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Aerobic |
Training which requires plenty of oxygen. It focuses on the making the heart and
respiration rates. |
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Anaerobic training |
Training which uses movements which require very little oxygen. These are quick
explosive actions which last a short space of time such as sprinting |
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ASA |
Amateur Swimming Association. The main swimming association in the United Kingdom.
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Backcrawl |
This is the fastest stroke you can swim on your back. It is the reverse of frontcrawl |
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Bombing |
Bombing is the art of making a huge splash in the water. It is often dangerous and
should not be done in public swimming pools unless you are given permission from
the lifeguards |
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Breaststroke |
This is the slowest stroke and it is swum on your front. Your arms move in a circle
out in front of you and your legs move like a frog's |
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Butterfly |
Butterfly is the most complex of the four main strokes. The butterfly kick is similar
to frontcrawl but with your legs together. Your arms also move together in an up
and over motion. Dolphin kick
This is the kick used in butterfly which is similar to the style of a dolphin. Each
butterfly arm cycle should be accompanied by two dolphin kicks. |
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Drills |
Training exercises which can help develop your stroke and fitness
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Exhale
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Breathing out.
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Fina |
The major world governing body of swimming. It is an abbreviation for La Féderation
Internationale de Natation.
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Fins |
Also known as flippers. There a lots of different types. The two most common are
mono fins which are a large single fin with inserts which hold onto both feet. The
other type is the normal fins which you wear on either feet. |
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Fly |
A shorter term used to describe butterfly. |
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Freestyle |
see front crawl |
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Front crawl |
Front crawl is the fastest and strongest stroke. It is swum on your front and is
also known as Freestyle because there is no set technique.
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Front crawl turn |
see tumble turn |
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Gala |
A swimming contest is often called a swimming gala. |
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Goggles |
A pair of tight-fitting eyeglasses that protect your eyes and help you see better
underwater |
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Heat |
The swimming race you have to win before the final. There may be more than one round
of heats.
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Individual medley |
Individual medley events are held over 200m and 400m, with the competitors using
all four strokes in each leg in this order; butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke,
and freestyle.
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Inhale |
Breath in. |
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Keyhole pull |
The 'keyhole' is the shape you make with your hands and arms when you swim butterfly.
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Lanes |
One of a set of parallel courses marking the bounds for contestants in a swimming
race. There are usually eight lanes in a competitive poo |
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Lengths |
Unlike in athletics and motor racing where they run laps, in swimming they swim
lengths |
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Long course |
This means a swimming race swum in a 50m pool. The other type of race is called
short course and this is swum in a 25m pool.
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Medley |
In the medley event, swimmers compete using all four strokes. However, the freestyle
leg must be swum using the crawl. |
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Medley relay |
In the medley relay a different swimmer swims each leg using a particular stoke,
in this order; backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle |
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Olympian |
An athlete who has competed in the Olympic Games |
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Racing turn |
These are the quickest possible turns used in competitions for each of the four
strokes |
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Relay |
A race which involves more than one person representing his team |
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Respiration |
The process of inhaling and exhaling, otherwise known as breathing.
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Sculling |
A stroke which mirrors the sculling movement of an oarsman, with the swimmer using
their arms to propel themselves through the water. Can be done on their back or
their front. |
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Short course |
This means a swimming race swum in a 25m pool. The other type of race is called
long course and this is swum in a 50m pool |
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Stamina |
Physical or mental strength to resist fatigue and tiredness. Someone with good stamina
or hardship; endurance |
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Starting platform |
The block which swimmers must start a race from in Butterfly, Breaststroke and freestyle |
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Streamlined |
Swimming in a style which offers the least resistance to the water |
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Swim-off |
In the event that swimmers from the same or different heats have equal times registered
to 1/100 second for either the eighth place or sixteenth place, there shall be a
swim-off |
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Torpedo kick |
This is a kick used with the body in the shape of a torpedo. The arms are stretched
out behind the head with the elbows tucked in |
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Tumble turn |
This is the turn which is used in front crawl races, where the swimmer does a somersault
in the water to make the turn as quick as possible |
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Undulation |
The body movement used in butterfly. Moving your head and hips up and down through
the water like a dolphin. |
Shallow End Racing Dive
Under ASA law, no swimmer should perform a racing dive unless they have reached
the standard of the ASA Start Award. When attending galas, a shallow end start is
sometimes required, therefore any swimmer performing a diving start from this end
must have reached the standard of the ASA Start Award and must have demonstrated
this method of start with confidence in both training and competitive situations. |
