Good Swim & Lane Etiquette

A great workout starts with good lane etiquette:

  • Move over to the far left side when stopping at the wall so others can finish at the wall
  • Do NOT start and stop in front of the wall blocking others trying to touch the wall
  • Do NOT push off and start when a swimmer is coming in for a turn
  • Allow a faster swimmer to pass by either moving over next to the lane line or waiting at the wall
  • If you want to pass ONLY tap foot of front swimmer once or twice
  • Organize lane by fastest at that stroke which may not be the same for free as back or br
  • Before starting each set, decide who will lead the lane and DO NOT switch in the middle of a set so that everyone gets the same amount of rest (you may need to adjust send off intervals to 10 or 15s)
  • Do NOT push off and start right after the swimmer in front of you, appropriate send off is 5s between swimmers but depending on the set you may need to adjust
  • Leave on correct intervals do NOT wait so YOU can leave on the 30 or 60
  • The lane leader should adjust so that the entire lane starts and ends each set together (sometimes this takes compromise but remember this is a team!)
  • If you don’t understand the set as written, ask the coach. They have a specific objective in mind and if you don’t know what you’re doing and take off without explanation they may make you repeat the whole thing over again
  • Help rookies in your lane as they learn both the language and lane etiquette.
  • During very crowded practices it may take a few minutes for a coach to get back for explanations. If you are unsure it is okay to swim an easy 100 or raise your hand and ask for directions

If you arrive late…

First of all, great job getting there with your busy schedule! We know it’s not easy and every minute in the pool counts. Second, please get in your typical lane and join the warm up in progress…most warm ups are scheduled to take between 15-30 minutes and have many different features. Take a look at the board and try to figure out (or ask the coach) which part your lane is on. Please DO NOT start at the very beginning if you are coming in late! If the lane is kicking its okay to get in and swim a 200 or so around those kicking. Warm ups do not have to synchronized like the sets during practice. You just need to be courteous to those already in the lane ie: don’t push off in front of folks coming in for a turn, don’t stand and visit in front of the wall, don’t stop folks and ask them to explain what they are doing…get going and join the flow. If you come in and warm up is done, we will add you to a lane and have you go last until you are warmed up and you will follow the format of the set the lane is doing. We will scan and adjust lanes to reduce crowding and get lanes ability levels as  synchronized as possible before starting the main sets. Just realize we have a very diverse group and all may not be the same speed but we can all work together.

Please try and follow each set’s format:

The workout is written for a reason…certain goals in speed, heart rate, aerobics capacity, rest, drill, stroke goals, etc. Sometimes a set can be confusing so ask questions! Many times we do not write the details because we want you to stop so that we can explain. If there is no interval written on the board for a set means there is a 10 second rest interval. After each set your lane should regroup then go right into the next set – it keeps the lane flowing. If you are obviously out of place in the lane (too slow or too fast) let us know. We can move you after a set or we may have a reason for leaving you there. Be patient and we will all get more efficient and faster together.

If you need to stop or get out of the pool:

For a goggle change, bathroom break, etc wait for the lane to finish the repeat and then join the end of the line. Don’t run over folks that are tired and have been swimming while you were in the bathroom. Pace behind them and get back into the flow. No one like to have a swimmer riding their feet at the end of a long hard set!