General Swim Info and Terms
The Four Strokes
The four competitive swimming strokes are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The combination of all four strokes is called individual medley.
In freestyle events, the competitor may swim any stroke. The stroke most commonly used is sometimes called the crawl, which is characterized by the alternate stroking of the arms over the surface of the water surface and an alternating (up-and-down) flutter kick.
Backstroke consists of an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick while on the back. On turns, swimmers may rotate to the stomach and perform a flip turn and some part of the swimmer must touch the wall. Upon completion of the turn, the swimmer must rotate to their back while resuming their stroke.
Backstroke Turn and Finish Rules
Current USS Rules and Regulations shall apply with the following exceptions.
5.1.1. The backstroke turn will be judged using the current Virginia High School League Rules and Regulations (NFHS Swimming and Diving and Water Polo Rules Book, Rule 8, Section 2, Article 1f). The turn requires that some part of the swimmer’s body contact the end wall. After the swimmer’s head has passed the backstroke flag, prior to the turn, the swimmer’s upper shoulder may (but is not required to) rotate past the vertical toward the breast before the touch is completed; providing such rotation is accompanied by an initiation of the turning action or continuation into the wall. The initiation of the turning action shall be accomplished by a single-arm or simultaneous double-arm pull, or in the absence of such pulls, by a downward, underwater movement of the head. After initiation of the turning action, no additional arm pulls may be started; however, kicking and gliding actions are permitted. The swimmer shall assume a position on the back before the feet leave the wall.
The breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pressed out from in front of the breast in a heart-shaped pattern and recovered under or on the surface of the water. The kick is a simultaneous somewhat circular motion similar to the action of a frog. On turns and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands simultaneously at, above or below the water surface.
Some consider the butterfly to be the most beautiful of the strokes. It features a simultaneous recovery of the arms over the water combined with an undulating dolphin kick. In the kick, the swimmer must keep both legs together and may not flutter, scissor kick or use the breaststroke kick. Both hands must touch the wall simultaneously on the turns and the finish.
The individual medley, commonly referred to as the IM features all four strokes. In the IM, the swimmer begins with the butterfly, then changes after one-fourth of the race to backstroke, then breaststroke, and end in freestyle.
Swimming Vocabulary Terms
- Age requirement: The age group in which a competitor swims will be determined by his/her age as of June 1st of the current swim year. A competitor turning 19 after the June 1st cutoff is eligible to swim the entire season.
- Backstroke flags: Lines of flags placed above the lanes at each end to signal the backstroker that he is five yards or meters (depending upon the course) from the wall. If your child is swimming the backstroke, the coaches will teach them to count their strokes once they pass under the flags until they touch the wall.
- Block: the starting platform.
- Course: Designated distance over which the competition is conducted.
- Disqualification (DQ): This occurs when a swimmer has committed an infraction of some kind; e.g., freestyle kick in the butterfly. A disqualified swimmers time cannot be used as an official time.
- Dryland Training: Training done out of the water that aids and enhances swimming performance; usually includes stretching and calisthenics.
- Event: Any race or series of races in a given stroke or distance.
- False Start: Occurs when a swimmer is moving before the start is sounded or during a relay when the swimmer waiting at the block or on the wall starts before the finishing swimmer touches the wall.
- Finals: The concluding meet of the season, when all swim teams participate at one all day meet.
- Heat: A single race in an event in which there are too many swimmers to compete at one time.
- Heat Sheets: The swim meet program that includes information such as the name of the events, heats, lanes, and swimmers. These are normally hung on the fence prior to the meet for your viewing.
- IM: Slang for Individual Medley event in which the swimmer uses all four strokes in the following order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
- Lane: The specific lane in which the swimmer is assigned to swim, i.e., lane 1, lane 2, etc.
- Lane markers, lines or ropes: Continuous floating markers extending from one end of the pool to the other.
- Lane markings: Guide lines on the bottom of the pool and in the center of each lane extending from one end of the pool to the other.
- Leg: The part of a relay event that is swum by a single team member.
- Medley Relay: A group of four swimmers each swimming different strokes in an event; back, breast, butterfly, and free.
- Meet: A series of events held in one program.
- No Time (NT): Seed time is entered as "No Time" if a swimmer has never swum an event before.
- Official: A judge on the deck of the pool at a sanctioned competition who enforces RSL Swimming rules. There are stroke and turn judges, administrative officials, starters, and referees.
- Relay: An event in which 4 swimmers compete together as a team to achieve one time.
- Scratch: To withdraw from an event in a competition.
- Seeding: The coaching staff will arrange swimmers event and heats according to submitted times. If your swimmer is seeded in an even that is new to them, they may be seeded in the first heat. This will establish their initial time. The coaches will use this time to seed them according to their time in following meets. Heat sheets are prepared prior to the competition and will be emailed prior to the meet. They will also be posted on the fence at the meet.
- Starter: Meet official who sounds a horn that begins each heat of an event.
- Streamline: The position used by swimmers when starting or pushing off the walls designed to reduce water resistance.
- "Take your mark": The starter’s command to swimmers to which they must respond by at once assuming a starting position
- Time Trial: A time-only swim, which is not part of a regular meet. Usually only freestyle is timed at time trials. These times are used by the coaching staff to seed the first meet, but do not qualify as an official time.
- Timers: Volunteers who time swimmers in a specific lane during a swim meet.
- Warm Up: Low-intensity swimming used by swimmer prior to the main practice set or race to get muscles loose and warm. Warm up gradually increases heart rate, respiration and helps to prevent injury.
