--- title: "Portuguese swimming terms: balizamento, cabeça de série, EC" description: "Among Portuguese swimming terms, balizamento is the heat-and-lane sheet, cabeça de série means top seed, and EC needs checking in the meet rules. The glossary also covers programmes, entries, officials and results." url: "https://swimtrack.ai/blog/glossary-words-of-the-deck/" lang: "en" author: "SwimTrack" publisher: "SwimTrack" license: "Free to read and quote with attribution to SwimTrack. Not for resale. https://swimtrack.ai/terms/" published: 2026-09-28 pillar: "parent-role" audience: "parent" --- # Portuguese swimming terms: balizamento, cabeça de série, EC Among Portuguese swimming terms, balizamento is the heat-and-lane sheet, cabeça de série means top seed, and EC needs checking in the meet rules. The glossary also covers programmes, entries, officials and results. > **Idea in Brief** > - **Most deck words name simple things.** They mark a race, heat, time, document or registration. > - **The club or coach handles the action.** You usually read, confirm availability or ask. > - **Treat an unknown code as unknown.** Check the meet rules or ask the coach instead of guessing. The programme is open on your phone while your swimmer heads towards the deck. Five words show where the race sits. **[Prova](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/the-events-and-the-strokes)** means event or race. A **[série](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-a-meet-runs)** is one heat within it. **Balizamento** is the heat-and-lane sheet: who swims, when and where. **Cabeça de série** means the top seed. **[Programa](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/where-meet-information-lives)** or **caderno de provas** is the full running order and heat list. At the pool, **eliminatórias** are the heats and **finais** are the final round. A **final direta** has no heats because the entries fit the final’s lanes. The **câmara de chamada**, also called **sala de chamada**, is where swimmers report. **[Aquecimento](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/warm-up-what-its-for)** means warm-up; the programme sets its block, while the coach decides what your swimmer does. **Estafeta** means relay, and **misto** marks a mixed team. **Livres**, **costas**, **bruços**, **mariposa** and **estilos** mean freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and medley. The **juiz-árbitro** is the referee. The **[delegado à prova](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/who-is-who-on-deck)** is the club’s meet delegate, who takes parents’ questions. On the results sheet, **Tempo Final** is the official time, and **Lugar** is place. **[Pts or pontos](https://swimtrack.ai/time-standards/world-aquatics-points-explained/)** comes from the table named in the header. **[DSQ](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/when-they-get-disqualified)** means disqualification; the rule and reason appear below the row. **[EXH](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/reading-a-results-sheet)** keeps a time, splits and points but no place. The sheet doesn’t say why. **[Extra-competição](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/extra-competicao)** is an official time without a placing. No source here confirms what **EC** means beside a time, so check the **regulamento** or ask the coach. **Viragem** means turn, **toque** means touch, and **partida falsa** means false start. **[MTP](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/best-time-not-placement)** means *melhor tempo pessoal*, or personal best. A **[recorde](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/records-and-rankings-in-portugal)** is a record. For the season, **[escalão](https://swimtrack.ai/time-standards/portugal-escaloes/)** is the age category fixed by birth year. **[TAC](https://swimtrack.ai/time-standards/portugal-fpn-tac/)** means *tempo de acesso à competição*, the qualifying time; **mínimos** is the everyday word. It counts only under that meet’s rules, window and pool type. **[Piscina curta](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/short-course-long-course-same-time-isnt)** means a 25-metre pool; **piscina longa** means a 50-metre pool. **[Torneio Zonal](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/the-torneio-zonal)** is an FPN meet for qualifying Infantis and Juvenis in Zona Norte and Zona Sul. **Campeonato Nacional** means national championship. **Regional**, **distrital** and **territorial** mean association-run meets; the label alone doesn’t rank them. **Interdistrital** joins neighbouring associations. **Meeting** is an invitational; **Open** welcomes clubs beyond those registered in Portugal. Before racing, **[filiação](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/federado-what-it-means)** is registration with the FPN for one season; **federado** means registered to compete. The **cartão FPN** proves a current federation record. **FPNSystem** is the database where the club records registration and the medical exam. **[Inscrição](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-entries-work)** is a meet entry: the parent confirms availability and the club submits it. **[Exame médico-desportivo](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/the-sports-medical-exam)** is the sports medical exam required before entering a meet. **[Seguro desportivo](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/sports-insurance-what-it-covers)** is compulsory sports accident insurance. An **[associação territorial](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-portuguese-swimming-is-organised)** is one of thirteen regional associations. **[Transferência](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/changing-clubs-the-transfer-window)** means moving a registered swimmer to another club; the new club files the request. On files, **cartaz** means poster, **regulamento** rules, **convite** the entry file and **resultados** results. A **comunicado** is an official announcement; a **circular** is a procedural notice. The club’s **[regulamento interno](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/reading-your-clubs-regulamento-interno)** covers its own fees, renewals, insurance and images. --- ### Share it with your swimmer Use the word they need for the document in front of them: - **Under 12 (you're driving).** *“Your série is your heat, and the balizamento shows your lane.”* One clear pair helps them find their race. - **12–15 (sharing the wheel).** *“I don’t know what EC means here, so let’s ask.”* This shows that checking beats guessing. - **16+ (they're driving).** *“Can you show me which document settles this?”* It lets them lead the search. ### Stay aligned with your coach The club submits entries, and the coach handles warm-up and race decisions. You read the documents, confirm availability and ask *“What does this code mean in this meet’s regulamento?”* before leaving the sporting action with them. ### Keep exploring - [How a swim meet works: sessions, heats and finals](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-a-meet-runs) — How sessions, séries, finals and call-room rules organise a meet. - [How to read swim meet results: times, splits, DSQ and EXH](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/reading-a-results-sheet) — What Tempo Final, splits, DSQ, EXH, TReac and Pts show. - [Portuguese swimming federation: who runs what?](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-portuguese-swimming-is-organised) — Who sets national rules and handles local meets, entries and documents. - [Swimming qualifying times Portugal: where mínimos count](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/your-first-minimos) — When mínimos or TAC grant access to a Portuguese championship. ## Related reading - [Portuguese swimming federation: who runs what?](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-portuguese-swimming-is-organised/) - [How a swim meet works: sessions, heats and finals](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/how-a-meet-runs/) - [Swimming qualifying times Portugal: where mínimos count](https://swimtrack.ai/blog/your-first-minimos/) --- SwimTrack — https://swimtrack.ai HTML version of this page: https://swimtrack.ai/blog/glossary-words-of-the-deck/