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I was told by someone far better than me that if you tap the foot of the person in front of you it was considered a polite way of saying can you pause at the end so I can go past – is that an unwritten rule?
It is. More than an unwritten rule - it's how it's done in proper coached swim groups. Only snag is the recipient of the the tap need to know it's a thing. And most wouldn't.
It might seem overkill, but in the same way you have to have an induction in a gym, an induction before using lane swimming sessions would be great. Maybe some pools do this.
It's pretty much impossible to hold up a fast swimmer; I've swum with a few (ironman winner, French swim team member, 2 x European and 7 x French triathlon champion) they just glide/power past slower swimmers with good spatial awareness, never touch anyone.
But really, just turn early.
Joshvegas claims he did 12 slow breaststroke lengths because he was held up one person. If he'd turned early to overtake he'd have then had clear water till he caught the person again after maybe three or four lenghts after which he could have turned early to overtake again. It works, I do it whenever I'm in a busy lane - no stress, no strop, everybody enjoys their swim.
People chatting at the end of the lane, turn early.
Float kickers, turn early.
The first time slots are the busiest generally.
I like people being there exchange a few words while resting (but keeping the end clear). It's a real mix of people and generally people are very relaxed and happy to muddle along together.
I even like the lifeguards waiting a bit I don't want anyone pounced on immediately and I had no intention of toe tapping her or anything like that because I'm not on a training session and I don't care and it's not worth an argument.
I just expect some level of consideration to everyone else that is just there to use the pool.
Fair enough but chopping the length early really buggers up your rhythm. To me the beauty of swimming well is getting into that metronomic zen type place.
Joshvegas claims he did 12 slow breaststroke lengths because he was held up one person. If he’d turned early to overtake he’d have then had clear water till he caught the person again after maybe three or four lenghts after which he could have turned early to overtake again. It works, I do it whenever I’m in a busy lane – no stress, no strop, everybody enjoys their swim.
No I pointed out that she was holding up the whole lane. To the point where the lifeguards had a word. One person should force 4 overtakes when they could have waited a second.
But don't let the facts get in the way of your superior knowledge 😂
"flippers should be banned in pools, had a nasty gash by the side of my eye when a **** with flippers overtook and pulled in too early there was some choice language!"
Flippers?
FLIPPERS????
They're Fins!
And its Headley, not Hedi...
it's what the OP called them 😕
Well I probably could but I was sandwiched between two people. Swimming under wouldn’t work she was cutting through the water at about 45degrees to the horizontal with flippers on. I like my face.
so why no faux ire there ?
I am not sure whether I am one of those or not 😂
so why no faux ire there ?
Good point. I got it right in the op so clearly I know my shit and maintain my god like pool status.
However I shall chastise myself forthwith.
20 laps in lane 1 for penance.
We have an outdoor pool that opens for the Summer it's glorious 👍But there's a group of women who half heartedly swim lengths but exercise their jaws more 🙄It's a leisure pool so can't really complain but they squat right in the middle 🙄I swear they tell their GPs how fit they keep with regular swimming 🤔
At my local pool the lanes are at least double wide, you could easily have people going in both directions, both being overtaken at the same time and have enough space to be 4 across at that moment.
The only issue I've ever had there was one person doing backstroke going clockwise from their staring at the ceiling perspective while everyone else was doing the correct clockwise
I swear they tell their GPs how fit they keep with regular swimming
They'll no doubt live happy long lives whilst some on this thread will get stress-induced cadio vascular disease. 🙂
If it helps, I nearly drowned in Peebles pool when I was wee. I was told not to go in the deep end as I wasn't a strong enough swimmer. I woke up in the first aid room. Must have been 33 years ago now.
Pointless story finished, Back to the argument.
Sounds like she was a cyclist. Inconsiderate sods that lot.
Christ imagine how bad it will be when the e-trunks come in!
We 've got an arm swinger who gets a lane to himself as he takes up the whole lane, several end lane chatters, worst though is an end lane chatter who sets off as you approach, clearly thinking you are a chatter too.
I just avoid the above, the non showerers miff me off too.
My local pool has the opposite problem. I'm a confident but relatively slow swimmer so am quite happy pootling up & down the slow lane, not causing any obstructions. There are a couple of swimmers who are obviously very accomplished fast swimmers who insist on using the slow lane even when the fast lane is empty, which is discouraging to many in the slow lane.
Fins/flippers of any type are also banned because of risk of injury.
When you are having a breather at the end of a length - do you wait on the same side you were swimming on, so the person has to divert before pushing off in a straight line; or do you move over so they can hit the wall in a straight line and then push off at an angle to cross the lane to the correct outgoing side?
Yeah that's worse.
Quite alot worse.
When you are having a breather at the end of a length – do you wait on the same side you were swimming on, so the person has to divert before pushing off in a straight line; or do you move over so they can hit the wall in a straight line and then push off at an angle to cross the lane to the correct outgoing side?
Generally I think it's better staying on the side you came up. If you push off you are better pushing off into clear space in the direction of traffic than diagonal. Unless it a woman ofcourse then I have to live up to my misogynistic tendencies and just blast through to show contempt etc.
People generally wait on the side they push off from in these parts, we drive on the right and swim anti-clockwise:
Edit: why do some pics work and some not even when they're fine in the preview?
and swim anti-clockwise:
This is really annoying. Lanes should alternate to avoid clashing arms.
Lane direction should alternate CW / ACW / CW / ACW etc - reduces chances of hitting someone else in a neighbouring lane.
And taking a breather, anywhere but the middle of the end of the lane. Yes, I’ve had that.
Peebles alternates.
Always half expect an interlocking.
It's also a mystery to me why they don't leave the flags out so people stand a chance of not headbutting the wall during back stroke.
My local pool was usually 6-8 to a 25m lane so not even enough room to deploy the early turn strategy.
Too many people think they're training for/are at the Olympics.
Have a breather stuffed tight into one of the corners, leaving the middle free for the turn/tumble. Doesn't really matter which one.
this thread has made me laugh, thanks for that.
I swim quite a lot. competed at a high std - albeit a long time ago and now at my local pool, there's only a couple of people faster than me where I normally swim, one is a lovely lady who must be approaching late 60's, but is an absolutely amazing swimmer. Mostly I really enjoy my lane swimming and learnt at the weekend that there's a small group in the middle lane using my pace to improve their swimming, which we all had a good laugh and chat about. So can be fun 🙂
to get back to the OP 100% agree - I see all the behaviours listed above frequently and in my earlier 3km swim today - no dramas like the OP at all, but yesterday's 3.5 km swim - I'm sure the same person was swimming in my local pool, a very annoying lady who would never allow anyone faster to get past, so overtaking her every 6 length or so, gets annoying and I suspect quite annoying for the other swimmers in the lane. She was really holding me up, but as I overtake and then 2 lengths later I can see there's a queue of swimmers behind her. Muppet.
I don't know what it is about the swimmers with the hand paddles and flippers in public lanes, it's not like they're going very fast, or training hard.
But I do get - some people are too fast for the medium lane, but nowhere near quick enough for the fast lane.
Issue is in most lane setups there only just enough room to safely overtake without ploughing into someone coming the other way and I don't want to ruin someone elses swim by overtaking repeatedly.
It shouldn't be needed, but tumble turns are effective for everyone knowing what to do and where to be in the lane 🙂 and also good for speed and 2-3 100s at a proper lick either clears the lane or suddenly everyone knows where to stop and rest and when to move out of the way.
the suggestion to swim over someone in a public-ish lane pool session is just stupid, this was encouraged at club swimming and repeatedly done. Not sure it's allowed nowadays. Reckon if I did this at my local pool I'd get banned from the pool.
Swimming underneath someone would be cool to see, pretty sure I couldn't manage it and be confident enough to surface ahead of someone. Also probebly see me banned, but in a cool way.
And as for turning early - b*l*x to that. Turning early for all the reasons above, you'd do 500m, not 1km 🙂 What a pain in the ass. I don't like to cut my lengths short either, that's probably ingrained from club swimming.
If there are any real plodders in the fast lane, I ask the lifeguard - who's usually doing fek all - to sort it. Also the idiots that walk up and down the pool in the lanes - either the medium or fast lane, why ? Just why ? And the total numb knuts that can't read the swimming direction signs, again not difficult to read and maybe watch what everyone else is doing?
There is probably a point at which you have to question whethere to move up and join a club, where lane discipline isn't a problem, its more the super early start times that are a pain.
I love swimming underwater and usually go for a few (individual) lengths if there's space available, but I don't think I could swim under someone else mid-length when I'm already blowing. I'm not a bloody dolphin.
some people are too fast for the medium lane, but nowhere near quick enough for the fast lane.
I rarely see anyone who is actually quick, and it's starkly obvious when they do turn up.
Too many people think they’re training for/are at the Olympics
I swam in a triathlon club for years, performance in events seemed inversly proportional to time spent looking at a watch/pace clock/HRM/training programme in waterproof bag, messing with paddles and flippers and avoiding a leg kick with a pull bouy. The ones that were a menace in a swim lane had egos way beyond their ability and an obsession with times and toys.
I lose count so have a very rough notion of how far I've swum based on how long I've been in the water. The session ends when I get knackered, cold or bored so turning early makes no difference to distance and breaks the boredom. 🙂
Also why does everyone take a drinks bottle in with them nowadays? Fair enough if you're in there doing 5k+ I guess but from what I see generally they do a couple of lengths with fins or paddles, stop swig chat. I usually do about an hour and can't say I've ever desperately needed a drink.
frustrating, but cut short one length to turn around ahead of her?
This is how I play it, especially when swimming the morning (Not so often these days). Otherwise I'm in a right mood on the commute into work.
Also why does everyone take a drinks bottle in with them nowadays? Fair enough if you’re in there doing 5k+ I guess but from what I see generally they do a couple of lengths with fins or paddles, stop swig chat. I usually do about an hour and can’t say I’ve ever desperately needed a drink.
That's not just a swimming thing. 4k trot round the block? Don the hydration vest.
Re the drink - it's just like mtb or running or the gym. There's a good reason when you are going for it. Then there's people who want to look the part..... But you do have to remember that my (back in the day) 1min 20 100m tempo pace might have me working only as hard as someone else's 2min 30 100m pace.
Swimming in a public pool can be flipping warm. I used to swim in a 50m pool that held club galas and swimming in there after they'd dropped the temperature by a few degrees over the weekend for an event was a joy. Conversely a pool with a laned section that was a single water mass connected to a baby pool and pool with a wave section and lazy river was so warm you'd come out of the water and keep sweating for ages.
Swimming always makes me very thirsty. I get quite warm and obviously don't notice myself sweating.
Cardiff 'big' pool has a completely separate leisure side which is flippin warm; and a 50m competition pool which is icy and a joy even after getting too warm in the changing rooms!
Maybe it varies by pool but the one I used to go to was pretty friendly at lane times. If you were doing something against the unwritten rules someone would point it out pretty quickly. A bit like roadies, people on the outside like to bemoan how they'd hate all the "rules", but once you're in then it just makes it easier and more enjoyable all-round and you don't end up with threads like this.
Have a breather stuffed tight into one of the corners, leaving the middle free for the turn/tumble. Doesn’t really matter which one.
Convention is IIRC to pause on the incoming side, because people will swim across, turn and want to kick off straight, not at an angle (or just switch strokes, swim slower for a few lengths).
And as for turning early – b*l*x to that. Turning early for all the reasons above, you’d do 500m, not 1km 🙂 What a pain in the ass.
I dunno, turning and not getting the benefit of the kick feels exhausting to me 😂
Also why does everyone take a drinks bottle in with them nowadays? Fair enough if you’re in there doing 5k+ I guess but from what I see generally they do a couple of lengths with fins or paddles, stop swig chat. I usually do about an hour and can’t say I’ve ever desperately needed a drink.
I never used to and still don’t for swims under 2 km, but as pointed out to me on the 100 days thread by @scotroutes hydration may help with swimming cramps on long distance swims, something about im not rehydrating via osmosis and fair play it has helped.
Never worried about this when younger.
I used to swim in Newcastle. Back in my teens I was quite handy and swam very competitively so some of the speed has gone but I have good aerobic capacity and the technique is muscle memory.
Anyway, the rule in this particular pool was that there was a lane for front crawl and a lane for breast stroke. It turns out they did mean front crawl and definitely not freestyle. I got asked to leave because I was doing the wrong stroke. It mattered not that I was the fastest person in the lane because the rules are the rules. I know a few others who swam well - apparently they had also been told off.
Normally I was one of those annoying people. If I saw someone looking at "my" lane, I'd put a bit of effort in and speed up to try and make them think otherwise. Generally worked.
You can clear the people out gossipping at the ends with a well placed tumble turn.
If you aren't getting your head wet you probably shouldn't be in a lane swim - unless you are training for polo but that's a niche.
/rant //not entirely serious.
I miss swimming - most places near me now seem to be working hours for open swimming and then private sessions. It would be nice to mix up the training a bit, particularly in winter.
I know in club sessions as a teen if the person in front of you was slow, a quick pull of the ankle normally made them aware. I guess this isn't socially acceptable with strangers.
I had no idea swimming was so political.
Is there any exercise activity in the world that has more secret rules than swimming? And also at the same time, has people getting grumpy because someone's not playing swimming by the exact same set of secret rules that they are, while not actually wanting to share any of it or help people get on board with the secret cult, because that'd be ridiculous and would spoil all the fun of being grumpy. I just got back into swimming after a long break (basically since pre-internet days which possibly has something to do with it) and honestly it seems like everyone's gone mad. Like you're just supposed to hop in and instantly soak up a thousand page etiquette book via osmosis from the piss in the water, or something, and if you don't you're not merely an inexcusable moron, you are also a bomb-throwing anarchist. And you can go to a different pool, or even your normal pool but at a different time, and discover that there's a slightly different secret rulebook in force.
And you're supposed to figure all of this out at a point in your swimming career where it takes most of your energy just to not sink.
I do like the one thing it absolutely has in common with mountain biking though, that fast people don't worry about slow people, only ever-so-slightly faster slow people worry about slow people.
**** off down to lane 2 Northwind. 🙂
The only hard rule is go the same direction as everyone else, because its surprisingly sore hitting someone head on. Everything else is a compromise.
I stand by if there are 4 people being held up you just tap out a second, which on 25m laps provides you with plenty of opportunities for a minimal fuss natural point to do it I know this because it's exactly what I do when I am caught up. I would know exactly what to do with a foot tap but out with a training session I would be very surprised if a random just did it, and I am certainly not going to do it or any type intimidating of someone just having a swim. But some people on here seem to think 4 out of the 5 people should just swim in circles in the middle of the lane. I even said she was in the right lane.
Anyway my main point is the fact that she had a go at the lifeguard which suggests she knew exactly what she was doing.
The final topic was one of Edukators own fantasies where he rubs himself off whilst trying to sound like he knows what he is talking about. I'm not sure if the failure is part of the fettish or he genuinely thinks people are interested in his gobshite.
😂😂😂
Re "The Rules". My local pool has handy posters up in the changing rooms to guide you through such complexities as lane etiquette. But you can lead a horse to chlorinated water and all that...
It’s hardly rocket science to let faster swimmers overtake at the end, you’d have to be a complete moron to not notice being caught though everyone can make the odd mistake. So I conclude everyone who consistently gets in the way is just an arrogant selfish ****. Fortunately very few of them in my local pool.
The local swimmers must read this forum cos on the 06:45 session today was me on my own for the first 10 mins, then just 2 other guys - one slightly quicker than me, one a bit slower so it all worked really well. They lasted about half an hour so the last 10 minutes I was on my own again!
Best swim I've had there. 🙂