Both Motivational Time Standards (B–AAAA) and Power Points are age-based systems created by USA Swimming, but they serve very different purposes.
Together, they give swimmers and coaches two complementary ways to measure progress — one based on percentiles, the other on performance quality.
💡 Scope note: USA Swimming Power Points apply only to Short Course Yards (SCY) and Long Course Meters (LCM) swims recorded in the SWIMS database.
Power Points are not calculated for Short Course Meters (SCM) events.
🎯 Different Goals
| System | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Motivational Standards (B–AAAA) | “How does this swimmer rank among others right now in their age group?” |
| Power Points | “How close is this swim to the best performances ever recorded for swimmers of the same age and gender?” |
- Time Standards are percentile-based — goal-setting tools that define levels like B, A, AA, AAA, and AAAA.
- Power Points are algorithm-based — scoring tools that quantify performance strength across events and ages.
🧮 How Each System Is Built
🔹 Motivational Time Standards
- Derived from percentiles of USA Swimming’s database every four years.
- Represent where a swimmer ranks relative to peers in the current era.
- AAAA ≈ top 2%, AAA ≈ top 6%, etc.
- Used mainly for goal-setting and meet qualification.
🔹 Power Points
- Calculated from mathematical models of the fastest historical times ever recorded for each age, gender, and event.
- Age-adjusted so that a 500-point swim at age 11 is equivalent in quality to a 500-point swim at age 16.
- Updated only when rule or record changes affect the benchmarks.
- Used mainly for performance analysis and national programs such as IMX, IMR, and VCC.
⚙️ Why USA Swimming Uses Both
| Audience | Motivational Standards | Power Points |
|---|---|---|
| Swimmers & Parents | Simple milestones (A, AA, AAA) | Numeric performance scoring |
| Coaches | Group swimmers by level | Evaluate improvement & balance |
| Meet Hosts / LSCs | Control meet qualification | Rank “Swim of the Meet” or “Most Improved” |
| USA Swimming Programs | Age-group standards & recognition | IMR, IMX, and Virtual Club Championships |
The two systems complement each other:
- Standards are categorical — easy to understand and track over time.
- Power Points are continuous — detailed and quantitative.
🧠 An Easy Analogy
Think of them like school grades vs. test scores:
- Motivational Standards → “You’re in the top 10% of your class.”
- Power Points → “You scored 720 out of 800 on a national scale.”
Both measure success — one relative to peers, the other relative to excellence.
🏁 How They Work Together
Used together, they offer a complete view of development:
A 12-year-old might have AAA times (top 6%) and a 610-point average.
At 13, they may still hold AAA times but now average 670 points — showing real improvement even if their letter level didn’t change.
- Time Standards show where a swimmer stands today among peers.
- Power Points show how close that swim is to the best ever for that age.
✅ Summary
| Aspect | Motivational Standards | Power Points |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Percentiles of current swimmers | Historical best performances |
| Updates | Every 4 years | Only for rule or record changes |
| Scale | B–AAAA categories | 1–1100 numeric scale |
| Purpose | Goals, meet cuts, motivation | Analytics, rankings, consistency |
| Age Handling | Broad age groups (10&U, 11–12, 13–14…), though single-age tables exist | Single-age curves (9, 10, 11…) |
| Courses | SCY, SCM & LCM | SCY & LCM (no SCM) |
| Focus | Relative placement | Relative quality |
🏆 In Summary
Motivational Standards inspire. Power Points quantify.
Both systems together help swimmers set goals, measure growth, and celebrate steady progress at every level of the sport.
Related Reading:
🏊 USA Swimming Power Points Explained
🕓 USA Swimming Motivational Time Standards Explained
