Every culture has its own unique language and shorthand. Swimming is no different, but the terms that we use on an everyday basis become so second nature to us that it can be easy to forget that they tend to be exclusive to the sport. I have had some of my friends who aren’t swimmers ask me some pretty ridiculous questions (my personal favourite being: ‘Doesn’t IM stand for Instant Messaging?’). To be fair, though, a lot of the questions that I ask or hear on the pool deck would sound absurd to them…
For instance, I can’t count the number of times I have had a friend ask me “Can you help me get into my suit?”, to which I subsequently help to cram various parts of their body into their racing suit. In the swim world tight suits are second nature, and team work is key when trying to fit into one (especially for the shoulder straps!). It’s easy to forget that for most people a suit refers to a jacket and pants, which is not typically the kind of attire you need assistance getting into.
Another question that sounds relatively normal coming from my coach is “How many breaths did you take?”. Breathing patterns and lung capacity are key components of swimming any distance, so they are important to monitor. To people who aren’t as…
