Capital Space Aqua Phoenix – Swim Father or mother Dictionary

A Beginner’s Guide to Competitive Swimming

Welcome to the world of aggressive swimming! Every sport has its personal language, and swimming is not any totally different. This information explains most of the phrases you will hear all through the season.

Alternate

A swimmer entered right into a relay or occasion who will compete provided that one other swimmer scratches.

Age Group

Swimmers are grouped by age for competitors (8 & Under, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14, 15–18).

Blocks

The beginning platforms swimmers dive from.

Breakout

The first stroke taken after the underwater streamline and dolphin kicks.

Championship Meet

A meet that requires swimmers to realize qualifying occasions.

Circle Seeding

A technique of putting the quickest swimmers into the ultimate heats of an occasion.

Clerk of Course

The staging space the place youthful swimmers might report earlier than their occasions.

Course

The size of the pool:

• SCY = Short Course Yards (25-yard pool)

• SCM = Short Course Meters (25-meter pool)

• LCM = Long Course Meters (50-meter pool)

Deck

The pool space surrounding the water.

Descend

Swim every repeat sooner than the earlier one.

DQ (Disqualification)

A swimmer is disqualified for violating stroke, flip, or end guidelines.

Don’t panic—each swimmer will get DQ’d sooner or later. It’s merely a part of studying!

Distance Event

Longer races such because the 400 Free, 500 Free, 800 Free, 1000 Free, or 1650 Free.

Dive Over

Beginning the following warmth earlier than the earlier swimmers have exited the pool.

False Start

Leaving the beginning block earlier than the beginning sign.

Finals

The championship race held after preliminary heats.

Flip Turn

A somersault flip utilized in freestyle and backstroke.

Heat

A single race inside an occasion.

Heat Sheet

The printed checklist displaying each swimmer’s occasions, heats, and lane assignments.

IM (Individual Medley)

One swimmer races all 4 strokes on this order:

Butterfly
Backstroke
Breaststroke
Freestyle

Lane

Each swimmer’s assigned part of the pool.

Lead-Off

The first swimmer on a relay.

Legal Stroke

Performing a stroke in response to USA Swimming guidelines.

Marshalling

Organizing swimmers earlier than they report back to the blocks.

Negative Split

Swimming the second half of a race sooner than the primary half.

Official

A educated volunteer answerable for implementing USA Swimming guidelines.

Pace

The velocity a swimmer maintains all through a race.

Personal Best (PB)

A swimmer’s quickest time ever.

Positive Check-In

Some distance occasions require swimmers to verify they plan to swim earlier than the occasion begins.

Prelims

Morning races used to qualify swimmers for finals.

Pullout

The underwater sequence carried out after each breaststroke begin and switch.

Psych Sheet

An inventory of entered swimmers ranked by seed time earlier than the meet begins.

Relay

A staff race involving 4 swimmers.

Scratch

Removing your self from an occasion earlier than it begins.

Seed Time

The swimmer’s entry time used for warmth assignments.

Sprint

A shorter race emphasizing most velocity.

Streamline

The tight physique place used after each begin and switch.

Split

A recorded time throughout a part of a race.

Stroke Count

The variety of strokes taken throughout one size of the pool.

Swim-Off

A tie-breaking race used to find out development.

Taper

A interval of lowered coaching earlier than an vital championship meet to permit swimmers to get well and carry out at their finest.

Time Standard

A qualifying time required for sure meets.

Touchpad

The digital timing pad at every finish of the pool.

Underwaters

The streamline and dolphin kicks accomplished earlier than surfacing after every begin and switch.

Many coaches refer to those because the “fifth stroke” as a result of they’re one of many quickest elements of a race.

Warm-Up

Swimming earlier than competitors begins to organize the physique for racing.

Warm-Down (Cool Down)

Easy swimming after racing to assist restoration.

If you hear one in all our coaches reminding swimmers about any of those, you will in all probability hear:

At CAAP, we consider that quick swimming begins with nice method.

Every drill, each follow, and each race is one other alternative to change into a greater swimmer.

Welcome to the Aqua Phoenix household!