Competitive Pool Layout

By John Quintana

The competitive swimming facility was designed to standards to help make the swimmers
experience as similar as possible regardless of the competitive venue. The standard Short Course
pool is 25-yards long, with 6-10 lanes for training and competition. The Long Course pool
Olympic Sized is 50-meters with 8-10 lanes. A recent development is that pools of 25-meters
have been built and have now been adopted for competition. As you can see, there are now three
sets of competitive distance standards to be raced. American swimmers will compete short
course the majority of the time and a brief long course season in the summer when the swimmer
is accomplished enough to meet the established time standard for entry into competition. The 50-
meter standard is also the standard for International Competition.

A swimmer should understand the reasons for the various marking and use them to establish
habits that will help them in their practice and racing. Since all swimming sets and races will
refer to distance, the translation of distance to lengths is basic. As in a short course pool, 100-
yards is 4 lengths, 500-yards is 20 lengths and a 1650 (mile swim) is 66 lengths.

On the next page Ive diagramed a generic environment to help in the learning. Also here are few
reminders all swimmers should keep in mind to enhance their training and performance.

Elements to Recognize:

Pool Length Short Course (25-yards) or Long Course (50-meters). Fitness clubs usually 20Ms

Starting Blocks For shallow forward dives and backstroke starts only.

Back Stroke Flags flags over the pool, 15 feet from the end of pool. A swimmer should know
how many swim strokes it takes from the flags to the wall at both practice and race pace in order
to discourage breaking form while looking.

Lane Lines Plastic floats around a steel cable stretched across the length of the pool. Used to
stop wave turbulence and separate swimming lanes. Solid pattern from wall to 15 feet, alternating
pattern between solid patterns at both ends of pool.

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Swimming Lines Painted lines on the bottom of the pool, used to help swimmer swim in a
straight line. In the USA, it is part of swimming etiquette to swim counter-clock wise around the
swim line to prevent collisions.

Swimming Lanes 5-8 foot strip of pool length defined as a single swimming channel.

Turn Targets Markings on the wall at the end of each swimming lane. Used as a guide for turns
and a demarcation of the end of the pool.

Turning Tees Tee formation at the end of a swimming line (bold line son bottom of pool). Used
to help swimmer gauge the distance to the end of the pool.

Pace Clocks The heart of a pool workout. Used in a myriad of ways. Usually there are one pace
clock stationed on each side of the pool.

Swimmer Reminders:

Pay close attention to the pace clock learn how to read and use it.
o Know, record and track the number of strokes it takes for you to swim a length of
the pool. Know that number for each stroke. This number is a key indicator of
your efficiency in the water.

Consider the area from the wall to/from the backstroke flags as special water.
o Swimmers should streamline and perform the appropriate breakout at the
beginning of every start or turn. (From wall to backstroke flags).
o When swimming into the wall for a turn or finish swimming freestyle or butterfly
the swimmer should keep the head down and not breathe.

Always swim circle pattern counter-clock wise around the black line when more than 2
swimmers are sharing a swimming lane.

Never use the starting block without a coachs supervision.

o Never dive into any pool area that is less than 9 deep.

Remember that the optimal depth during a forward start off the block is 2&1/2 feet.

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 Competitive American Swimming Pool Short Course
Lane Guides Painted on Bottom of Pool
Starting Blocks Backstroke flags 15 feet from wall

Pace Clocks

25 yards or 50 meters

Turning Target

Turning Tee