π Swim Team Glossary
Backstroke (Back) β Swimming on your back with a flutter kick and alternating arms.
Best Time / Personal Best (PB) / Personal Record (PR) β The fastest time youβve ever swum an event.
Block β The platform swimmers stand on to dive into the pool.
Breaststroke (Breast) β A frog-like kick with arms pulling together and head bobbing up for air.
Bullpen β The place where swimmers sometimes line up before their race.Β Not all meets use bullpens.
Butterfly (Fly) β Both arms move together, dolphin kick, and body undulates like a wave.
Championship Meet / Taper Meet β A big end-of-season competition.
Cheer β Many YMCA teams do team cheers before and after races for spirit.
Coach β The person who teaches, motivates, and helps you improve.
Deck β The area around the pool where swimmers and coaches stand.
Disqualification (DQ) β When a swimmer breaks a rule for a stroke or start. The swim doesnβt count, but you learn what to fix next time.
Drill β A special exercise to practice part of a stroke.
Event β A specific race, like β50 Freestyleβ or β100 Backstroke.β
Finish β The end of the race when you touch the wall.
Flip Turn β A somersault turn used in freestyle and backstroke.
Freestyle (Free) β Usually done as front crawl (face in water, flutter kick, arms alternate).
Heat β A group of swimmers who race at the same time.
Heat Sheet β A paper (or app) that lists all the events, heats, and lane assignments.
IM (Individual Medley) β One race that includes all four strokes in this order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle.
Interval β The set time you leave the wall on each repeat during practice.
Kick β Swimming with only your legs (often with a kickboard).
Lane β The section of the pool you swim in, separated by lane ropes.
Lap β Swimming from one end of the pool to the other. (Sometimes a βlengthβ means one way, and a βlapβ means down and backβask your coach how they use it.)
Medley Relay β A team race where each swimmer does one of the four strokes (Back, Breast, Fly, Free).
Meet β A competition where swimmers from different teams race.
Open Turn β A two-hand touch turn used in breaststroke and butterfly.
Pace β The speed you try to hold during a longer swim.
Pull β Swimming with only your arms (sometimes using a pull buoy between your legs).
Relay β A team race where four swimmers take turns.
Relay Start β A special dive where the next swimmer goes right as their teammate touches the wall.
Seed Time β Your fastest official time in an event, used to place you in heats.
Set β A group of laps you repeat, like β10 x 50 freestyle.β
Sprint β Swimming as fast as you can for a short distance.
Starter β The official who says βTake your markβ and starts the race with a horn or beep.
Start β The dive into the water at the beginning of a race (or push from the wall in backstroke).
Streamline β The tight, straight body position you push off the wall in after a start or turn.
Stroke & Turn Judge β Officials who watch to make sure swimmers follow the stroke rules.
Swim Meet β Another term for βmeet,β when teams race against each other.
Taper β Resting and swimming less before a big meet so you can go faster.
Timer β A volunteer who records your time for each race.