GLOSSARY OF COMMON SWIMMING TERMS
Age Group
Age Up
Anchor
Block
Circle Swimming
Clerk of Course
Cut
Distance
Dive-over
Drag Suit
Drill
Dryland Training
DQ – Disqualified
Event
False Start
Finals
Heat
Heat Sheets/
Programs
Interval
Lap Counter
Legal
Long Course
Meet Notice
Mini-Meet
Negative Split
Official
Swimmers compete in age groups of 8 & Under, 9-10 (or 10 & Under), 11-12, 13-14 and
15-18.
When a swimmer changes age groups. A swimmer's age for the entire season is
determined as of December 1 for YMCA meets. USA meet notices post an age cut-off
date, usually the first day of the meet.
The fourth and final position in a relay.
The starting platform.
Swimmers stay to the right of the underwater black line when swimming in a lane,
basically swimming up and back in a counterclockwise circle. This allows for more
swimmers in a lane and an efficient flow of traffic to avoid collisions.
Area or room where clerks arrange swimmers prior to their heats. Swimmers then proceed
to the blocks in lines.
Minimum or maximum time necessary to attend a particular meet or event. See
“Qualifying Time.”
A longer event, set or workout; events of 500 yards or longer.
Swimmers stay in the water at the completion of their event and may only exit after the
next heat has entered the water; allows the meet to proceed faster. Not used in backstroke.
A second, loose-fitting swimsuit worn over the swimmer’s main suit during practice and
warm-ups; adds resistance to the flow of water around the swimmer.
An exercise used to improve the technique and efficiency of a stroke.
Strength and endurance training done out of the water that aids and enhances swimmer
performance. Junior group swimmers begin dry land training with stretching and
calisthenics; older swimmers work out with weights and certain swim-specific
equipment such as stretch cords. Running is also good dry land training.
The swimmer's start, stroke or turn is deemed illegal according to USAS/YMCA or
NCAA swimming rules. When DQ’d, a swimmer’s time will not be official, and the
swimmer does not place in that event.
A particular age group, stroke and distance. Many events have more than one heat.
A swimmer moving before the starter's gun or horn. Instead of stopping the heat, the
swimmers will continue swimming, and the false starting swimmer will be disqualified
after completing the event.
Held in the evening of preliminaries/finals meets. Includes the fastest eight to twentyfour qualifiers (depending on number of lanes and number of heats) from the
morning's trials or prelims. The finalists compete to determine the winner.
A group of swimmers in an event who swim at the same time according to their times. An
event is divided into heats when there are too many swimmers to swim at one time. The
slowest swimmers are in the first heat(s) and the fastest swimmers in the last heat(s).
Listings of a meet’s order of events by heat and lane, including each swimmer’s name and
seed time; often sold in meets as the program.
During practice, this is the amount of time in which a swimmer must complete a portion
of the set, rest briefly and resume the set (i.e. swim ten 50’s on a one-minute interval).
A set of numbers used to keep track of laps during a distance race; also the person who
counts for the swimmer, stationed at the opposite end of the pool from the starting blocks.
A race or stroke swum according to the current YMCA/USA/NCAA swimming rules.
Meets held in 50-meter pools. The main long course season is during the summer
months.
Information provided by the host team detailing the particulars of their meet.
A meet that includes only 8 & Under swimmers or sometimes 10 & Under swimmers.
Swimming the second half of a race faster than the first.
A starter or judge on deck during meets to enforce rules on starts, turns, strokes, placing,
etc. Includes stroke and turn judges, administrative officials, starters, timers and referees.
Official Times
Open Event
Prelims
Psyche Sheet
Pull Buoy
Qualifying Time
Referee
Scratch
Seed Times
Session
Set
Short Course
Split
Starter
Streamline
Stroke and Turn
Judge
Time Standards
Time Trials
Timed Finals
Touch Pad
Warm-Ups and
Warm-Downs
When using electronic timing, the time printed by the computer is the official result. If
using stopwatches, the middle (when there are three) or average (when there are two)
time of all watches is used. This time may be slightly different from the unofficial time
given to the swimmer by a parent timer or the coach right after a race has concluded.
An event open to any age swimmer; usually for time only, and not scored for awards.
Qualifying round of heats held for each event in the morning of a trials/finals meet.
Swimmers who place in the top eight to twenty-four (depending on the number of lanes
and heats returning) have the opportunity to return in the evening for finals.
A ranking by times of all swimmers entered in each race of a meet.
Styrofoam devices put between the legs of a swimmer to keep the legs afloat when using
only the arms in pulling exercises.
The time needed for a swimmer to swim in a particular meet. Swimmers may have to be
faster or slower than a specific qualifying time (also known as a "cut"), depending on the
meet.
The official who has the authority over all other officials at a meet. The referee makes all
final decisions and sees that the meet is run efficiently, fairly and safely.
To officially withdraw from an event or meet that a swimmer has signed up for. This
generally means a coach’s formal notification to meet officials, not just failing to show up
for an event or meet.
The time a swimmer uses to enter a meet. This time determines a swimmer's heat and
lane in an event.
Part of a swim meet; for most Y meets, a session is one-half of the meet excluding warmups, or approximately 2 hours.
A specific segment of practice; an example is 10 x 100, or ten repetitions of a 100-yard
swim.
Meets held in 25-yard or 25-meter pools.
A per lap (or length) time recorded by coaches for a swimmer. Splits are used to teach
the concept of pacing or to determine each swimmer’s time in a relay.
The official at a meet who is responsible for starting each heat and calling the next heat to
the blocks.
The position used to gain maximum distance during a start and/or push-off from the wall.
The swimmer's body is as tight as it can be, forming a pencil-like position with the arms
outstretched above the head to form a point with the hands.
A trained and certified official who observes swims to ensure they are in compliance with
swimming rules.
Specific qualifying times which have been set up by USA Swimming for all events in all
levels of meets to ensure that all competitors are of reasonably the same ability in USA
meets. The swimmer's goal should be improving his/her times, starting from a "B" time
standard to a National time standard.
An event or series of events where swimmers may achieve or better a required time
standard. Time Trials are usually conducted prior to the first official swim meet to
establish times for each swimmer and determine seeding for that first meet. Time trials
can also be used as a “last chance qualifier” for swimmers hoping to make the cut of an
invitational meet.
Swim meets where there are no preliminaries. The final places for each event are
determined by the times performed in the heats. Most YMCA meets are in the timed
final format.
The part of an electronic timing system that rests in the water at the end of each lane.
Swimmers’ times are recorded when they touch the pad.
Low intensity swimming used by swimmers prior to and immediately after a main
practice set or race to get muscles loose and warm. Warm-ups gradually increase heart
rate and respiration, while warm-downs slow the heart rate and respiration in preparation
to return to the body to its resting state. Both activities help to prevent injury.