Swimming – U-Media

Swimming – Glossary

False Start	When a swimmer leaves the block before the official signal, which can lead to disqualification.
Flip Turn	A quick somersault-like turn used in freestyle and backstroke races.
Heat	A preliminary race where swimmers compete to qualify for the next round, such as semifinals or finals.
Lap	A single length of the pool in a 50m race or a full round-trip in a 25m pool.
Medley	A race that combines all four strokes in a set order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
Personal Best (PB)	A swimmer’s fastest time in their career.
Photo Finish	A situation where swimmers finish so closely that a review is needed to determine the winner.
Reaction Time	The time between the starting signal and when the swimmer leaves the block.
Relay	A team race where four swimmers each swim a section of the race before tagging the next teammate.
Split Time	The recorded time for a swimmer at a certain point in a race, often used to measure pacing.
Stroke	One of the four competitive swimming styles: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
Stroke Rate	The number of strokes a swimmer takes per minute, used to analyze efficiency and speed.
Touch Turn	A two-handed touch required in breaststroke and butterfly before changing direction.
Tumble Turn	Another term for a flip turn.
Turn	The action of changing direction at the pool wall, performed differently for each stroke.