Coaches’ Corner:

Etiquette

There are a few rules to getting along in the pool that everyone should keep in mind, so please read the following tips and put them into practice. The golden rule of pool etiquette, as in most things in life, is to treat other swimmers the way that you would wish to be treated. Nothing ruins an otherwise good workout faster than bad pool etiquette, which may discourage others from wanting to swim with you in the future.

Pacing

There are two tricks to making sure that everyone doesn’t end up piled up on top of each other in the lane:

Determine each swimmer’s pace at the beginning of the workout. The fastest swimmer in the lane should go first, and the slowest should go last.
Give the person ahead of you enough space at the start of the interval. Wait 5 seconds after he or she leaves before pushing off the wall.

Passing

Be aware of where the other swimmers in your lane are, and what they are doing. You should be working on observing your surroundings in the water in preparation for open water swimming anyway, so consider this good practice.

If you see that the person behind you is closing the gap between you and will catch you before the end of the interval, proactively choose a place to let them pass, preferably by hesitating at the next wall (in the corner of the lane, not the middle) to let them get by.
If you are the person needing to pass and you are close enough to the swimmer in front of you, it is considered good practice to gently touch their foot to let them know you are there and wish to pass.
If you are the person being touched, let the swimmer behind you get by at the next opportunity -– they are not trying to harass you, they are informing you of their presence. This is not your cue to speed up and start trying to get away from the person behind you. It is also not your cue to kick them for having the temerity to touch you.
If you are consistently catching the swimmers in front of you before the interval is over, it would be a good idea to move to the front of the queue during the next rest break, or move to a lane with swimmers who are closer to your pace if there is room.

Pausing

Rest intervals are a necessary part of any swim workout; they allow you to catch your breath and regroup before your next set. Resting helps you keep good form and allows you to maintain a consistent effort for the duration of your workout.

When you are finished with an interval, you should move to the wall in the corner of the lane to allow the swimmers behind you room to complete their own interval (or turn, if they are not on the same rest interval that you are on). If you rest in the middle of the lane, they have nowhere to go and will be forced to stand up before they reach the wall. That’s uncool.
This is also a good time to reshuffle your swim order if someone with a faster place has been seeded incorrectly in your lane. The price that they pay for moving up in the order is a slightly shorter rest interval.

last updated Saturday, Apr 02