For Laois Marlins Parents and Swimmers

New to the world of swimming? Don’t worry! Here’s a handy guide to help you make sense of the most common swimming terms you’ll hear at training sessions, galas, and club meetings.

🔹 Training Terms

Drills – Specific swimming exercises that focus on improving technique (e.g., kick drill, catch-up drill).

Kickboard – A float used for kicking drills. Helps isolate the legs.

Pull Buoy – A foam tool placed between the legs to isolate arm movement.

Paddles – Plastic hand paddles used to build strength and improve technique.

IM (Individual Medley) – A race where one swimmer does all four strokes in this order: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle.

Taper – A period before big competitions where training is reduced so swimmers are well-rested.

🔹 Competition Terms

PB (Personal Best) – Your swimmer’s fastest-ever time in a given event.

DQ (Disqualified) – This means a swimmer broke a rule during the race (e.g., wrong turn, false start).

Heat – A group of swimmers racing in the same event. Large events are divided into multiple heats.

Final – The fastest swimmers from heats compete in the final race to win medals or points.

Seed Time – A swimmer’s best time, used to determine heat and lane assignment.

Split – The time for a specific part of a race (e.g., 50m split in a 100m race).

Touchpad – A pressure-sensitive pad at the end of the pool that records finish times when touched.

🔹 Stroke Types

Freestyle (Front Crawl) – Fastest and most common stroke.

Backstroke – Swum on your back, using a flutter kick and alternating arm strokes.

Breaststroke – A slower stroke with a frog-like kick and simultaneous arm movement.

Butterfly – A powerful stroke using both arms together and a dolphin kick.

🔹 Gala Terms

Gala – A swimming competition or meet.

Time Trial – A test race to record official times (not against other swimmers).

Division 1 & 2 (Nationals) – National-level competitions. Division 1 is the highest tier.

Leinster Qualifying Time (LQT) – The minimum time required to enter a Leinster Championship event.

Swim Ireland Pathway – Talent development programmes:

• Regional Pathway – For top swimmers in Leinster or other provinces

• National Junior Pathway – Higher-level development for top Irish juniors

Points – Used in team galas to calculate overall club/team performance.

🔹 Club Terms

Parent on Duty (POD) – A parent assigned to supervise each training session to help ensure safety (mandatory role).

Squad – A group of swimmers who train together, usually based on ability or age (e.g., Junior Squad, Senior Squad).

S&C (Strength and Conditioning) – Dryland training to improve strength, flexibility, and injury prevention.

Children’s Officer – A trained club volunteer who looks after the well-being of swimmers.

🔹 Essential Reminders

• Always bring the right gear: hat, goggles, water bottle, training aids.

• Check the club WhatsApp, Emails or Team App for gala entries and announcements.

• Parents are expected to volunteer at events – timekeeping, officiating, or helping with logistics.