be disqualified?
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### Author:  [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/14 "2014-08-22T17:18:04Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#):
>
> Yes, for all practical purposes, the crawl is the only stroke a freestyle swimmer will ever use. But I imagine a medley swimmer on his last leg who is totally exhausted, not able to perform a proper crawl anymore who resorts to some weak breast strokes, just to finish the race. Would he be disqualified?
Yes, it’s a DQ to do any of the other strokes for the last leg of an IM. The breast stroke is one of the more difficult strokes, at least to do correctly. I did ask at one point where the dividing line actually is between strokes. I played around with kicking off the wall on my back and then turning over for free. None of the judges that I asked could tell me if that was legal or not for the last leg of the IM.
The crawl, when done properly, is a pretty easy stroke and doesn’t take a whole of of energy. Breast stroke on the other hand requires a lot more energy, one would be better off on their back if they were tired.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/15 "2014-08-22T19:01:46Z")
I assume that there’s a difference between the breast stroke used for sprints and the one used for endurance races? There’s a stroke called the breast stroke that’s popular for swims of a mile or more because it doesn’t use much energy.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/16 "2014-08-22T20:54:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> I assume that there’s a difference between the breast stroke used for sprints and the one used for endurance races? There’s a stroke called the breast stroke that’s popular for swims of a mile or more because it doesn’t use much energy.
Same stroke, but in endurance races they don’t care for the nitpicks of head not going under the water or the specifics of the kick. No one is going to get DQ’s for their stroke in those races. But all competitive endurance swimmers still use the crawl, a mile isn’t that far.
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### Author:  [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/17 "2014-08-22T23:10:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> I assume that there’s a difference between the breast stroke used for sprints and the one used for endurance races? There’s a stroke called the breast stroke that’s popular for swims of a mile or more because it doesn’t use much energy.
I would guess those are people who don’t really swim that well and for them it might feel easier. It’s also going to be far slower. There are not major differences between sprinting and distance in any of the strokes. The biggest differences would be the rotation, especially in back and free, and the amount of kicking.
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/18 "2014-08-22T23:21:45Z")
I like how the swimming pools have signs on the lanes…
Slow lane - eg breast stroke , Medium Lane -eg back stroke, butterfly …
and then the third lane(s) are signed to be for Freestyle …
Maybe they should just stick to speeds.
Of course anyone practicing crawl may be slow or medium…
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### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/19 "2014-08-23T03:47:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> So, is there any event where going all underwater is allowed?
There must be scuba races, right?
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### Author:  [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freestyle-swimming-how-free/696030/20 "2014-08-23T06:25:11Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> There must be scuba races, right?
[200m Finswimming Surface Men - Dutch Open Finswimming Championships 2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82rav6s8l8)
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