Swimming Glossary
Glossary explained in plain English for parents learning Swimming.
| Term | Plain-English Meaning | Example | Also Known As |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meet | A swim competition made up of many events, heats, and sometimes relays. | The meet starts with warmups before the first event. | Competition; swim meet |
| Event | One listed race type, usually defined by distance, stroke, age group, and sometimes relay format. | The 25 freestyle and 100 individual medley are different events. | Race |
| Heat | One smaller race within an event when there are more swimmers than lanes. | Your swimmer may be in heat 5 of the 50 backstroke. | Section |
| Lane | The marked section of the pool where a swimmer races. | The heat sheet may say lane 3. | Assigned lane |
| Seed Time | An entry time used to place swimmers into heats. | A swimmer with a faster seed time may be placed in a later heat at some meets. | Entry time |
| NT | A listing that means no time has been entered for that swimmer in that event. | A first-time swimmer may appear as NT on the heat sheet. | No time |
| Freestyle | A stroke event where swimmers usually use front crawl because it is the fastest common choice. | The 50 freestyle is often one of the first events beginners learn. | Free; front crawl |
| Backstroke | A stroke swum on the back with stroke-specific start, turn, and finish rules. | Backstroke swimmers may start in the water holding the wall or grips. | Back |
| Breaststroke | A stroke with a specific arm pull, kick, body rhythm, turns, and finish expectations. | A swimmer can be DQ'd in breaststroke for an illegal kick or finish. | Breast |
| Butterfly | A stroke with a two-arm recovery and dolphin kick pattern, with stroke-specific turn and finish rules. | Butterfly is often introduced carefully at beginner levels. | Fly |
| Individual Medley | A race where one swimmer completes several strokes in a required order. | The IM can be confusing because the swimmer changes strokes during one race. | IM |
| Relay | A team race where swimmers race one after another in a set order. | Relay swimmers wait for their teammate to finish before starting their leg. | Team relay |
| Relay Exchange | The moment one relay swimmer finishes and the next swimmer starts. | Leaving early on a relay exchange can cause a DQ. | Takeoff; relay start |
| Disqualification | A call that means the swim or relay does not count because a rule was broken. | A missed wall touch can lead to a DQ. | DQ |
| Starter | The official who begins races with commands and a start signal. | Swimmers wait quietly for the starter. | Start official |
| Timer | A volunteer or meet worker who records a swimmer's time in a lane. | Timers usually stand at the end of each lane. | Lane timer |
| Stroke And Turn Official | An official who watches whether swimmers follow stroke, turn, and finish rules. | The stroke and turn official may report a DQ to the referee or meet desk. | Official |
| Short-Course Pool | A pool format with shorter lengths, often 25 yards or 25 meters in youth meets. | Short-course races include more turns than long-course races of the same distance. | SCY; SCM |
| Clerk Of Course | A staging role or area that helps organize swimmers before events. | Younger swimmers may report to the clerk before walking to lanes. | Staging area |
| Developmental Meet | A beginner-friendly meet that may use simplified events, extra coach help, and teaching-focused expectations. | A developmental meet may combine age groups or offer shorter races. | Beginner meet |