Time standards are motivational tools swimmers and coaches use to measure improvement and to inspire swimmers to push themselves to the next level. Motivational standards are set for each event at each distance. They are broken down by gender and each of the following age groups: 10 & under, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18. There are different time standards for each of the courses: Short Course Yards (SCY - 25 yards), Short Course Meters (SCM - 25 meters), and Long Course Meters (LCM - 50 meters). We typically deal with SCY in the fall/winter, and LCM in the spring/summer.

So what does this mean?

The main statistic in swimming is the time it takes to complete an event. As swimmers compete in USA Swimming sanctioned meets, the times they achieve in their events are recorded in the Swims database. USA Swimming takes all of the times collected from meets all over the country and breaks the times down into the following groups: C, B, BB, A, AA, AAA, and AAAA. Below is the breakdown of how they determine the times for each group.

AAAA: 98% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 2% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that specific stroke and distance.

AAA: 94% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 6% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that stroke and distance.

AA: 92% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 8% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that stroke and distance.

A: 85% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 15% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that stroke and distance.

BB: 65% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 35% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that stroke and distance.

B: 45% - This standard means your swimmer is ranked in the top 55% of swimmers in their age group, of the same sex, in that stroke and distance.

C: This standard is for all swimmers with times below the "B" standard. Any time from 0.00 up to the "B" standard is considered a "C" time.

Every four years, USA Swimming evaluates all the times recorded in the database to determine the next 4 years' time standards. They put all the times in a chart broken down by age group, gender, course, time standard, and event.

So what does it mean for my swimmer?

Swimmers enter the first competition of their career with an NT (No Time) in their events. These meets are typically Open or Developmental (B and under) meets. Sometimes these meets do not accept entries with NT. However, coaches can enter guess times based on what they see in practice. The swimmer swims their events without disqualification, and their times are submitted to the database. They now have their first official times. They can take this time and compare it to the National Motivational times. They look for their age group, and then the event. Then they look to the left for the girl standards, or to the right for the boy standards. Then they can find where their time fits in with the list of times for that event. If their time is equal to or faster than a time listed, they can look to the top and see what time standard they are in. If their time is slower than the listed times for each cut, they have not achieved that cut.

Example:

John is a 9-year-old new swimmer who swam his first 50 freestyle event in a SCY course this weekend. He swam the event in 39.47 seconds. John's coach looks at the motivational table and sees that the minimum time for a B cut is 38.19 for 10 and under in a SCY pool, and she informs John that he still has a C time. At the next meet, John swims the 50 Freestyle in 33.54 seconds. John's coach is very excited for John and informs him that he has achieved the BB time standard since his time is equal to or faster than the minimum BB time of 34.59, but slower than the A standard of 31.09.

The above example uses the 2024-2028 National AG Motivational time standards. You can download the chart at the bottom of this page and follow along to get an idea of how to use the table for your swimmer's times when they swim in meets. So when your swimmer tells you they got the "A" time in the 50 backstroke, you can take their time and compare it to the A time for their age and gender.

These time standards are also used to determine eligibility at certain meets, like championship meets. So when a meet has a qualifying time of BB and above, your swimmer has to have a time greater than the minimum BB time for the events they are entering for their age group and course. You may also see qualifying times stated as Equal to or Faster than BB but Slower than A. This means that your swimmer has to have a BB time in any event they enter.

Please do not hesitate to ask a coach if you need clarification on any time standards.