Converting from a 50-metre long-course pool (LCM) to a 25-yard short-course pool (SCY) typically results in faster times. More walls mean more push-offs and underwater phases — each one shaving fractions off your overall time. This converter accounts for those gains so you can accurately project your long-course performances into short-course yards.
LCM to SCY Converter
50-metre pool to 25-yard pool
Formats: ss.hh, m:ss.hh, or h:mm:ss.hh
Advanced: Per-wall advantage (seconds)
When You'd Convert LCM to SCY
- International recruits: Swimmers from Europe, Asia, or Australia competing in LCM pools who want to project how they'd perform in the US collegiate SCY format.
- Summer-to-winter planning: US swimmers returning from a long-course summer season who want to set SCY goals for the upcoming short-course winter season.
- Scholarship evaluations: College coaches comparing international LCM results against their SCY roster to assess talent.
Why LCM Times Are Usually Slower
In a 50-metre pool you get half as many walls per race compared to a 25-yard pool. Each wall provides a powerful push-off and underwater phase that's significantly faster than surface swimming. Fewer walls means more time spent on the surface at lower speed, which is why LCM times are typically slower.
When converting LCM to SCY, you're essentially gaining back all those extra walls. The result is a faster time — but exactly how much faster depends on your individual turn and underwater proficiency. Use the sliders above to fine-tune the model to your skills.
How the LCM to SCY Conversion Works
- 1Parse your LCM time and event to get the race distance in metres.
- 2Estimate walls for both the 50m source and 25yd target courses.
- 3Strip the LCM wall gains to find your pure free-water speed.
- 4Re-apply SCY wall gains and convert the distance from metres to yards for the final time.
These are estimates — not official conversions. Tune the per-wall sliders for more accurate results.