rules to play synchronized swimming

When performing routines in competition and practice, competitors wear a rubber noseclip to keep water from entering their nose when submerged. Some swimmers wear ear plugs to keep the water out of their ears. Hair is worn in a bun and flavorless gelatin, Knox, is applied to keep hair in place; a decorative headpiece is bobby pinned to the bun. Occasionally, swimmers wear custom made swimming caps in place of their hair in buns.

Competitors wear custom swimsuits and headpieces, usually elaborately decorated with bright fabric and sequins to reflect the music to which they are swimming. The costume and music are not judged (but marks will be taken off if the headpiece falls off any swimmer while she is swimming the routine) but factor into the overall performance and artistic impression. Heavy eye makeup is often worn to help portray the emotions involved with the routine; it helps to accentuate the eyes of each swimmer. (This makeup style is often the center of criticism and ridicule. Some argue that it shows a lack of taste and minimizes the athleticism of the sport. Other artistic sports, such as gymnastics and ice skating, do not employ the same makeup practices.)

Underwater speakers ensure that swimmers can hear the music and aid their ability to synchronize with each other. Routines are prepared and set to counts in the music, to further ensure synchronization. Coaches use underwater speakers to communicate with the swimmers during practice. Goggles, though worn during practice, are not permitted during routine competition.

In their book 2012 Concussions and Our Kids, Dr. Robert Cantu and Mark Hyman reported that Dr. Bill Moreau, who serves as medical director for the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), reported that during a two week training session in Colorado Springs about a dozen women athletes participating suffered a 50% concussion rate. Dr. Moreau noted, These women are superior athletes. Theyre in the pool eight hours a day. Literally, theyre within inches of one another, sculling and paddling. As they go through their various routines, theyre literally kicking each other in the head. As a result, the USOC initiated a process of reassessing concussion awareness and prevention for all sports. Dr. Moreau says that many athletes in non collision sports arent thinking about head injury and dont know theyve had concussions.

There are four main categories of competition

Solos (where an individual swimmer will synchronise with the music). Duets (where a swimmer co ordinates with their partner and in time to the music). Teams (where the swimmer co ordinates with up to seven other athletes and in time to the music). Combo (a team routine where up to ten swimmers perform in one continuous routine but during the routine there will be segments where different numbers of swimmers will perform. Teams normally contain eight swimmers, but the minimum number for a team is four. Teams lose marks for every swimmer they have under the full complement because it is easier to synchronise the less people there are in a routine! Currently, only the duet and team competitions are included in the Olympic Games (although the Solo competition featured in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics)

In most senior competitions, swimmers will perform two routines for the judges, one technical and one free. The technical routine involves performing predetermined elements that must be executed in a specific order. The free routine has no requirements so the swimmers can be free in how creative they get with the movements and their choreography.

There are also competitions called Figures for junior swimmers where they perform set movements to the judges. There is no music and this is simply a case of how well the individual performs the movements.

Synchronised swimming is based on a number of basic positions and transitions.. These include the obvious ones, such as performing a figure on the front or back or from a vertical position, to the more technical ones such as the flamingo position, where one leg is straight and the other is bent in the same kind of shape as a flamingo, hence the name!

There are also certain movements that swimmers can perform in many different ways, so for example a swimmer can spin in the water but this can be spinning 180degrees or moving their entire body for one rotation (360 degrees).

Or with the Flamingo position there is a way to move the leg into the bend position and a way to get out of the move. Learn more about Figure Descriptions.

There is an internationally recognised list of figures provided by FINA, the sports world wide governing body. All figures are given a category and a tariff. So a single ballet leg (one leg out of the water stretched upwards) has a lower rating of 1.6, while a spiral (where a swimmer will lift both legs out of the water to hip height and perform two full twists , followed by a Vertical Descent) has a rating of 3.5.

There are also a few figures that are part of the synchronised swimming stages of the ASAs National Plan for Teaching Swimming but are not recognised by FINA. These have been designed to introduce young swimmers to the basic movements of synchro.

Music is integral to Synchronised Swimming. In the solo event it is all the swimmer has to synchronise with and swimmers in the duet and team routines must sychronise to each other and the music. The choice of music is not judged but it will support the theme of the piece or may have even inspired the theme in the first place. The choreography and performance will be expected to mirror the tempo of the music in its speed. In synchronised swimming competitions there will be speakers underneath the water so swimmers can continue to hear the music clearly. Music actually carries better under the water than it does on land and so swimmers should be able to hear the music better when they are submerged.

Synchronised swimmers will often have elaborate costumes. These costumes are used to highlight or emphasise the theme of the music. Costumes are not judged and so should not affect the scores. If a head dress falls off one of the athletes in the British team, they get a fine because experienced athletes should ensure everything is securely fastened. Synchronised swimmers also wear make up. The make up will be used to highlight the swimmers features so it is easier for the judges to interpret their facial expressions. It should not be so theatrical that it is distracting.

Competitive synchronised swimmers must be extremely fit, and completely at home in the water. When tested and compared with other Olympic athletes the results showed that synchronised swimmers ranked second only to long distance runners in aerobic capacity.In order to achieve the standard needed for competition, athletes must train with speed swimmers in distance work as well as complete sessions that are devoted to working on technical skills such as the set body positions and transition movements that form the basis of synchro.

Nose clips are required to help the competitors stay underwater for periods of time and prevent water from entering their noses. Swimming suits should not be transparent or distasteful. Waterproof makeup is used to complement the routine and gelatine helps keep the hair tidy and in place. Goggles and jewellery are not permitted. Water temperature must be at 26 degrees, give or take 1 degree.

Competitors have
30 seconds to walk to the deck.
2 minutes to perform the individual technical routine.
2 minutes and 20 seconds to perform the duet technical routine.
3 minutes to perform the individual free routine.
3 minutes and 30 seconds to perform the duet free routine.