Why was my swimmer disqualified in butterfly?

Butterfly disqualifications can occur for several reasons under World Aquatics regulations. The most common violations are:

- Non-simultaneous arms (SW 8.3): Both arms must be brought forward simultaneously over the water and brought backward simultaneously under the water throughout the race. Arms moving out of sync results in disqualification.

- Improper kick (SW 8.4): All up and down movements of the legs must be simultaneous. The legs or feet need not be on the same level, but they must not alternate in relation to each other. A breaststroke kicking movement is not permitted.

- Improper touch at turns and finish (SW 8.5): The touch must be made with both hands separated and simultaneously, at, above, or below the water surface. The hands cannot be stacked one on top of the other. A one-handed or staggered touch is a disqualification.

- Rolling onto the back during the swim (SW 8.2): It is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time, except at the turn after touching the wall. The body must return to the breast from the beginning of the first arm stroke after leaving the wall.

- Going past 15 metres underwater (SW 8.6): At least one part of the swimmer's body must break the surface throughout the race, except during turns and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and after each turn. By the 15-metre mark, the head must have broken the surface.

These rules are enforced by Judges of Stroke, Inspectors of Turns, and Video Review Judges, who report any breach to the Referee. When a disqualification is recorded, no time or placing is recorded or announced in the official results (SW 11.3).

If your swimmer was disqualified, ask the meet officials for the disqualification slip — it will cite the specific article violated. Each infraction has a different fix: arm symmetry drills for SW 8.3, kick technique work for SW 8.4, two-handed touch drills for SW 8.5.

For official decisions, always defer to your Meet Referee.