Butterfly
Butterfly is swimming by alternating one stroke and two kicks, with the movements of the right arm and leg in sync with those of the left arm and leg.
Officials on deck ensure safety, organization, timekeeping, and fair competition. During the race, they observe you swimming to the best of your ability and ensure the rules of the competition. They implement the rules with a heavy heart, knowing it's a part of the swimmer's learning process. By learning the rules during practice and reviewing them here, you reduce the likelihood of disqualification.
We compiled a list of what you can do in a Butterfly event to have a valid race. This list is not exhaustive! Keep following your coach's instructions to swim properly while being competitive.
1
After the start and after a turn, you do a long stretch submerged. Just make sure to surface the water before or at the 15m mark to start with your strokes.
2
You are allowed to do only butterfly kicks submerged. Do not alternate your kicks. Your feet can be together or on different levels, but never alternating.
3
Make sure your left leg and arm are in sync with your right leg and arm, never alternating. If your goggles fall and you want to fix them, do it while keeping synchronous movements at all times. A single alternated movement can disqualify you.
4
Your arms can be together or at different levels, but they must never alternate. While moving forward, they must be out of the water, never completely submerged.
5
Once you start the underwater movement, pulling the water back, continue the movement even if you are too close to the wall. Retracting your arms and doing the inverse movement implies disqualification.
6
Do not pull on the lane ropes or push off the pool's bottom during the swim.
7
Always touch the wall with your two hands simultaneously. The touch can be done in many ways, but always simultaneous and not stacked (one hand over the other).
8
When finished, don't leave your lane until all swimmers have finished. Leave the pool when instructed to do it.
Source: Swimming Canada Rules
