At its very simplest it refers to the length of the pool you are swimming in. If the pool is 25 meters long it is Short Course swimming and if the pool is 50 meters long then its Long Course. Currently, the Olympics are held every 4 years in a Long Course Pool but World Championships are held every year and they alternate between Short and Long Course. The Next Short Course World Championships are in December 2018 in Korea. Find out more about the FINA World Short Course Championships here. In Australia our winter season is Short Course.

10 Facts you need to know about Short Course

1. There are a lot of turns!
Because the pool is only 25 meters in length (instead of the usual 50m) the swimmers have to do twice the amount of laps and loads of turns in between!
2. Starts are very important.
You don’t have as much time to catch up on a lap, as there is less swimming and
more underwater work per lap. The team at Mingara Aquatics can work on perfecting your starts and turns with you!
3. The “Skills pay the bills” in Short Course.
Starts and turns are the “Go”! These take work to perfect and you will need to practise, practise, practise!
4. Times are generally faster.
This is because swimmers travel faster underwater than you can on top. In Short Course racing more time is spent underwater as you come out of the turns.
5. The Short Course World Championships were first introduced in 1993
6. Short Course Worlds was first held in Palma de Mallorca in Spain
7. Short Course Worlds are held every 2 years
8. World Records were first recognised in 1991
They are Short Course records and they differ to Long Course World Records.
9. Three Australians hold Short Course records.
They are Cate Campbell, Mitch Larkin and Grant Hackett.
10. Mingara Aquatics has four swimmers who have qualified to contest the trials for this Australian team in 2018.
Congratulations and good luck to Bradley Woodward, Shaye Booth, Nathan Ward and James Koch. The team at Mingara Aquatics can’t wait to watch you race!

Want to find out more about Mingara Aquatics?

You can find out all you need to know about Mingara Aquatics with our FAQs here.
Simply visit our website for more information on learning to swim, squad and casual swimming. Click here.