Why Do Americans Swim In a 25-Yard Pool?

Around the world, pools are designed and constructed to be one of two standardized lengths: 25 meters and 50 meters…except in the United States. The United States is the only country in the world to use 25-yard pools as the standard. Most American swimmers train and compete in a 25-yard pool.
So why is the United States the only country that swims in a 25-yard pool? Why did yards take over in the United States even though the rest of the world continues to use meters? Let's dive in.
🤓 Read the blog: bit.ly/45LhZPs
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:52 The Difference Between Yards and Meters
1:33 Comparing Yards and Meters Race Times
3:52 Racing Differences
4:52 When Did the United States Start Using Yards?
5:35 Early Swimming Pools
7:38 Stuck with Short Course Yards
8:31 The Reality of 25-Yard Pools
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[@maemilev]

Those that swam prolonged 25m will notice better sprint ability whereas 50m swimmers felt they learn better techniques because of the length.

[@BG-id2cv]

That argument falls short, as both men and women freestyle world records for 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters are mostly by either Europeans or Australians, all of who train in 50 meter pools. You swim quicker in a 25 meter pool, not because you stroke more or better, it's because you get momentum off the wall each time you turn...prolong swimming in a 25 m pool does not improve your actual stroke for sprinting and this is reflected in the current lack of freestyle sprint world records for US swimmers in 50 meter pools. For that matter Calaeb Dressel is the only US swimmer male or female that holds a short course (25 m pool) freestyle sprint (50 -400 m) world record....that is in the 50 m freestyle. So, maybe the US swim team should all training in 50 meter pools rather than 25 yard pools.

[@annetteryan6400]

I work at a 50 meter pool but it’s split up during the fall and winter months for short coarse.

[@ltdswimmer]

Great content backed with historical context as one would expect from your channel.

[@MrsMarchelewski]

My pool switches between LCM and SCY depending on the day and, personally, I loooooove SCY. I have to mentally prepare myself for LCM days. I guess I could get used to all LCM if I had to, but it feels like so much more work.

[@idcashflow]

nice vid, never knew about this. thank u

[@marksallows113]

Think that’s weird? I was a competitive swimmer in the UK, and we had 50 meter pools 50 yard pools, 55 yard pools (most converted to metres before used them. But get this, we had 33 1/3 yard and 36 2/3 yard pools. Obviously only 25/50m are used today for meets, but back in the day, there was no such thing as “short course” world records so these weird lengths existed.

[@ALIVIA_511]

Short course is 25 yards and long course is 50 meters. I practice in short course but sometimes I race in a long course

[@marksallows113]

@@ALIVIA_511Wrong! FINA sanctions only 50m and 25m. The US is an anachronism!

[@thesea4120]

As a brit some of the old pools in the uk are in yards too for example my secondary (high) school's swimming pool was 19 yards which I found so wierd having trained in mostly 25m and 50m pools.

[@cjstephens10028]

I can see that retrofitting older 25 yard pools to meters would be too expensive for most facilities, but are newly built pools being installed at 25 meters or 25 yards?

[@Dan-rg7jj]

How many 50m pools are in the average city?

[@joris5429]

I doesn't really matter for my exercise 25yards is a little less than 25 meters. I don't think I would notice the difference

[@romun9033]

I can't believe that : the 15 meter rule apply in a 25 yard pool ? Isn't it crazy ? Should'nt it be 15 yard instead ? An the affirmation : underwater dolphin kick is the fastest way of swimming... seriously il depends on the kicker : Phelps or Lochte OK me or my girlfriend not so sure.

[@robohippy]

Okay, about the underwater dolphin kick.... If I remember correctly, the limit on how far you could continue the underwater dolphin kick came about because one swimmer stayed slightly ahead by staying underwater. Wasn't he swimming back stroke? So, the back stroke is slower than the underwater dolphin kick. However, I don't think it is faster than freestyle, which is the fastest stroke we swim. Anyone know, or has anyone tested this?

[@_R_R_R]

Depends who you are. Underwaters can be faster than free, especially in a sprint 50 freestyle (Jordan crooks takes it to the limit both lengths). And also sometimes it is better to use them extensively even if they are slower, because they might take less energy than normal swimming, and you can use that saved energy to make up more time than you lost. Everything is really just depending on the person

[@robohippy]

Well, I know that surface tension comes in to play when you are on the surface of the water. I would like to see this put to a test. Whenever it is, with every video I have seen, they always do it with back stroke, and back stroke is much slower than freestyle and the fly. Difficult for me since my kick is, for reasons unknown other than not very flexible ankles, is weak. I can not even dream of doing a 25 yard length of the pool underwater with the dolphin kick.....

[@christopherdebari1166]

its why we have the best underwaters and turns in the world. Nobody does it better than us.

[@jeffstewart3170]

Seems like it didn't hurt Michael Phelps!

[@user-ki3rw3yg5c]

7:02 what a belly flop

[@AtbinEsmaeili]

[@ChronicViper]

WR mens 50 free - shows woman swimming behind graphics.

[@silvijavrgoc9246]

I swim in 25-yard pool and i'm not from america i'm from Croatia

[@donia_beauty_2469]

❤❤

[@LoyaFrostwind]

With the 25y pool, more pools can be built in a limited space when less space is needed. Thus, more people can use the facilities. I refuse to circle swim. Our local JCC has an indoor pool and outdoor pool. Both are 25 yards. I would only want a 50m pool if I were competing which I’m not. I only swim recreationally for health and fitness.

[@BG-id2cv]

I hate 25 "anything" pools...too many turns. Give me a 50 metre pool any day!

[@marksallows113]

Ridiculous argument. You realize 25m is only 2’ 4” longer?

[@seanvonlost]

I had turning and flipping constantly!!!! Give me the longest pool possible

[@marksallows113]

@@seanvonlost I’m the opposite; I love the turns, and if done properly, cut your times down.

[@BG-id2cv]

@@marksallows113 You only cut your times down for that smaller length pool, not 50 m ones, as you get momentum off the wall each time you turn and can stay under water more so you are actually using less stroke and not improving your swim stroke at all. With your argument you might as well swim in a 20 yard pool (I have seen them) to get your times down (for that length pool).

[@VojvodinaNet]

This is about decimal or duodecimal system. The duodecimal system is superior to decimal (and metric) system, so yards are better than meters. The whole world should switch to duodecimal system.

[@simonw75]

Erm. No 🖕🏻

[@BG-id2cv]

Duodecimal is only superior in a mathematical sense in that 12 is divisible by 12, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1, while with decimal i.e. 10 is divisible by fewer numbers i.e. 10, 5, 2 and 1. Sporting events? It really doesn't matter...most people relate to 10, 20, 30, 40 etc......compared to 12, 24, 36, 48 etc. In relation to duodecimal and swimming, the argument of duodecimal being superior falls short straight away as pools should not be 25 or 50 yards in length; they should be 24 and 48 yards in length to truly fulfill the definition on duodecimal. But in the past the American swimming sporting bodies have actually bowed to the decimal argument by having 25 and 50 yard pools and 50 and 100 yard races, both of which are now unrecognized by FINA.

[@marksallows113]

Should they? Because US as the last remaining bastion of imperial measurements doesn’t feel like changing. Sorry bug it won’t happen. Metric is the de facto world standard.

[@farodyne]

Doesn't this say it all about Americans?

[@InterestingFingz]

While you are addressing 'standalone Americanisms' What is this misspelling 'metres' all about? 😢

[@ManyThingsYT]

In American English the spelling is ‘meter’ while just about every other English dialect spells it ‘metre’.