Swimming lesson

Open turn

A maneuver used to move the body quickly in the reverse direction after reaching the end of the pool.

Freestyle

A swimming stroke performed while in a prone position in which the arms alternately pull as they move backward through the water and then recover over the surface of the water and a leg kick in which the legs alternately move up and down in the water.

Drill

An exercise that allows or requires a swimmer to focus on an aspect of their stroke technique.

Aerobic training

Also called aerobic base, this refers to the aerobic training done early in the season. Base training usually is characterized by a long period (6 to 12 weeks) of mostly low-intensity (low heart-rate), endurance-building workouts. Base training, as the name indicates, prepares a swimmer's body for the rest of the season's training.

Prone:

In a face down position; floating or swimming on the stomach.

Supine-

In a face up position; lying or floating on your back.

Interval

Interval sets are designed to allow the swimmer time to rest and recover after each individual swim within a particular set.

Easy swim

Relaxed, technique-focused swimming where speed is unimportant. Used in practice at the beginning of warm-up, for recovery between sets or repeats, and as cool-down at the end of a workout.

Rest Interval

Some swim sets will have a designated rest interval, such as a :30 RI, which means a 30-second rest after each swim repetition.

Rest Interval

Some swim sets will have a designated rest interval, such as a :30 RI, which means a 30-second rest after each swim repetition. The amount of time a swimmer should rest between swims at practice. For example: "2 x 100 with a rest interval of :20" tells a swimmer to swim 100 yards/meters, look at the clock when they finish, wait twenty seconds, and then leave for the second 100 yards/meters.

Cool-down

Swimming at a low intensity to get the heart rate down and release lactic acid.

Circle swimming

Swimming down one side of the lane, and back on the other side of the lane. This is the only way to swim safely when there are more than two people in a lane. In most countries, swimmers will go counter-clockwise (that is, always on the right side of the line down the center of the lane).

Descend

Term used at practice to indicate that a swimmer's speed and/or the interval will get faster throughout a set. (Their time will descend.) "Four 50s descend" means that a swimmer will swim 50 meters/yards four times, and that the first one should be the slowest and the fourth one should be the fastest.

Course

The length of a pool. Long course pools are 50 meters (or occasionally 50 yards), while short course pools are 25 yards or 25 meters. There are two seasons for competitive swimming: long course season and short course season

Drag: Rhythmic breathing- The alternate breathing in air above water and blowing it out into the water while swimming prone strokes. Sculling: Hands scull in a figure eight to change pitches to propel the body forward. Stroke mechanics- The application of the hydrodynamic principles to understand and improve swimmer performance. Supine- In a face up position; lying or floating on your back.

The resistance of water on a body moving through it.

Hydrodynamics:

The science that studies the physics of fluids.

Anaerobic training

Workouts or sets designed to stress/strengthen the body's anaerobic system. This training is characterized by short work intervals (typically less than two minutes) of maximum effort.

Fins

Worn on the feet, these flexible, plastic blades help swimmers improve their kick. Sometimes swimmers will wear fins at practice so that they can swim at race speed with less exertion. Swim fins are more flexible and lighter-weight than dive fins.

Kickboard

A lightweight, flat flotation device used to practice kicking. Swimmers typically rest straight arms on the board.

Paddle

A flat piece of plastic worn on the hands, and held in place by rubber cords that fit over the middle finger (and sometimes also the wrist). Paddles can be used to build strength and practice correct swimming technique. Too much paddle use, or frequent use of paddles that are too large can cause shoulder injuries.

Pull

A forceful arm movement used to propel the body in a direction opposite to the force.

Swim Set

A portion of practice. There are many types of sets, such as warm-up, kicking, main, and cool-down. The specific details of a set are limited only by the imaginations of the coaches writing the workouts.

Body Roll

A rotating movement of the body around the midline (on arm extension).

Sprint

A short, "all-out" race. Anything 100 yards/meters or less is considered a sprint.

Breaststroke

A stroke performed while in a prone position which uses a simultaneous pull of both arms followed by an under-the-water arm recovery and a leg kick in which the knees bend as the heels are drawn toward the buttocks in preparation for a backward thrust against the water.

Pull buoy

Equipment used at practice: a piece of foam shaped like a figure-8 that is held between the legs to keep them afloat while swimmer practices arm strokes.

Build

Get faster within the designated swim. For example, 25 build means to get faster throughout the entire 25 yards.

Build:

Get faster within the designated swim. For example, 25 build means to get faster throughout the entire 25 yards.

Sculling:

Hands scull in a figure eight to change pitches to propel the body forward.

Distance

How far a swimmer swims. (Example: 25 yards, 50 yards, 75 yards, 100 yards, 125+ etc...)

Rhythmic breathing

The alternate breathing in air above water and blowing it out into the water while swimming prone strokes.

Stroke mechanics

The application of the hydrodynamic principles to understand and improve swimmer performance.

Finish-

The moment a swimmer touches the wall to complete his/her event.

Entry:

The part of a stroke in which the hand passes through the surface of the water.

Recovery:

The phase of a stroke when the arms or legs relax and return to the starting position.

main set

The set at practice which is the main focus of the day. The tasks of the main set will vary depending on the swimmer's or team's goals and where the swimmer or team is in their training cycle

Catch:

The stage in an arm stroke when the swimmer first engages the water in a way that starts movement; the start of the power phase.

Power phase:

The stage when the arm or leg stroke is moving the body in the desired direction.

Ascend(ing)

Type of set where speed becomes slower as the set progresses, and the interval becomes longer.

Lap

Typically refers to one length of a pool. Technically, and in years past, a lap used to mean "down and back" or two lengths of a pool, but the term generally does not mean that in modern times!

Warm-Up:

Warm-up segment, gently increasing speed to warm-up the muscles.

Backstroke

a stroke performed while on the back which uses an alternate over the water arm recovery and a flutter kick.