Swim Jargon
Swimming, just like everything else we do, has a whole language all to itself. Here are some swim terms that will help make your time as a swimmer and swim parent easier.
APPAREL/EQUIPMENT TERMS
Cap: A swim cap made from latex or silicone worn on a swimmer’s head to reduce the effects of water resistance (drag).
Kick Board: A flat foam float that is held in the swimmer’s hands while practicing kicking drills.
Pull Buoy: A foam float held between a swimmer’s leg while practicing arm strokes.
PRACTICE TERMS
Back/Breast/Fly/Free: The names of the strokes. Short for Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle. Also shown as Bk, Br, Fl, Fr
Dolphin Kick: A swimming kick used mainly in Butterfly, where the legs are extended straight back and move up and down in unison with a slight bend in the knees on the upward movement.
Drag: The resistance caused by the friction of water flowing along the swimmers body. Drag can be reduced through proper swimming technique and friction reducing apparel such as swimsuits and swim caps.
Dry Land: A workout performed out of the pool to supplement swim training.
Flip Turn: A type of turn used in freestyle and backstroke. As the swimmer approaches the wall, they flip forward in a continuous motion and push off the wall to start the next length.
Interval: A goal training time set by a coach for a specific distance. Example: 10 x 50 freestyle on 1 minute
Pace Clock: Running electronic clocks that allow swimmers to read their times in relation to intervals during practice.
Pull Out: In breaststroke, the initial arm pull and kick that brings the swimmer to the surface immediately after the start or turn.
Set: A combination of swimming, stroke drills, and/or kicking that is typically done in a repetitive fashion on a timed interval.
Streamline: A swimmers form and a swimming technique that is used underwater in every stroke. At the start of a race and after turns, streamline form is used, usually along with a dolphin kick or flutter kick, to create the least amount of resistance to help the swimmer propel as far as they can.
Stroke: There are 4 swim strokes in competitive swimming. Freestyle (sometimes called the Crawl Stroke), Butterfly (or Fly), Backstroke and Breast Stroke.
Taper: The resting phase in training leading up to a specified swimming competition. Swimmers will gradually reduce their daily training volume and intensity as they approach their championship meet. This enables peak performance.
Warm-Up/Down: Laps swum before and after a race or practice to loosen muscles.
MEET TERMS
25/50/100: Used to describe the length of a race/distance covered. Most summer swim meets are run in 25 yard or meter pools. This means a 25 free is a single length of the pool. A 50 free would be 2 lengths of the pool, also known as a lap or “there and back.”
Anchor: The last swimmer on a relay.
Block: The elevated platform swimmers dive off of at the beginning of a race.
DQ: An abbreviation for disqualification.
Event: A swimming race that is designated by the stroke and the distance being swum.
False Start: A false start occurs when the swimmer leaves the starting block too soon or is moving on the block before the starter officially begins the race.
Heat: A group of swimmers racing at the same time. Each event is divided into heats. The swimmers in each heat are seeded with comparable times.
Heat Sheet: A meet program that lists event order, heats, and lane assignments.
IM: An abbreviation for individual medley. Swimming events in equal distances of all four competitive strokes are swum in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
Lane Assignments: The lane to which a swimmer is assigned to swim in a designated event and heat.
Lane Ropes: Dividers used to distinguish individual lanes.
Medley Relay: A relay in which each relay member swims a different stroke. Typically, in summer swim, the medley relay is a 100; each swimmer races a 25 in their assigned stroke. A medley relay runs as follows: Back, Breast, Fly, Free.
Meet Program: Entry sheets showing all swimmers entered into each individual event.
NS: A term standing for ‘no show’ that indicates the swimmer did not swim their race in the appropriate heat and lane.
Meet Official: Meet judges who are training and certified by USA Swimming. These include starters, referees, and stroke and turn judges.
Personal Best (PR): A swimmer’s best time to date or ‘personal record’ in any given event.
Relays: Races where four (4) swimmers compete in one event. In a freestyle relay, each swimmer swims freestyle. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a difference stroke in the following order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.
Scratch: To remove a swimmer from an event prior to the start of a race.
Timing: At Orchard View, touchpads provide the official time. Back-up times are provided by stopwatches.
Touch: The race finish in which a swimmer physically ‘touches’ the wall.
Touchpad: The rectangular pad at the end of each lane that registers a swimmer’s time by their touch.
Turnover/Stroke Rate: The number of times in which a swimmer’s arms turnover or cycle in a given distance or time.
