Freestyle is one of five individual events in all levels of competitive swimming. In swimming competitions, swimmers compete for the fastest time over a certain length or number of laps using a certain stroke, a method of moving yourself through the water. Freestyle is the most permissive of all events, because the swimmer allowed to use any stroke.
Basics of Swimming Rules
Rules and regulations attempt to level the playing field in swimming, prevent any one athlete from gaining an unfair advantage. Swimmers who violate rules, intentionally or not, are disqualified from an event. You will find disqualifications marked DQ in official results. In children's swimming, for instance, DQs may be given for walking on the bottom of the pool, pulling on the rope dividing lanes or not completing the full distance of the event.
Allowed Freestyle Movements
According to the rules of FINA, the international governing body of swimming and other water sports, a swimmer may swim using any style or stroke. The four most common strokes are the front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. The exception to the rule is in the individual medley, an event combining four length of each freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. In the IM event, a swimmer cannot swim backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly in the freestyle length of the event. Front crawl is almost always seen in freestyle events as it is considered the fastest stroke.
Multiple-Lap Events
Pools used in swimming competition can range in length between 25 yards and 100 meters. In events spanning multiple laps, a swimmer must touch each wall to avoid being disqualified. Only the feet are required to touch the wall. Swimmers commonly use a flip turn at walls where the swimmer flips forward over her body and pushes off the wall with her feet.
Swimming Underwater
Swimmers cannot complete an event completely underwater. Some part of the swimmer must break the water within 15 meters after the start of the initial dive and each turn.
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