What are the rules for swimming the Backstroke?
The primary rules that define the Backstroke are: • The swimmer may move their arms and legs in any pattern they choose; they are not required to even use their arms and/or legs at all! • Swimmers must start in the water, facing the wall, with their hands gripping the wall or hand grips of the starting block. • For RCSL meets, swimmers are allowed to “curl their toes” into the gutter but some portion of their foot must remain in contact with the water at all times during the start (“back dives” off of the gutter are prohibited for safety reasons). • The swimmer must leave the wall on their back (shoulders at or past 90° toward their back) and remain on their back until they complete each length of the pool. • The swimmer must finish the race by touching the wall with some part of their body while still on their back The most complicated part of the Backstroke rules have to do with the turns: • When executing a turn in Backstroke, the swimmer is allowed to leave their back during the fi
