Swim Talk 101
You’ve got your cap on, your goggles de-fogged, and are feeling fired up! But suddenly your coach yells:
“Let’s go for 8x100s on the 1:40, focus on your DPS! Oh, and no breathing into the turn!!”
Come again?
Fear not, confused swimmer. Here’s your crash course in understanding swim-speak – decoded, demystified, and dramatically over-explained.
Intervals DPS = Distance Per Stroke
Translation: How far you move with each stroke. Goal: Fewer strokes. More glide. Look like a graceful dolphin rather than a panicked windmill.
Incorrect approach:
T-rex arms + splash storm = 27 strokes per lap.
Correct approach:
Chill energy, full reach = 12 strokes per lap and mild applause from your coach.
Intervals
This is not a maths test. It’s how often you leave the wall.
Example: 8x100s on 1:40 means you swim 100m, and whatever time you have left before 1:40 hits, you rest.
So if you swim it in 1:25, you get 15 seconds to rethink your life.
Wild analogy: It’s like repeatedly sprinting to the bus stop every 5 minutes, even though you already caught the first bus.
Tumble Turn (aka Flip Turn)
This is that underwater somersault you see Olympians do at the wall. It’s majestic when done well. It’s also how many people have accidentally kicked the pool floor, wall, or their own face.
Beginner move:
Swim up to the wall. Stop. Gasp. Turn around like a confused goldfish.
Tumble turn move:
Water ninja flip, push, streamline. Bonus points if your goggles stay on.
Negative Split
No, it’s not a yoga pose. It means swimming the second half of your race or rep faster than the first half. AKA: Hold back just enough to unleash your inner beast at the end.
The “Realised Someone’s Racing Me” Split
You didn’t notice the swimmer in the next lane... until they tried to pass you. Cue competitive panic and a second-half pace that could qualify for the Olympics.
Streamline
Arms locked overhead, one hand over the other, squeezing your ears. It’s not just for style – it reduces drag so you slice through water like a sexy torpedo.
Correct execution:
Tight. Clean. Fast.
Incorrect execution:
Looking like you’re reaching for snacks on the top shelf.
Sculling
No, not the drinking game. This is a swimming drill where you move your hands in small figure 8s to feel the water and improve your catch.
What it looks like: Treading water while whispering sweet nothings to the pool.
What it feels like: Confusing. Awkward. Magical when it clicks.
Hypoxic Set
Also known as “voluntary suffocation for fun.”
Definition: You limit how often you breathe while swimming - think 3/5/7 breathing or full laps without air.
Purpose: Improve lung capacity. Test mental strength. Possibly meet your ancestors.
Analogy: Like running with your nose taped shut. In a sauna. While being chased.
The Pace Clock
The big, round wall clock that runs your life. Red hand = start. Rest time = math test.
Scenario: “Go on the top” = leave when the red hand hits 12.
Panic: When your brain forgets numbers mid-set and you just start guessing.
Broken Swim
A race distance broken into chunks with short rest in between.
Example: 200m broken as 4x50m with 10 seconds rest = feels worse than doing it straight.
Why?
Because coaches enjoy watching us suffer strategically.
Deck Change
Changing out of your wet suit on pool deck like a ninja – towel wrapped, eyes darting, praying it doesn’t drop.
Success = dry clothes on without public scandal.
Failure = new nickname for the rest of your swim career.
Build
Start slow, finish fast – like revving up a blender.
Example: “25m build” = don’t sprint off the wall. Ease into it and finish like someone just threw your snack in the deep end.
Common mistake: Sprinting the first 5m, dying at the flags.
Dryland
Exercise on land to make you better in water. Also known as burpees in disguise.
Expectation: Yoga and core work.
Reality: Push-ups, box jumps, regret.
No Breathers
Swim a full lap without breathing. Fun for coaches. Confusing for lungs.
What it looks like: Smooth and focused.
What it feels like: Like your soul is leaving your body at the 20m mark.
Red Mist
That moment in training or racing when something primal kicks in and you start swimming like your enemies are in the next lane.
Definition: Blind, rage-fuelled sprinting. Often triggered by being overtaken, a rival's splash, or hearing the words “final rep.”
Side effects: Loss of pacing, questionable decisions, potential glory.
IM (Individual Medley)
One race. Four strokes. No breaks. Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. In that order.
Think: A stroke sampler box for people who like pain and variety.
Tip: If you forget the order mid-race… just keep swimming. Someone will eventually tell you.
Pull Set
Swimming using only your arms, usually with a pull buoy and paddles.
Also known as: Leg day’s day off.
Feeling: Arms = anchors. Shoulders = spaghetti.
Vibe: Rowboat with bad navigation.
Descend
No, you're not swimming into a trench. You're swimming each rep faster than the last.
Example: 4x100 descend = start chilled, end like you’re racing for your Uber.
What usually happens: Rep 1 – perfect. Rep 2 – good. Rep 3 – hmm. Rep 4 – flail and pray.
Suicide Set
Not an official term… but you’ll know one when you see it on the whiteboard. The coach’s evil masterpiece. Designed to push limits. And buttons.
Clues: Involves phrases like “no equipment,” “max effort,” “dive starts,” or the dreaded “from the blocks” after 5km of threshold work.
Survival strategy: Cry inside. Kick harder.
CSS (Critical Swim Speed)
Sounds intense, feels intense, is intense.
Definition: The pace you could theoretically hold forever… if you were a robot. It’s used to calculate training zones and threshold sets - basically, how fast you can swim before your body files a complaint.
How it’s measured: Usually from a 200m and 400m time trial. Which, yes, means pain.
Real-life equivalent: Jogging just fast enough that you can’t sing, but slow enough you can whisper-swear.
Coach-speak: “Hold your CSS pace.”
Translation: “I want you uncomfortable. All set. No rest. Good luck.”
Lactate Tolerance
A.K.A. How well your body handles burning from the inside.
Definition: Sets designed to flood your muscles with lactic acid (that lovely burning sensation) and teach your body to survive it.
What this really means: Short, high-intensity efforts on too-little rest.
Example: 6x50m max effort on 30s rest.
Feeling: Rage. Regret. Rinse. Repeat.
Fun fact: There’s no such thing as “comfortable” lactate tolerance training. That’s called a lie.
VO2 Max Sets
VO2 Max = how much oxygen your body can use. These sets = pushing that number to the sky.
Definition: Intense intervals that leave you gasping, questioning reality, and possibly seeing sparkles.
Goal: Improve your aerobic power.
Coach’s version: “We’re building engine size today!”
Swimmer’s version: “Cool, so we’re dying today.”
Final Thoughts:
Swim lingo can sound like gibberish at first, but shouting “LET’S WORK ON DPS!” makes you sound impressive – even if you’re just trying to survive 25m without wheezing.
Now go forth, flip fiercely, glide gracefully, and remember: breathing is optional… but highly encouraged.