1. Rules Changes Major Editorial Changes Points of Emphasis
Swimming and Diving
Rules Changes
Major Editorial Changes
Points of Emphasis

2. Rules Changes

3. We are glad to welcome Team IP as a new corporate sponsor with swimming and diving.

4. Coaching Swimming Developed in partnership with the
National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association
The NFHS is pleased to partner with NISCA to present this new, online Coaching Swimming course.

5. Coaching Swimming
Go to to view the trailer, description and outline for this course.

6. Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming and Diving Continue to have the Lowest Injury Rates of All Sports Studied in the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study
As high school sports participation continues to increase in the United States, the number of sports injuries will also likely increase unless effective injury prevention programs are implemented. The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) and the NFHS Sport Rules Committees use information from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO™) to monitor rates and patterns of sports injuries among high school athletes. High School RIO™ is currently collecting the 9th year of sports exposure and injury data.
The NFHS is the only organization systematically collecting injury data for high school-aged students engaged in organized sports.

7. Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming and Diving Continue to have the Lowest Injury Rates of All Sports Studied in the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study
High School RIO™ data shows that boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving continue to have the lowest injury rate of all 20 sports studied, with girls’ injury rates slightly higher than boys’. In 2012/13, muscle strains were the most common injury type in both boys’ (29.0%) and girls’ (28.6%) swimming and diving. The majority of muscle strains occurred to the shoulder (38.4%) or thigh/upper leg (15.4%). Diving accounted for 9.4% of girls’ injuries and 8.7% of boys’ injuries. Many swimming and diving injuries are relatively minor, with 50% of athletes returning to the pool in less than one week after sustaining an injury.
Swimming and diving continue to have a very low rate of injury.
You can see from this data the most common injuries in swimming and diving.

8. Boys’ and Girls’ Swimming and Diving Continue to have the Lowest Injury Rates of All Sports Studied in the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study
An understanding of such patterns of injury is one important tool that can be used when considering risk minimization efforts such as rule changes or educational programs aimed at keeping swimming and diving athletes as safe as possible. If you are interested in more information on the High School RIO™ Study or a certified athletic trainer interested in becoming a reporter for swimming and diving, please visit for summary reports.
The NFHS Swimming and Diving Rules Committee closely monitors the injury data.
To maintain the value of RIO™, we need schools to participate. This participation can be sport-specific.
For information on getting your school signed up, use the provided link.

9. Reorganized Rule 3-3-4
The rule has been reorganized in a list form for easier reference and compliance
Divers now permitted to use tape, at any location, for support
A listing of items a competitor may wear/use is easier to locate in the body of the rules and assist in compliance.
A diver wearing tape for support on the wrist, ankles, etc. gains no competitive advantage; therefore, the restriction to “only the wrist” is removed.

10. Adhesives not permitted Rule 3-3-4
Adhesives are not allowed to be used during competition by a swimmer or diver
Adhesive sprays and similar materials get on the board and become sticky or slick with water
Used by swimmers, the adhesive transfers to the block or touch pad, causing it to become slick
When swimmers or divers use an adhesive material, such as a spray, such material is many times transferred to the fulcrum, board or touch pads.
As water comes in contact with the material, the equipment may become slick and create a risk minimization concern.
This material may also alter the feel of the equipment unnecessarily and distract other competitors.

11. Unsporting conduct Rules 3-6-1 and 3-6-3
Unsporting conduct will disqualify a swimmer from further competition in the meet; and, subject to state association rules, possible withholding from future meets
Unacceptable conduct (such as profanity, failure to follow the directions of a meet official and other such actions) will disqualify a swimmer from that event
These changes define more clearly what actions are considered as “unsporting conduct” and result in no further participation in the meet up to ejection from the competition area.
Delineates what actions are considered unacceptable conduct with a penalty of disqualification from only that event.
This change also delineates in Rule 8-3-8b as to when a relay lead-off time shall not be eligible for use as a qualification time or record.

12. Starter’s pistol Rules 2-7-3 NOTE, 4-3-1 NOTE
The sounding device for the start or final lap shall not be a pistol capable of discharging live ammunition or a closed barreled starter’s pistol
It is inappropriate to use a pistol of any kind at a school swimming meet.
Alternative sounding devices are readily available.

13. Forward start Rule 8-1-5
Once called to the starting platforms, should the referee/starter give the command “Stand up,” the swimmers should remain on the starting platforms
Swimmers will not enter the water or delay a new start by stepping down
Referees and starters should direct swimmers to step down only when unusual circumstances occur
For risk minimization, swimmers should not step off the starting platforms unnecessarily once stepped up.
Getting on and off the platforms, especially with the track-style blocks, increases the risk a swimmer will trip or lose his/her balance and stumble.
Only in unusual circumstances should the swimmers be directed to “Step down.”

14. Backstroke finish Rule 8-2-1e
After breaking the surface of the water, the swimmer must remain on the surface
Any part of the swimmer’s body is on or above the surface
The only exception to remaining on or above the surface once breaking the water surface is for turns
Only when the entire body is submerged is there a violation of the rule
The change in the rule for the backstroke event specifies the swimmer shall remain on or above the water surface on the finish.
This change eliminates the abuse of submerging well before the true finish.

15. Diving Warm-ups Rule 9-2-1
Divers shall be permitted at least two practice approaches during specified warm-up times prior to each diving session
Each approach may be with or without a water entry
Divers are allowed to do practice dives from the published dive list for practice water entry approaches
For risk minimization and fairness to all diving competitors, a warm-up is scheduled after a break before the session begins.
Divers are permitted at least two practice approaches with or without water entry.
The host management may schedule more than two practice dives for the field of competitors.

16. Order of Divers – Championship Meets Rule 9-2-2
Subject to the meet director’s discretion and published prior to the competition, divers may be reordered by rank – lowest to highest scores – following the semifinal round
With no previous action by the meet director, the default is keeping the divers in the same dive order as preliminaries/semifinals
As an option, the finalists in the diving event in championship meets or those following a championship format may be seeded by their semifinal score (lowest to highest) prior to the final three dives.
Using this option, the divers in finals would then dive in that same relative order for the last three dives.
This opportunity will add excitement to the meet and give a benefit to the highest-scoring semifinalist by diving in the last position.

17. New Diving Award Scale Rule 9-7-2
Excellent 10;
Very good 8½ to 9½;
Good 7 to 8;
Satisfactory 5 to 6½;
Deficient 2½ to 4½;
Unsatisfactory ½ to 2;
Failed 0.
The dives listed on the NFHS diving table are consistent with NCAA, USA Diving and FINA in regard to the degrees of difficulty.
There are no technical reasons for the scoring scale to be different.

18. Major Editorial Changes
Swimming and Diving
Major Editorial Changes

19. Entries by Individuals Rule 3-2-1 PENALTYEC
Editorial
Change
A competitor participating, or attempting to participate, in more than the allowable number of events is disqualified from that event and further competition
The competitor(s) shall not be disqualified from events in subsequent rounds for which he/she has previously and legally qualified (previous performance not nullified)
Clarifies the penalty for a competitor violating allowable event limits.
The competitor is not removed from any competition in which he/she had previously and legally qualified.

20. Uniforms EC
Editorial
Change
Official discovers competitor wearing an illegal swimsuit (wearing two suits or illegal construction)
Observed after heat begins – competitor disqualified at completion of heat, performance time nullified and competitor not eligible for further competition until in legal swimsuit
With last year’s change in Rule Penalty 2, Penalty 3 was no longer needed, so deleted.
Editorial change provides consistency in rules language.

21. Other Editorial ChangesEC
Editorial
Change
NOTE
Preliminaries and finals are considered one meet.
NOTE
An invitational/multi-team meet is not considered a championship meet, but may be conducted…
2-7-4 New NOTE
When a recall rope is used, it should be placed beyond the 15m mark.
Just places this NOTE in bold print.
Clarifies an invitational meet is not a culminating meet, but it can be conducted under championship format.
Although a recall rope is not frequently used, when one is used in a meet, the minimum placement is beyond the 15-meter mark.

22. Other Editorial ChangesEC
Editorial
Change
6-4-1a,b
(button or watch times)
9-3-5
…(with the number and degree of difficulty of the voluntary dive(s) circled or otherwise clearly identified)…
6-4-1a,b Clarifies, when necessary to integrate back-up times, one should compare watch to watch or button to button times. Watch and button times are not to be mixed.
Much of the diving software now in use does not permit the voluntary dive to be circled, but identifies in another fashion. This change allows an alternate means of clearly identifying voluntary dives when using an electronic system.

23. Voluntary Dives – Clearly IdentifiedEC
Editorial
Change
On the submitted form on the left, the voluntary dives are to be circled.
On the electronic sheet on the right, the dive may not be able to be circled, but the voluntary dives are denoted differently through the electronic process.

24. Other Editorial ChangesEC
Editorial
Change
Appendix B
RELAY TAKEOFF PAD USAGE GUIDELINE TABLE
-0.10
-0.09 through -0.01
0.00 through +0.09
DQ If electronic equipment AND either takeoff judge OR dual confirmation by BOTH takeoff judges.
DQ MUST have confirmation by at least one (1) takeoff judge.
LEGAL
NO VIOLATION
Judges are not considered.
Appendix B Table was added visual to assist meet officials.

25. Swimming and Diving
Points of Emphasis

26. Touch Pads
It is recommended that touch pads cover the finish end of each pool lane (Rule 8-1-7)
There are circumstances where a pool has 7-foot wide lanes, but the touch pads are 5 feet wide
Officials and timers shall recognize that, if a swimmer touches the end wall within the recommended area that should be covered by the pad, this is a legal finish

27. Touch Pads
Touch includes the entire lane, as pads should be proper width, or the area where the pad should be located
Touching above the pad is NOT a legal finish
NOT legal touch
Gutter line
Legal touch
Legal touch
Pad small for lane
Pad has shifted

28. Conduct
Unsporting conduct includes, but is not limited to, making insulting or derogatory remarks, gestures, or acts including taunting, trying to influence, showing disgust or interfering with an official
Team personnel shall be disqualified from further competition, including events in which previously qualified, for unsporting conduct

29. Conduct
Unacceptable conduct includes, but is not limited to, the use of profanity whether or not it is directed at another person or any action which could discredit the individual or his/her high school
Team personnel shall be disqualified from that event
The meet referee always retains the authority under Rule to disqualify a competitor for any act he/she deems as unsporting conduct

30. Showing up for events at championship meets
It is the competitor’s responsibility to compete in each and every race or round he/she is entered
The coach has the responsibility to make sure the athletes on his/her team report as required and this should be communicated clearly with his/her athletes at the meet, as well as at the start of the season for athlete accountability

31. Showing up for events at championship meets
If, for some reason, an athlete is not going to compete in a scheduled event in which entered, the coach must notify the referee of a declared false start prior to the start of the event to avoid disqualification of the athlete
The declared false start promotes participation, as another athlete has the opportunity to move up in finals, preserves the integrity of a championship meet and allows an athlete to drop out of an event with no further penalty

32. Scale on dives The NFHS diving points scale has changed
The following descriptions have scoring changes:
Judges may award points in the range of points based on their opinions unless instructed otherwise by the diving referee under the rules
excellent (10), very good (8.5 to 9.5), good (7 to 8), satisfactory (5 to 6.5), deficient (2.5 to 4.5), unsatisfactory (.5 to 2) and failed (0)

33. Scale on dives
The point scale and the degrees of difficult of all dives listed on the NFHS diving table are now the same as other rules codes
This consistency in scoring will minimize confusion for the divers and judges

34. Stacked hands
As a reminder, by NFHS rules, stacked hands are legal in the breaststroke.

35. NFHS Swimming and Diving Publications
The Rules Book, Scorebook and other swimming and diving materials can be ordered:
online at
by calling
The NFHS swimming and diving publications are available to order online or by using the toll free number.

36. NFHS E-books
Electronic versions of NFHS Rules and Case Books are now available for purchase as e-books
Apple users can visit iTunes for available books
Apple, Android and Kindle users can buy e-books from Amazon.com and view them through the Kindle app
$5.99
Visit for more information

37. Swimming and Diving Officials’ Guidelines Manuals
The revised manuals are available August 1 on the following Web site locations:

38. NFHS Water Polo Resources
The NFHS Water Polo rules are included in the Swimming and Diving/Water Polo Rules Book
Additional resources for water polo are located at:
Resources include:
Case Book/Situations
Full listing of the Points of Emphasis
Sample exclusion form
Scoresheet
State associations that sanction water polo are encouraged to alert your water polo officials and coaches of the additional resources located on these two Web sites.

39. Free! $50 $20 All NFHS courses can be accessed at www.nfhslearn.com
Just a reminder, there are several new and/or updated coaching courses located at nfhslearn.com.
Check them out!
All NFHS courses can be accessed at

40. Thank You for your support of
High School Athletics!