When you have a significant number of people sharing a lane, especially when you have mixed abilities, ‘lane etiquette’ becomes an essential part of a swim session. A few simple tips can mean that everyone enjoys the session a little bit more and we reduce the risk of people swimming into (or over top of) each other. When you next swim think about these ‘lane etiquette’ tips.
1. Swim in the appropriate lane. Most pools and lidos will have lanes marked as slow, medium and fast. A fast swimmer in the slow lane can be a bit scary for those lacking confidence in the water. Equally a slow swimmer in the fast lane can mean faster swimmers have to constantly overtake which can be dangerous if you meet someone coming in the opposite direction!
2. As you approach the end of the pool, glance over your shoulder to check the coast is clear and then drift towards the opposite side of the pool to turn, push off and begin your next lap. This can help prevent congestion at the end of the pool.
3. Give yourself enough space. Try not to push off and follow right on someone else’s heels. Pause and leave a gap. This way you may not have to overtake a slower swimmer. If someone is on your heels, pause at the end of the pool and let them past and then continue on.
4. Keep close to the lane rope. That way you are less likely to have a head on collision and if someone does have to pass you (and hopefully they won’t – see Tip 3) they will have enough room to do so without endangering anyone swimming in the opposite direction.
5. Watch where you are going! As a triathlete you will have to get used to ‘sighting’ (looking up to see where you are). It is easy to have a quick look ahead to see if you are about to swim over someone or see if someone is about to swim into you (and hopefully they won’t – see Tip 3 and 4).
By the way, your ‘lane etiquette’ in the first session was great, but for those of you joining us in the future, follow the above tips and we can all continue to enjoy the club swim sessions.
See ya! Tim (LFTC Coach)