Lane swimming : courtesy and discipline

[Justin Smith 10]

Could someone explain whether I`m being too thoughtful here, or, expecting all other lane swimmers to do the same, I am asking too much ?

 

When I go lane swimming the first thing I do as I`m warming up is work out who is faster than I am and who is slower than me, it`s usually pretty easy to do.

Once I`ve done this, if I`m about to leave from the end, if a swimmer coming in is faster than me I wait for him/her to turn and go before swimming off myself. If I`m faster than them I go just before they get to the end. Similarly, when I`m actually swimming I`ve a pretty good idea of where all the other swimmers are, if I`m on a longer swim and I feel there`s a faster swimmer "on my feet" I pause at the end to let them through.

After all, I don`t want to be in anyone`s way, and, similarly I don`t want anyone to be in my way, not forgetting of course that overtaking in lane swimming is potentially dangerous. I`m definitely not suggesting overtaking should be banned but I am saying it should reduced as much as possible. Which, is part of the reason I don`t do kick drills in the fast lane, and certainly not when there`s more than one other swimmer in it with me.

 

Isn`t all this obvious ? ! ?

 

Very Important ! A swimmer overtaking you isn`t being aggressive, they`ve got to do that !

 

Be careful when you get into a lane with swimmers already in it, particularly if you jump in.....

Edited March 26, 2016 by Justin Smith

[Flanker7 20]

Your comments all make sense.

But, if someone is obviously much slower than everyone else, or is swimming breaststroke in the 'fast' lane, its the life-guard job to ask them to move.

The life-guards rarely do anything.

My suggestion is for a time per 25metres to be displayed on the fast/medium/slow boards. This time can change to suit swimming numbers in the pool.

nb - I've nothing against breststrokers - if they can do the time.

[strongsteve 10]

You best doing the front crawl and then when you swim past 2 people talking, you accidently put your hand on the chatees head and shove it under the water.

 

At the end of the lanes as you push off the side, if you time it right you can make it so you accidently kick someone between the legs as your swimming away. (someone standing at the side chatting to a friend)

 

As long as you apologise, you'll be fine

[Fudbeer 12]

Could someone explain whether I`m being too thoughtful here, or, expecting all other lane swimmers to do the same, I am asking too much ?

 

When I go lane swimming the first thing I do as I`m warming up is work out who is faster than I am and who is slower than me, it`s usually pretty easy to do.

Once I`ve done this, if I`m about to leave from the end, if a swimmer coming in is faster than me I wait for him/her to turn and go before swimming off myself. If I`m faster than them I go just before they get to the end. Similarly, when I`m actually swimming I`ve a pretty good idea of where all the other swimmers are, if I feel there`s a faster swimmer "on my feet" I pause at the end to let them through.

After all, I don`t want to be in anyone`s way, and, similarly I don`t want anyone to be in my way, not forgetting of course that overtaking in lane swimming is potentially dangerous. I`m definitely not suggesting overtaking should be banned but I am saying it should reduced as much as possible. Which, is part of the reason I don`t do kick drills in the fast lane, and certainly not when there`s more than one other swimmer in it with me.

 

Isn`t all this obvious ?

 

Yes if everyone did this it would be a lot more enjoyable.

 

I find that when it is busy there are so many problems trying to avoid faster/slower swimmers its just not worth the effort.

 

I was once at ponds forge and it was 50 meter layout and only one other swimmer in the lane yet they overtook exactly at the end of the lane causing me to have to stop to avoid a collision 100 meters of lane to overtook and they chose then unbelievable they were swimming at a similar speed to me btw.

 

Another annoyance is really slow swimmers in the fast lane and people who cant read the clockwise/anticlock wise sign.

 

I often feel the public are given a poor deal at ponds forge for instance today when it went 50 meters 6 of the 8 lanes were given over to club swimmers with the public squashed into the remaining 2 lanes,also at times part of the pool is just shut off with nobody using it.

[Flanker7 20]

If there are just two I always ask my lane sharer to go half and half. It's surprising how much easier it is to get in the zone without anything to worry about.

 

Mind you, you're not in a position to spot a third swimmer joining and then there's grief cos they think you don't understand the clockwise/anticlockwise thing.

 

There have been near punch ups over lane discipline. I was told that this occurred and the attendant told them to step outside if they couldn't sort it out . . . and one of the chaps , in speedo's! wanted to go. Good Grief!

[Justin Smith 10]

If there are just two I always ask my lane sharer to go half and half. It's surprising how much easier it is to get in the zone without anything to worry about.

 

Mind you, you're not in a position to spot a third swimmer joining and then there's grief cos they think you don't understand the clockwise/anticlockwise thing.

 

There have been near punch ups over lane discipline. I was told that this occurred and the attendant told them to step outside if they couldn't sort it out . . . and one of the chaps , in speedo's! wanted to go. Good Grief!

 

I can`t say I`ve ever seen people get that angry.

 

Going side by side works well assuming you don`t get a jobsworth life guard telling you to stop it, though to be fair I never have had that. These people who go on about it being safer to have adjacent lanes going clockwise and anticlockwise are missing the point. In all my swimming career I`ve never been injured by a swimmer in an adjacent lane whichever way they`re swimming, it`s a swimmer in the same lane, usually whilst overtaking (a bit like driving......) which is the danger. Obviously you have to stop going sides if a third swimmer gets in.

[Justin Smith 10]

Another swimmer nearly swam into me tonight at Ponds Forge, how it happened was interesting and another thing to bear in mind as regards lane swimming discipline.

I`d been swimming with two other swimmers in my lane and I knew where they both were at all times, I make a point of doing so in any lane I swim in. I`d just overtaken one when a swimmer swims straight into me ! I couldn`t understand where he`d come from because I knew the only other swimmer in the lane was at the other end of the pool. What had happened is this "new" swimmer had jumped in (and started swimming straight away) without noticing that at the very moment I was overtaking another swimmer !

 

So the moral of this story is, when you first get into a lane make sure you know where all the other swimmers are and that they know where you are, and definitely, definitely, don`t start swimming if one is overtaking another one straight in front of where you`re about to swim......

[sharpend 11]

Mods - can this be moved to local sport please.

 

(And renamed the lane swimming thread? )

It would be helpful to have somewhere to discuss lane swimming a local pools.

 

Thanks

[Cyclone 10]

Could someone explain whether I`m being too thoughtful here, or, expecting all other lane swimmers to do the same, I am asking too much ?

 

When I go lane swimming the first thing I do as I`m warming up is work out who is faster than I am and who is slower than me, it`s usually pretty easy to do.

Once I`ve done this, if I`m about to leave from the end, if a swimmer coming in is faster than me I wait for him/her to turn and go before swimming off myself. If I`m faster than them I go just before they get to the end. Similarly, when I`m actually swimming I`ve a pretty good idea of where all the other swimmers are, if I feel there`s a faster swimmer "on my feet" I pause at the end to let them through.

After all, I don`t want to be in anyone`s way, and, similarly I don`t want anyone to be in my way, not forgetting of course that overtaking in lane swimming is potentially dangerous. I`m definitely not suggesting overtaking should be banned but I am saying it should reduced as much as possible. Which, is part of the reason I don`t do kick drills in the fast lane, and certainly not when there`s more than one other swimmer in it with me.

 

Isn`t all this obvious ?

 

It is obvious, and sensible, but I'm not sure it works at busier times.

I'm moderately quick, but there are plenty of quicker people. If I constantly pause to let faster swimmers overtake at the end when it's busy, I'll break my rhythm completely and spend longer waiting than I will swimming.

Conversely, I don't expect to be able to overtake easily if it's busy. If I'm trailing a slower swimmer then the best opportunity is when approaching the end, I'll speed up for the last 3 metres, get along side and do a quick turn and push to get turned and off before they do. I don't expect them to stop or pause, I make the effort to get past them.

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2014 at 09:41 ----------

 

I can`t say I`ve ever seen people get that angry.

 

Going side by side works well assuming you don`t get a jobsworth life guard telling you to stop it, though to be fair I never have had that. These people who go on about it being safer to have adjacent lanes going clockwise and anticlockwise are missing the point. In all my swimming career I`ve never been injured by a swimmer in an adjacent lane whichever way they`re swimming, it`s a swimmer in the same lane, usually whilst overtaking (a bit like driving......) which is the danger. Obviously you have to stop going sides if a third swimmer gets in.

 

I had a breast stroker in the adjacent lane kick me. We were both swimming close to the divider, but they're kicks were coming across. This was going clock/anti and it was just bad luck that he kicked at the point and caught me in the leg.

[Justin Smith 10]

It is obvious, and sensible, but I'm not sure it works at busier times.

I'm moderately quick, but there are plenty of quicker people. If I constantly pause to let faster swimmers overtake at the end when it's busy, I'll break my rhythm completely and spend longer waiting than I will swimming.

Conversely, I don't expect to be able to overtake easily if it's busy. If I'm trailing a slower swimmer then the best opportunity is when approaching the end, I'll speed up for the last 3 metres, get along side and do a quick turn and push to get turned and off before they do. I don't expect them to stop or pause, I make the effort to get past them.

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2014 at 09:41 ----------

 

 

I had a breast stroker in the adjacent lane kick me. We were both swimming close to the divider, but they're kicks were coming across. This was going clock/anti and it was just bad luck that he kicked at the point and caught me in the leg.

 

I`ve learnt I have to modify the set I want to swim depending on how busy it is. In fact if it`s really really busy I won`t even bother getting in, it`s just a waste of time, but I try to go when that`s less likely. The more swimmers there are in the lane the shorter ones reps have to be, as an example I only do 200s if there is only one other swimmer in the lane. Usually it`d be 100s, but if the lane was busy I`d drop it down to 50s. I don`t tend to do continuous swims (I find it a bit tedious) but I`d only ever do that if I was sharing with a maximum of one other swimmer. It`s not just being courteous it`s because I`d be having to concentrate too much on where everyone else was and where I could overtake them so I wouldn`t be concentrating on my stroke and you can`t get into a rhythm.

There are safer places to overtake but the fact is that overtaking is one thing you want to try and avoid, it does carry the potential for a collision, so I do my best to avoid having to do it. This guy swam into me at Hillsborough pool in February (he was overtaking, in a stupid place as it happens) my finger is still a bit stiff and sore now, 6 months later......

Edited July 30, 2014 by Justin Smith

[tinfoilhat 11]

Could someone explain whether I`m being too thoughtful here, or, expecting all other lane swimmers to do the same, I am asking too much ?

 

When I go lane swimming the first thing I do as I`m warming up is work out who is faster than I am and who is slower than me, it`s usually pretty easy to do.

Once I`ve done this, if I`m about to leave from the end, if a swimmer coming in is faster than me I wait for him/her to turn and go before swimming off myself. If I`m faster than them I go just before they get to the end. Similarly, when I`m actually swimming I`ve a pretty good idea of where all the other swimmers are, if I feel there`s a faster swimmer "on my feet" I pause at the end to let them through.

After all, I don`t want to be in anyone`s way, and, similarly I don`t want anyone to be in my way, not forgetting of course that overtaking in lane swimming is potentially dangerous. I`m definitely not suggesting overtaking should be banned but I am saying it should reduced as much as possible. Which, is part of the reason I don`t do kick drills in the fast lane, and certainly not when there`s more than one other swimmer in it with me.

 

Isn`t all this obvious ?

 

Sadly not to me, or anyone else thinking of getting back in the pool. I'll stay out of it I think.

[Justin Smith 10]

Could someone explain whether I`m being too thoughtful here, or, expecting all other lane swimmers to do the same, I am asking too much ?

 

When I go lane swimming the first thing I do as I`m warming up is work out who is faster than I am and who is slower than me, it`s usually pretty easy to do.

Once I`ve done this, if I`m about to leave from the end, if a swimmer coming in is faster than me I wait for him/her to turn and go before swimming off myself. If I`m faster than them I go just before they get to the end. Similarly, when I`m actually swimming I`ve a pretty good idea of where all the other swimmers are, if I feel there`s a faster swimmer "on my feet" I pause at the end to let them through.

After all, I don`t want to be in anyone`s way, and, similarly I don`t want anyone to be in my way, not forgetting of course that overtaking in lane swimming is potentially dangerous. I`m definitely not suggesting overtaking should be banned but I am saying it should reduced as much as possible. Which, is part of the reason I don`t do kick drills in the fast lane, and certainly not when there`s more than one other swimmer in it with me.

 

Isn`t all this obvious ?

 

Sadly not to me, or anyone else thinking of getting back in the pool. I'll stay out of it I think.

 

What in particular isn`t understandable about it ?