Or is this woman? Swimming pool etiquette

[clary]

I went swimming today and went in the middle lane. There was another woman in the same lane, swimming slower than me (totally fine). Judging by the speed of the fast lane and the slowness of the slow lane, we were both in the right lane!

I gradually catch her up, finally swimming up the lane right behind her. By accident (swimming front crawl) I tap her on the foot. She finishes her length – and must see me there. But off she goes, not stopping for me. Am I supposed to swim at her slower pace? Wait at the deep end for her to get ahead? What I did was overtake her. This happened about five or six times. In the end another swimmer was in the lane too and I had to overtake quickly to avoid a crash.

Am I missing something? Isn’t this woman being a bit selfish? I said nothing to her tho at one point she called something out to me. I prefer not to overtake tbh (because of possible collisions). I always move aside at the end of a length if someone is speeding up behind me. Doesn’t everyone do this? (obviously not this woman…)

[boredofusername]

Toe-tapping is not rude and it is not aggressive. It is the recognised etiquette (they tell you to do it at the Swimathon for example) and is much safer than overtaking down the middle of the lane.

But I don't like public sessions, I just go once a week to a lesson where we know to let each other pass if we catch each other up, and have an idea of who's best at each stroke, legs only, arms only etc so the right person goes out first.

[BeardMinge]

YABU, just good lane etiquette isn't it, I always give way to faster swimmers. Having said that, if I repeatedly find myself behind a swimmer who is marginally slower (but as in this instance we're both ok to be in the medium lane) I tend to stop for 30 seconds and let them get a lengths head start and then set off when they touch the far end. Annoying to have to stop, but some people are just oblivious.

If they are really slow I ask them to move into the slow lane, politely, bearing in mind that they might be really short sighted and not able to see the speed signs, or not be able to read English.

[NerrSnerr]

At our pool there are no written rules anywhere and I have never known anyone toe tap. Before this thread I'd have assumed they did I by accident.

If you're at a pool where it is not known that it's the etiquette then I think it's rude. Many of us don't do triathlons or swimathons so have no way of knowing these unspoken rules.

[Owllady]

This is why i go in the free for all section. Saves any scrutiny of manners and humiliation of being overtaken by pensioners

[sparkleface]

Oh the lane rage!! I get so angry when I go swimming for so many reasons: too slow swimmers, too fast and splashy swimmers, people doing butterfly in the slow lane.... AAARRRGGGHHH.

It's so difficult sharing such a confined space with people who all swim at different speeds, but that's why there are different lanes and etiquette like toe tapping and letting people go in front at each end if they are faster. It's the only way it can be bearable!

SWBVU OP, I would have been fuming.

[Micah]

If you start swimming, and someone is catching up with you, you don't need them tapping your feet to know they are faster. Why not just keep on swimming over them, then they'll get out of the way .

I have a serious problem with physical contact, it's why I swim rather than do sports which involve contact or interacting with others. If I felt someone touching me I didn't know was there, my instinctive reaction is to kick.

Toe tap away, but if you choose to get close enough to touch someones feet, you can't complain if they kick you, either by accident or through reflex. It might be acceptable etiquette in certain places, but getting close to kicking feet seems a bit mad to me. I have a strong breaststroke kick, and have kicked people behind me, hard, if I don't know they are that close.

It's tailgating, basically, isn't it.

Even if someone is oblivious, just stop short at the end of the lane and overtake there.

[Micah]

If you start swimming, and someone is catching up with you, you don't need them tapping your feet to know they are faster. Why not just keep on swimming over them, then they'll get out of the way .

I have a serious problem with physical contact, it's why I swim rather than do sports which involve contact or interacting with others. If I felt someone touching me I didn't know was there, my instinctive reaction is to kick.

Toe tap away, but if you choose to get close enough to touch someones feet, you can't complain if they kick you, either by accident or through reflex. It might be acceptable etiquette in certain places, but getting close to kicking feet seems a bit mad to me. I have a strong breaststroke kick, and have kicked people behind me, hard, if I don't know they are that close.

It's tailgating, basically. How many toe tappers find that acceptable?

Even if someone is oblivious, just stop short at the end of the lane and overtake there.

[Twowrongsdontmakearight]

I never knew there was so much etiquette in swimming! Like owl lady I always went in the main pool as I liked to stop and kick my legs or bounce about at the end of each length. Good job I didn't try that in even the slow lane.

[kaymondo]

I think people are getting a bit over the top by the idea of toe tapping - it's usually the tip of your outstretched fingers at the full length of your stroke brushing the tips of the toes of the person in front iyswim - you'd experience more physical contact brushing past someone out of the pool, and it certainly shouldn't be a vicious/hard tap.

[Micah]

It's annoying though. If someone starts tapping your toes half way down a length, are you supposed to stop then and let them pass, or put up with someone purposely touching your toes for the half length until you get to the end?

Yes, I know you're there, I knew it before you started touching me, let me at least get to the end of the pool so I can let you pass.

[KidLorneRoll]

Given that it's pretty difficult to shout excuse me whilst swimming, a gentle tap on the foot to request that the slower swimmer allows the faster swimmer to overtake at the end of the lane is hardly 'invading personal space' or all the other hysterical descriptions people are coming out with.

Sheesh.

[feellikeahugefailure]

Wow tapping someones toes is acceptable?

id love to do that to all the really slow swimmers chatting as swimming but not swimming that close to their friend so there is a gap but not big enough to get by.

[NerrSnerr]

If someone did tap my toes I would let them past but I didn't know it was etiquette, I'd just think they weren't paying attention. If someone is slower than me I just turn earlier or give them a head start.

[BarbarianMum]

Never heard of toe tapping. At our pool the protocol is that faster swimmers overtake and if you get to the end with someone breathng down your neck, you wait and give them the opportunity to start the next length in front of you.

The concept of lane swimming does encompass the idea of sharing though. I hate it when the slowest swimmers are made to feel uncomfortable for not swimming "fast enough" in the slow lane.

[feellikeahugefailure]

If i lived in a big city id start toe tapping. Sadly live in a small place :(

[IceRoadDucker]

Wow tapping someones toes is acceptable?

No. I like how it's now turned into a mere brush of the tip of the fingers on a smidgeon of skin in an attempt to justify it.

[arethereanyleftatall]

Bombardier - you've got it completely wrong. This is fact, not opinion.
Tapping the swimmer in front once on the foot is the universally known (I thought!!) way of telling them you want to go in front. For how else could they know?!?
I coach club swimmers, I teach swimmers to swim, I'm a competitive swimmer myself, I'm at one pool or another 8 hours per day. I know the etiquette!

[NerrSnerr]

Arethere I have lived in 6 different towns and cities and swam in all of them and have never heard of toe tapping so I can't be universally known as I'm not the only person on this thread who hasn't heard of it.

I have just been for a swim and luckily had the lane to myself so no one had to tap anyone or get annoyed with anyone else!

[BarbarianMum]

Yeah, but the point is that lots of people who swim don't do any of this stuff. They just go swimming - this thread shows that toe tapping is not a universally recognised signal.

[Micah]

Tapping the swimmer in front once on the foot is the universally known (I thought!!) way of telling them you want to go in front. For how else could they know?!?

Because they are experienced enough to know the pace of other swimmers in the lane. If someone starts off a length behind, and catches up to you, it's a fair assumption that by the next length they need to go in front. Competitive swimmers will stack themselves up over a set from fastest to slowest, so unless you're doing distance training, it's unusual for one to catch up easily.

I coach club swimmers, I teach swimmers to swim, I'm a competitive swimmer myself, I'm at one pool or another 8 hours per day. I know the etiquette!

Me too. And my entire family. All of us think it's rude. Also it's very rare someone taps once- any toe tappers I've come across do it repeatedly down the length. I would never tell my swimmers to toe tap, in fact I'd tell them to keep away from another swimmers feet in case they get a foot in the face. Swimmer's leg kicks will hurt- particularly breast strokers, where it's likely you'll catch up.

[arethereanyleftatall]

Given that, I wonder if it's possibly only known/done by swimmers in fast/medium lanes where it's normally front crawl, and they've had a few lessons at a club. Thus easy to lightly tap with your out stretched arm without 'invading personal space'(!). I'm guessing breaststrokers in the slow lane aren't so familiar with it, and also their kicks are erratic so you could get a kick in the head!

[arethereanyleftatall]

Obviously not breaststrokers Micah. I'm struggling to believe you're as involved as you say you are in swimming if I'm honest. Sorry.

[BarbarianMum]

Oh well I'm a slow lane breaststroker/backstroker which probably explains why I have never come across this. Only ever in the fast lane (our pool only has two) for racing breast-stroke - not surprisingly no-one has ever tried and tapped my toe for that, either.

[BombadierFritz]

Its never happened to me either. You just stop at the end of a lane or speed up or let them past. No need for physical contact. Its not swim club, triathlon training, or any type of competitive swimming. Its a public swimming session. It is aggressive and invades personal space. I am surprised the toe tappers have not yet been swim raged over it.

[arethereanyleftatall]

But the point of the op was the other person didn't stop at the end of the length to let op past.
If everyone realised to toe tap once (frontcrawler to front crawler) meant they wanted to go in front at the end of the length, and if everyone understood its not an aggressive gesture, it would actually improve lane swimming and reduce rage.
At the moment you have swimmers worrying about how far in front to stop, swimmers not stopping, swimmers stopping but the person behind is not going anyway etc etc. if everyone adopted this simple bit of etiquette, it'd be better for all.