Glossary for AnalysisSwim
These definitions can help you understand the words used in our swimming Workout Daily training sets or Courses
Stroke Abbreviations
Fs - Freestyle often referred to as Frontcrawl or Free
Br - Breaststroke sometimes also Breast
Bk - Backstroke - Backcrawl
Fly - Butterfly
Bst - Your best stroke
2.Bst - Your second best stroke
3.Bst - Your third best stroke
4.Bst - Your fourth best stroke
Choice - any stroke you want!
Medley - All four strokes swum in a specified order
IM - Individual Medley (all four strokes together in order Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Frontcrawl)
IM.O - Medley Order - Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle, Medley Relay Order is always Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle
IM.R - Medley Reverse – Freestyle, Breaststroke, Backstroke, Butterfly , Medley Relay Order is always Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Freestyle
FRIM - Freestyle IM (replace the butterfly with freestyle)
RIMO - Reverse IM Order. A swim in which you swim in reverse IM order: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. Each stroke must be swum for one-quarter of the total distance.
Kick - a movement of the legs in swimming. Legs only (no pulling)
Kick on L/B/R/F - Legs only (no pulling) on different side L – Left, B – Back, R – Right, F – Front.
Dolphin Kick - Simultaneous leg kick used in Butterfly
Flutter Kick - Simultaneous leg kick used in Flutter
Drill - A drill is an exercise done specifically to help your swimming technique
Drag - Drill where on FC fingertips drag through the water on the recovery (also known as trickle)
Dive Start - Diving entry from the blocks in the deep end (usually either a grab start or a track start)
Grab Start - A type of Dive Start. This can also refer to starting from in the pool and holding onto the side
Track Start - A type of Dive Start
Swim- Swimming is a body moving through water
Pull - Arms only (no kicking)
Workout Terms
Warmup - The first set in which you warm up your muscles and prepare for the main work.
Pre-Set - Includes a set of exercises to develop coordination of agility and feeling of water.
Main Set - The main focus of your swim workout.
Post-Set - Done after the main set, usually as a “finisher” or final push before the cool down.
Swin Down - Easy swims to help you get your heart rate down and flush lactic acid from your muscles.
Go off - Time in which you have to complete a swim or set of repeat distance/times inclusive of rest time
D/S/K - Drill / Swim / Kick – example: 3x3x100 Fr = 3 Round x 3 repetition x100 meters . Each round you will do different focus of First round focus Freestyle on Drill . Second round focus Freestyle on Swim . Third round focus on Freestyle kick
D+S+K+P - Drill + Swim + Kick + Pull– example: 3x3x100 Fr = 3 Round x 3 repetition x100 meters. Each round you will do same but each 100m you need split 100/4 and we will have what each 25 meters you need to do different example - 25m Drill + 25m Swim + 25 m Kick + 25 m Pull .
Intensity - Run on a scale from 10 – 20 with 10 being easy and 20 being as hard as it gets
Lactate Lactic acid is produced in the muscles during anaerobic sets. Swim down & stretching help disperse lactate.
Percentages - Usually refers to the effort or pace being completed for that swim set. i.e. 80% is pretty hard but not maximum effort or sprint.
Recovery - On FC when the arm is out of the water being brought back up for the next stroke. Can also be a recovery swim when you slow down to bring the HRT down after a high intensity set
Regeneration - A set where you swim to regenerate after an intense competition
Salute - Drill where the hand touches head prior to entry on FC
Set - A self-contained part of the swimming session as ‘set’ by the coach e.g. a ‘main set’ might be 10 x 100m free
Turnaround - How much time it is expected to complete a set swim e.g. 4 x 200m FR on 3.00 (You have 3 minutes to complete each 200 metres - if you do it in 2m50s you have 10s rest)
Pool
LCM - Long Course - 50m pool (term used for describing competitions “Olympic-sized pool”)
SCM - Short Course - 25m pool (term used for describing competitions “Most common”)
SCY - Short Course - 25m pool (term used for describing competitions “Only in the United States”) m (e.g.25m) - Metres – Our training pools are generally 25 metres so 50 metres is 2 lengths, 100m – 4 lengths, 200m – 8 lengths, 300m - 12 lengths and 400m 16 lengths. The ULU pool is 33 metres, so 100m – 3 lengths etc.
Meet - Competition (also called a Gala)
Block - The starting platform; the area from which a swimmer dives into the pool to begin a race.
Equipment
Equipment- The items necessary to operate a swim practice or conduct a swim competition
w/Flippers - Fins Large rubber fin type devices that fit on a swimmers feet
w/Paddles - Colored plastic devices worn on the swimmers hands during swim practice for build strength in your arms
w/Belts or Parachute- Worn around the waist, a swimming parachute adds resistance. As you swim, you’ll drag the parachute along in the water
w/T-shirt - swim in a T-shirt top for more resistance
w/Paddles+T-shirt - Paddles can improve your strength+ swim in a T-shirt top for more resistance
Kickboard - Use a kickboard on kicking sets to keep your upper body afloat
Pull Buoy - A pull buoy goes between your legs and stops you from kicking so you can isolate your arms. A pull buoy used for pulling by swimmers in practice
w/Snorkel - Swimming snorkels are front-mounted, sitting on your forehead rather than on the side of your face. Use a snorkel to work on technique — since you don’t have to lift or turn your head to breathe, it’s a great tool to refine your stroke
Monofin - Work on your dolphin kick with a monofin. It’s essentially two regular fins connected together, much like a mermaid fin
Technique Terms
HVO - High Velocity Overload – Swim part of the length (no more than 15m) at full speed without breathing, rest of the set distance swim easy
BBM - Beats Below Maximum (Heart Rate).
BPM - Beats Per Minute (Heart Rate)
HR - Heart rate
PB - Personal Best - this is your best time to date for a particular stroke and distance, remember that long course (50m) times will be slower than short course (25m) so you will have pb’s for each
Asc. - Ascending - Getting slower the time taken increases
Desc. - Descending - Getting faster the time taken reduces
Aerobic - (Zones - A1 , A2, AT, VO2) - Longer distance, moderate intensity, short rest period swimming sets that focus on building endurance
Anaerobic – (Zones - LP, LT, SPEED ) - Shorter distance, high intensity, long rest period swimming sets that focus on building power
Elbows High - Drill where as it sounds on FC you keep the elbows bent and high out of the water on the recovery
Catch-up - Drill where on FC one hand stays at full stretch ahead until the other meets it then it begins the stroke
Sprint - All out as fast as you can go, breathing as little as you can.
Steady - Swimming at a pace which is easily maintained (not easy or too hard, aiming for consistency of pace)
Easy - Usually swim down or warm up, a slow easy stroke focusing on stretching out the stroke and warming up or down.
RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion
SC - Stroke Count - Number of strokes per 25m or 50m (FC and BC every 2 arm pulls - a cycle - BR and Fly every stroke) abbreviated as SC
RI - Rest Interval - How much rest (usually in seconds) you get after a set swim e.g. 8 x 50m FR RI 20s (20 seconds rest after each 50 metres Freestyle) - sometimes also called simply Interval
Rounds- the number of repetitions of the entire series of exercises
Repetition - the number of repetitions of the entire distance
Distance - the distance that must be swum without stopping
Interval – Swim Time + Rest Time = total time to complete each repetition plus your rest time. For example, a set 8x50 m @ 1:00 This means you start every 1:00 min. If you swim it in 40 seconds, you get 20 seconds of rest.
Type- what action will be used to move in the water
Style - style of swimming in which you need to swim the distance
Discription- Additional description of the exercise
Training Zones and Time of zones - the time at which you need to keep for the swim distance
UW - swim underwater use kicks or in full coordination
V.K - vertical position of the body in relation to the surface of the water and a kick is
Target times - the time we want you to achieve on a given swim. This may be faster or slower than your Pace time
R-Rest after the round, repetition of a distance or series
Streamline - Keep underwater body as straight as possible in water to create as less resistance as possible.
DPS - Distance Per Stroke, or the measurement of how far you move with each arm stroke (your efficiency).
Stroke - The stroke you are completing if Freestyle or Backstroke need count both arms
SR - Stroke Rate - Number of strokes per minute (measured by stopwatch or calculation).
Lap Split - One segment of time for one lap in a repetition. Example: Say you swim a 100 freestyle in one minute. The first 50 you swam a 29 and the second 50 you swam a 31. Those are your 50 splits for the 100 race.
Negative Split - Go faster for the second half of the set distance than the first half
FES – Front end Speed – First 100meters from 200 meters is FES
BES – Back end Speed – Last 100meters from 200 meters is BES
TES – Top end Speed – peak swimming velocity
RP – Race Pace – distance specific swimming velocity
TUS – Top underwater speed – peak underwater velocity
SWOLF - A measure of swimming efficiency. Takes into account your stroke count and your lap split for a 25-meter pool.
Bilateral Breathing - Swimming freestyle breathing on both right and left sides, usually every three strokes.
Flip Turn - Physically doing a somersault at the wall to change direction (freestyle and backstroke only). Learn how to do a flip turn here
Open Turn - Used to change direction at the wall for breaststroke and butterfly after touching with two hands.(breaststroke and butterfly only) Learn how to do an open turn here
Transition Turn - In IM swimming, transition turns are between strokes (butterfly to backstroke, backstroke to breaststroke and breaststroke to freestyle).
Drill - A controlled form of stroke designed to draw attention to a particular aspect of that. Drill An exercise designed to improve the technique of a swimmer. Many drills focus on a specific part of the stroke.
Taper - Training period designed to produce peak performance by a swimmer in a competition. A taper generally follows a higher-intensity phase and is a period during which a swimmer grows stronger through rest and recovery.
Test Set - The exact same set that is typically done numerous times throughout the year to gauge the swimmer’s progress throughout the year or year to year. The first time you do a test set it may be to get your base fitness level and from then on it gauges your improvements through training.
Descending Interval A set in which the interval (swim time plus rest) decreases with each repeat. A descending interval set of 10 x 100m may have intervel 2:10, 2:00, 1:50, 1:40, and 1:30.
Descending Set A series of the same distance in which your swimming times decrease with each repeat. Your time on a descending set of 8 x 50s on 1:00 may be :40, :38, :36, and :34.
Build-Up Swim Specific distances over which you gradually increase your speed. For a build-up 100m swim, you start at a certain speed, gradually building to maximum or near maximum speed at the end of the 100m.
Catch phase: The beginning part of the stroke where the arms and hands start to propel the body.
Command: On the long whistle from the referee, swimmers step onto the starting platform or, in the case of the backstroke and medley relay races, enter the water. On the starter’s command — “take your mark” — swimmers immediately take a starting position, with at least one foot at the front of the starting platform. When all swimmers are stationary, the starter gives the starting signal.
False start: Occurs when a swimmer either leaves the starting block or is moving on the block before the starter officially starts the race. Since 1998, there has been no warning false start. Any swimmer starting before the starting signal will be disqualified. If the starting signal sounds before the disqualification is declared, the race will continue, and the swimmer(s) will be disqualified upon completion of the race.
FINA: The Federation Internationale de Natation is the world governing body for aquatic sports including swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming. FINA sets qualifying standards and the rules for aquatic sports at the Games.
Final: The last race of an event and the one in which medalists are determined. Typically, a final comprises the eight fastest swimmers from two preceding, semifinal races.
Flags: Hanging flags placed above the pool five meters from each wall. They enable backstrokers to execute a turn more efficiently by providing a mark by which to count their strokes.
Flat start: Refers to the start of a race, where the swimmer stands still on the blocks and waits for the starter’s signal, as opposed to a relay start via an exchange. A flat start is considerably slower than a relay start.
Goggles: Eyewear worn in the pool to protect swimmers’ eyes from the effects of chlorine. In the past, swimmers used saliva or wiped a cigarette on the inside of their goggles to prevent them from fogging up mid-race. Today’s goggles are fogless, fit better and even come with polarized lenses to cut down on outdoor glare. This innovation is particularly helpful to backstrokers, who used to go “sun blind” swimming outdoors.
Gravity wave: Wave action caused by the bodies moving through the water. Gravity waves move down and forward from the swimmer, bounce off the bottom of the pool and return to the surface in the form of turbulence. Gutter: The area at the edges of the pool into which water overflows during a race; the water is then re-circulated into the pool. Deep gutters catch surface waves and don’t allow them to wash back into the pool and affect the race.
Heat: A grouping of swimmers assembled to compete in a race. Most often used to refer to the individual races of the preliminary round of competition, though the term can apply to semifinals and finals as well.
Lane lines: The dividers used to create lanes. These are made of individual finned discs that are strung on a cable and rotate when hit by a wave. The rotating discs dissipate surface-tension waves in a competitive pool.
Lap: One length of the pool. A 100m race (down and back) is two laps.
Long course: A term used to describe a pool in which one length measures 50 meters. The Olympic Games are conducted at long-course venues.
Official: A judge on the deck of the pool. Various judges watch the swimmers’ strokes, turns and finishes. Some officials are timers.
Prelims: Short for preliminaries, which describes the round of races in which competitors try to qualify for the semifinals (or final, in events without semifinals). Also called heat.
Pullout or pulldown: The beginning of a breaststroke start or turn, where a swimmer is allowed one long pull down to their waist, during which a single butterfly kick is permitted, followed by a breaststroke kick.
Reaction time: The time it takes for a swimmer to leave the blocks after the starter gives the signal. Modern timing systems are equipped with sensors that mark the time elapsed, which is generally less than one second. In relays, reaction time for the second, third and fourth legs are measured from when the swimmer in the water touches the wall to when the next swimmer leaves the blocks.
Recovery phase: The conclusion of the stroke where the hand and arms finish pulling and set up to start the next stroke cycle.
Ready room: The staging area within the venue where swimmers in upcoming heats wait to swim. Some swimmers use this setting to socialize with competitors, while others try to use “mind games” to interrupt their opponents’ focus.
Relay start: Refers to the second, third and fourth swimmers in a relay, where they dive in when the previous swimmer touches the wall. Relay starts are faster than flat starts, because swimmers can anticipate when they can dive in, and they are allowed to leave the blocks up to .03 of a second before the previous swimmer touches.
Roll: To move on the starting blocks prior to the starting signal. A roll is usually caught by the starter and called a false start, but swimmers will often try to guess the starter’s cadence and get a good start. Similar to a false start infraction in football.
Scratch: To withdraw from an event in a competition.
Shaving: To cut down on resistance and provide a feeling of slipperiness in water, a swimmer shaves his/her entire body before big meets. The physical effects are minor, but the mental factor often is enormous.
Split: The time registered by a swimmer when he or she finishes each length of the pool. Splits can be used to show which segment of a race a swimmer covered in noteworthy time, to indicate rank order after each 50m increment, and to convey whether a swimmer is matching a notable record’s pace. Also, split can refer to the time a relay swimmer takes to complete his/her leg of the race.
Sprint: Refers to short intense swims of usually not more than 100 meters.
Touch: The finish of the race.
Touchpad: The area at the end of each lane in the pool where a swimmer’s time is registered and electronically sent to the timing system, which sends the time to the scoreboard.
Track start: Position on the starting blocks where the swimmer places one foot at the front of the block and one foot farther back.
Turnover: The number of times a swimmer’s arms turn over (cycle) in a given distance or time during a race.
Dive: Entering the water head first. Diving is not allowed during warm-ups except at the designated time, in specific lanes that are monitored by the swimmers coach.
Dryland: The exercises and various strength programs swimmers do out of the water.
