Swimming terms for new parents

How to use this glossary

Swim meets come with their own language. Words on a heat sheet, from the announcer or from the coach can sound confusing at first. This glossary explains the most common terms in plain English. Details such as distances and formats vary by league, so check with your team. For the bigger picture, see swimming rules for beginners.

Meet and race words

Heat

One group of swimmers racing together in a single event. A busy event may have many heats.

Lane

The strip of water a swimmer stays in, marked by lane lines. Lanes are numbered.

Seed time

The time a swimmer enters an event with. Meets use seed times to place swimmers in heats and lanes.

Personal best (PB)

A swimmer's fastest official time in an event. Many teams also say “best time” or “PR.”

DQ (disqualification)

A swim that does not count because an official saw a rule broken, such as a wrong touch or kick.

Dual meet

A meet between two teams, often scored by points.

Timed finals

A format where swimmers swim an event once and the times decide the final ranking.

Heat sheet

A printed or online list of each event, heat and lane, so you can find your swimmer.

Stroke and technique words

Freestyle

The event where any stroke may be swum, most often front crawl.

IM (individual medley)

A race in which one swimmer swims all four strokes. In standard rules the order is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

Medley relay

A team race of four swimmers, each swimming a different stroke.

Exchange

The handoff in a relay, when one swimmer touches the wall and the next swimmer leaves the block.

Flip turn

A fast turn where a swimmer somersaults near the wall and pushes off with their feet.

Open turn

A turn where the swimmer touches the wall with the hand and turns around. Used in breaststroke and butterfly, where the rules require a two-hand touch, and at stroke changes in the IM.

Streamline

A tight, narrow body position with arms stretched overhead, used off the start and each wall to glide quickly.

Dolphin kick

A kick where both legs move together in a wave, used in butterfly and often after starts and turns.

Flutter kick

A kick with alternating up and down leg movements, used in freestyle and backstroke.

Underwater

The part of a race spent below the surface after a start or turn. The allowed distance depends on the stroke and rules.

Practice words

Set

A group of swims a coach assigns, such as a number of repeats of the same distance.

Interval

The time the coach gives to start each swim. Swimmers leave on the clock and rest whatever time remains.

Warm-up and cool-down

Easy swimming before and after hard work. Meets usually have a warm-up period before racing.

Drill

An exercise that isolates one part of a stroke to improve technique.

Taper

A planned reduction in training before an important meet so the swimmer feels fresh.

Split

The time for part of a race, such as the first 50 of a 100.

Reading a heat sheet

A heat sheet lists every event in order, then each heat in that event, then the swimmers in each lane. To find your child, look for the event number first, then the name, and note the heat and lane. Events usually run in a set order, so you can estimate when your swimmer will race by watching which event is in the water. Heats sometimes move faster or slower than planned, so give yourself extra time and listen for announcements. Your swimmer's seed time is printed next to the name, and the result column fills in afterward.

Where to go next

If you hear a term not listed here, ask a coach or a veteran parent. Most are happy to explain. To see how these words show up in a real meet, read the strokes, IM, relays and events explained and how to prepare for swimming season.