An alphabetical list of terms used in team swimming

As with other widespread competitive sports, water athletics requires guidance for swim coaches and athletes worldwide. Swimming governing bodies oversee team swim, diving, open water swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo, and other aquatic sports in the US and internationally.

According to stone-age paintings, humans have braved the waters since the dawn of man. The Cave of Swimmers, found in southwest Egypt, shows people doing something like the breaststroke, which began as, yes you named it, the doggie paddle. A 4,000-9,000 year-old Egyptian clay seal reveals humans taking to water in ancient times. On the seal, four swimmers appear to be doing the front crawl. Ancient Assyrian and Babylonian reliefs bear proof of man's age old love of diving into the deep blue sea. Most famous among them are drawings found in the Kebir desert dated to around 4,000 BC. Various depictions of swimmers have been unearthed among the Minoans, the Hittites, in Pompeii, and other Middle Eastern civilizations.

A first place race at the pool begins before swimmers take their marks. Making swimming drills and tips a regular part of your aquatic training will ensure you achieve your personal best.

Grace, timing, control, water, and music all combine to create an elegant swim competition known as synchronized swimming. Whether it's done as a solo, a twosome, a trio, or a team, synchronized swimming is about performing routines in the water set to music. How, when, and where it began, how it became a sporting event, and where it is today are a few questions you'll find answers to as you read on.

What follows are some basic FINA guidelines for judging international synchronized swimming competitions. National and local competitions use similar rules with certain modifications.

General swimsuit rules for team swim suits worn during official swim competitions in the US. As rules vary from one organization to another, please check with your local high school, college, or organization for official rules pertaining to your swim team.

As with all competitive sports, team swimming in the US and internationally is governed by an extensive set of swim rules and regulations. What follows is a look at basic team swim rules set by the governing body for international swim competitions, or *FINA, which serve as a guide for national and local swim clubs. The national governing body for the US, USA Swimming, provides its own official publication of a similar but modified set of rules.