Short Course Meaning in Swimming

Short course swimming refers to competitions held in a twenty-five-yard or twenty-five-meter pool. This format is the most common for winter seasons, high school meets, and college swimming in the United States. Short course racing features more turns, which allows swimmers to use the walls for extra power and speed. This environment often leads to faster times in certain events because of the increased number of underwater phases. A swimmer competes in a short-course yard meet at the local community center pool. Athletes must have excellent flip turns and strong push-offs to be successful in this shorter venue. Coaches emphasize turn mechanics because the wall plays a huge role in the final result of the race. Short course records are tracked separately from the long course fifty-meter records used in the Olympics.