Redbacks Splash - 29th October 2008

Swimming lingo
(taken from Go Swim parent handbook‚ produced by Swimming Australia)

Backstroke: Starts in the water and swimmers remain on their back, there is no set technique.

Bilateral Breathing: Most common in freestyle. Breathing to the left side then swimming three strokes and breathing to the right side, then swimming three strokes and breathing the to left side, and so on.

Blocks: The starting platforms located behind each lane. Blocks have a variety of designs and should only be fitted where there is a safe diving depth. Blocks may be permanent or removable, but also incorporate a bar to allow swimmers to perform backstroke starts.

Breaststroke: Arms are moving simultaneously under the water horizontally, with legs doing a frog kick.

Butterfly: Legs move up and down together, and arms move together in an 'up and over' motion.

Circle Swimming: A way of avoiding collisions
when there is more than one swimmer in a lane. Swimmers stay to one side of the lane, and then swap to change direction. E.g. always staying on the left side of the lane, similar to driving.

Clock: The big clock on the wall or deck is used for interval training. The red hand goes around every 60 seconds. Swimmers who can read the clock and know their times find it easy to monitor their own progress. Your child's coach will be happy to explain the clock to you.

Deck: The area around the swimming pool. During a meet, only 'authorised people' may be on deck. This includes swimmers, coaches and officials.

Flags: These are suspended over the width of each end of the pool approximately 5 metres from the wall, they allow backstroke swimmers to determine where the end of the pool is.

Four Beat Kick: 4 leg movements per arm stroke in freestyle. Similarly 2 and 6 beat kicks may be used.

Freestyle: Another name for the "front crawl" It is called Freestyle, as there is no set technique.

Lane Ropes: the dividers used to set out the lanes in a pool. These are made of individual finned disks strung on a cable, that turn on the cable when hit by a wave, dissipating the wave.

Long Course: Events swum in a 50-metre pool.

Medley: All strokes are used. This can be an individual event, with one person swimming all strokes. Or it can be a relay event with four people, each swimming a different stroke.

Open Water Swimming: Swimming in water other than in a pool, for example the ocean, or a lake.

PB or Personal Best: The best time a swimmer has done so far in a particular stroke/event.

Pull: A drill in where you swim using your arms only. A Pull Buoy is often used to keep a swimmers legs together while they pull.

Referee: The head official at a swim meet.

Short Course: Events run in a 25-metre pool Tumble Turn: Used in freestyle swimming,similar to a somersault under the water upon reaching the pool wall. Is faster than 'touch and go' once technique is mastered.

Warm down: Used by the swimmer to rid the body of excess lactic acid generated during a race.

Warm-up: The practice and loosening session a swimmer does before the meet or their event. The blood flow to the muscles warm up creates is essential to avoid injury.

Our Sponsors

The Ormiston Redbacks would like to thank the following businesses for their sponsorship of the club. 

The survival of the club depends on our sponsors‚ so please support them when the opportunity arises.

Gold Medal Sponsors

Elders Cleveland

Silver Medal Sponsors

Colville Johnstone