The relay begins with the backstroke, then the breaststroke, the butterfly and ends with the freestyle. Four swimmers each swim a quarter of the race. In the start, the swimmer is called to the starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers are down and still. Once the starter is satisfied, the race is started by gun or electronic tone. If the starter feels the one of the swimmers has jumped early, the race will be recalled and the offending swimmers disqualified.
Quick turns are essential to a good race.
In all events, the swimmer must touch the wall. In the freestyle and backstroke, the swimmer may somersault as he reaches the wall, touching only with the feet. In the other two competitive events, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands before executing the turn. The 200-yard events require a sense of pace as well as the ability to swim a controlled sprint. In a championship meet, diving competition in the 1-meter event consists of five voluntary and five optional dives.