Reference
Swimming glossary
Plain-English definitions of the swimming words beginners run into — strokes, skills, gear, and pool terms. Where there's a full how-to guide, we've linked it.
B
- Backstroke
- A stroke swum on your back, with an alternating overhead “windmill” arm motion and a flutter kick. The only common stroke where your face stays out of the water. Read the guide →
- Bilateral breathing
- Breathing to both sides while swimming freestyle (for example, every third arm stroke) rather than always to one side. It builds a more balanced, even stroke. Read the guide →
- Bobbing
- Gently pushing off the bottom to rise and take a breath, then sinking to exhale underwater — a simple drill for getting comfortable going under and breathing rhythmically.
- Breaststroke
- A stroke with a “heart-shaped” arm pull and a frog-like whip kick, swum in a pull–breathe–kick–glide rhythm. Popular with beginners because your head can stay up. Read the guide →
- Buoyancy
- The upward push of water that helps your body float. A relaxed body full of air is naturally buoyant — tension, not weight, is usually what makes people sink.
- Butterfly
- An advanced, physically demanding stroke with a simultaneous overhead arm pull and a dolphin kick. Not a beginner stroke.
C
- Catch
- The moment at the start of an arm pull when your hand and forearm “grab” the water to begin pulling your body forward.
D
- Deck
- The paved area around the edge of the pool. Always walk, never run — wet tile is slippery.
- Deep end
- The part of the pool too deep to stand in. Beginners should learn and practise in the shallow end first.
- Doggy paddle
- A simple, instinctive stroke with the head up, the hands paddling alternately under the chest, and a small flutter kick. A useful confidence-builder. Read the guide →
- Drag
- The resistance of the water against your body as you move. A long, flat, streamlined shape reduces drag; a bent, tense body increases it.
F
- Fins
- Flippers worn on the feet to boost propulsion and help you feel a strong kick and good body position. A common training aid. Read the guide →
- Flip turn
- A fast, somersault-style turn used in freestyle and backstroke to change direction without stopping at the wall. Also called a tumble turn. Read the guide →
- Float
- Resting on the surface of the water — on your back or front — letting your natural buoyancy hold you up. The calm foundation everything else builds on. Read the guide →
- Flutter kick
- The steady up-and-down kick used in freestyle and backstroke: legs long, small and quick movements powered from the hips, with loose ankles and pointed toes. Read the guide →
- Freestyle
- The fastest common stroke — also called the front crawl — with an alternating overhead arm pull, a flutter kick, and the face in the water, turning to the side to breathe. Read the guide →
G
- Glide
- The streamlined coast through the water after a push-off, arms stretched overhead. A key building block that teaches an efficient, low-drag body position. Read the guide →
- Goggles
- Eyewear that seals around the eyes so you can see clearly underwater without stinging. Highly recommended for beginners — they remove a big source of flinching and panic. Read the guide →
- Gutter
- The channel or trough around the pool’s rim that catches overflowing water. A handy edge to hold on to while you rest or practise.
H
- Hypoxic training
- Advanced training that limits how often you breathe to build breath control. Not for beginners — never restrict your breathing when learning.
J
- Jammers
- Long, fitted swim shorts (to about the knee) that reduce drag. A snug, lap-friendly alternative to loose swim trunks.
K
- Kickboard
- A buoyant foam board you hold in front of you to isolate and practise your kick while keeping your upper body supported. Read the guide →
L
- Lane
- A marked lane of the pool for swimming lengths, usually signposted by speed (slow, medium, fast). In a shared lane, swim up one side and back the other.
- Lap / Length
- A “length” is one end-to-end trip of the pool; a “lap” usually means there and back (though many people use the two words interchangeably).
- Lifeguard
- The trained person who watches the water and responds to emergencies. Only swim where a lifeguard is present — and ask them anything.
O
- Open turn
- A simple turn where you touch the wall with your hand, tuck, and push off — the beginner-friendly alternative to a flip turn. Read the guide →
- Open water
- Any natural body of water — lake, river, sea. Colder, with currents and no lane lines, so it needs extra caution and skills like sighting.
P
- Pull
- The underwater part of the arm stroke that propels you forward, as your hand moves from the “catch” back past your body.
- Pull buoy
- A figure-eight foam float held between the thighs to lift the legs and let you focus on your arm stroke without kicking. Read the guide →
- Push off
- Springing off the pool wall into a streamline to start a length or glide — the powerful, effortless start to moving through the water. Read the guide →
R
- Recovery
- The above-water part of the arm stroke, when your arm relaxes and swings forward to start the next pull.
- Rip current
- A narrow channel of water flowing away from shore at a surf beach. Don’t fight it — float, swim parallel to shore to escape, then angle back in. Read the guide →
- Rotation
- The gentle rolling of the body from side to side along its long axis in freestyle and backstroke. Good rotation lengthens your stroke and makes breathing easier. Read the guide →
S
- Sculling
- Small, flat figure-eight sweeps of the hands that create lift and a feel for the water. The basis of treading water and a great feel-for-the-water drill. Read the guide →
- Shallow end
- The part of the pool you can comfortably stand in. The safest place for a beginner to learn and practise everything.
- Sidestroke
- A restful stroke swum on your side, with a “pick-an-apple” arm motion and a scissor kick. Its face-up position makes breathing easy. Read the guide →
- Sighting
- Briefly lifting your eyes to look forward while swimming in open water, so you can check your direction where there are no lane lines. Read the guide →
- Streamline
- The long, narrow, arrow-like body shape — arms stretched overhead, hands stacked, body tight — that slips through the water with the least drag. Read the guide →
- Stroke
- Both a style of swimming (freestyle, breaststroke, etc.) and a single complete arm-pull cycle within it.
- Swim cap
- A snug cap that keeps long hair out of your face and reduces drag. Optional for most beginners, though some pools require one for long hair.
T
- Treading water
- Staying upright and afloat in one place using a steady kick and sculling hands. A key safety skill for resting in deep water. Read the guide →
W
- Water competency
- A set of basic water-safety skills — entering, floating or treading, turning, and getting to an exit — that let a person help themselves in the water.
- Water walking
- Walking back and forth in chest-deep water. A gentle, joint-friendly, no-swimming-needed way to exercise. Read the guide →
- Water watcher
- A designated adult whose only job is watching swimmers — no phone, no distractions. A key layer of drowning prevention, especially with children.
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APA
The Editorial Team. (2026). Swimming Glossary. My Swimming Guide. https://myswimmingguide.com/swimming-glossary/
MLA
"Swimming Glossary." My Swimming Guide, July 10, 2026, https://myswimmingguide.com/swimming-glossary/.
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