Dont be intimidated to swim with a masters group or attempt a workout you read on a dry erase board at the health club or pool you swim at. With the proper preparation and knowledge of swimming lingo no one will know what a “newbie” you are.

Here is a list of the most common terms and abbreviations:

IM= Individual medley (all four strokes swum in the order of Fly/ BK/ BR /FR)

Hypoxic Breathing: Build lung capacity and become more comfortable in the water by challenging your regular breathing pattern with hypoxic sets. “300 swim with 3/5/7 breathing pattern by 25” is a common instruction in my workouts. This means swim a straight 300 freestyle. On the first 25, breathe every 3rd stroke. On the second 25, every 5th stroke. And on the third 25, every 7th. Repeat this pattern until the 300 is completed.

Negative Split: Swim second half faster then the first half

SG= Swim golf, a fun drill in which you add your stroke count for a given interval (say, 50 yards/meters) to your time for the same interval to generate a composite score

Snorkel=

DPS= Distance per stroke, a drill where the swimmer tries to get as much distance as possible out of each stroke, usually measured by counting strokes for 50m.

WU: = Warm Wp

MS: = Main Set

CD: = Cool Down

RI: = Rest Interval

“ = Seconds

‘= Minutes

w/ = With

S=Swim

K=Kick

P=Pull

D=Drill

IM= Individual Medley

FR = Freestyle stroke
Fly = Fly
BR= Breaststroke
BK = Backstroke
EZ = Easy

Master the Freestyle Basic Drills 

• FT=Fingertip Drag Drill-focus on high elbow recovery 
• Thumb-slide=Thumb-slide drill ocus on high elbow recovery
• Fist = Fist Drill Focus on hand entry 
• HOOW = Head Out Of the Water Drill-Focus on hand entry, arm cadence and pull 
• CU=Catch UP Drill – Focus on the catch part preceding the pull
• UWDP = Under Water Doggie Paddle Drills- Focus on catch and pull past your hip
• OAO = One Arm Only, One Arm at Your Side Drill- Focus on one arm pull under water and body rotation working on driving yoru hip rotation with yoru pull.
• 3x3x3 = 3 right arm only, 3 left arm only, 3 full strokes
• Sidekick = Flutter kick on your side for 6 kicks then rotate to your other side for 6 kicks, continue this pattern

Build = start slow finish strong. For example 4X 200 build, each 200 meter start slow and finish strong

Descend = each consecutive repeat is swim faster than  the previous. For example 4X 100 swim (#1 slow, easy, #1 medium, faster, fastest)