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Original poster

Swimming lane etiquette

80 replies

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 17:22

hi everyone - I’m recovering from a back injury & have started going swimming. At my gym you have to book a lane depending on your speed.

I was swimming today (backstroke) and could see a woman a few strokes behind me who was trying to overtake. She wasn’t swimming faster than me & I didn’t slow my speed so she just sort of stayed behind me but in the middle of the lane (if that makes sense). This went on for a few lengths until she cut across me at the end of the lane - then she massively slowed down and i got stuck behind her while she caught her breath and doggy paddled. In the end, i waited at the end of the lane so she was far enough ahead of me that her speed didn’t interfere with my swimming but it really threw my concentration !! I saw her do it to a few other people too….

Is this normal?! There was another guy who was super quick so he was easily overtaking people but it didn’t interfere with anyone else’s swimming as he was so fast. So should you slow down if someone wants to overtake even if you are swimming at the same speed?!

OP posts:

CroftonWillow · 23/04/2024 17:25

It's common but poor etiquette to try to sprint past someone you're not faster than. She should have stayed behind you and if she didnt like your turbulence wait at the end until you were far enough ahead.

vincettenoir · 23/04/2024 17:25

Yeah, this is pretty normal I'd say. This is just part and parcel of swimming at a leisure centre. That is unless you are able to swim at non peak times and manage to have a lane to yourself.

WhatNoRaisins · 23/04/2024 17:26

If you've got to book a lane then some people might find there is a bit of trial and error until they figure out what speed suits them. Otherwise you'd just move along based on what's going on around.

Octavia64 · 23/04/2024 17:29

Standard etiquette if she is faster is to pause at the end of the pool and let her pass.

Original poster

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 17:31

@Octavia64 which I always do but she wasn’t faster !! And trying to overtake clearly wiped her out as once she cut me up she then slowed down so much I was standing up in the pool at one point as she was barely moving !

OP posts:

Reachforthestars00 · 23/04/2024 17:31

Good etiquette is for the slower swimmer to stop at the end of their next length and let the faster swimmer pass. If you hadn't done this, she might have thought you rude. Overtaking mid length is also rude, as is pushing off in front of an incoming swimmer (esp when you are slower).

Octavia64 · 23/04/2024 17:32

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 17:31

In which case that's crap!

Original poster

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 17:35

interesting re not over- taking half way down the pool, I didn’t know that & seems like common practise in my pool. It does make sense to wait at the end and let the faster swimmer go first, I’ve done that a few times as it’s less stressful than feeling chased !

Also for those of you that have to book lanes, what’s the max amount of spots that can be booked ? My pool is 14 which seems like a lot

OP posts:

thedendrochronologist · 23/04/2024 17:36

50/50 - backstroke in lanes is annoying. Not many people do it.

How ever she was being pretty dozy too.

You both could have just waited it out and then given the other one a head start. This is what I do if someone is tailing me. I agree It is incredibly frustrating when someone start just after you and is then on your heels though, she could have just waited and given you a length head start.

Also depends how many were in the lane and how experienced they are at lane swimming and judging speed of others. I find two or three fine, four bearable and 5 or 6 really annoying.

Someone -man- who was doggy paddling grabbed hold of me and obstructed at the deep end when I went to overtake at the end because he said I was rude and didn't ask him to . I'm sorry I can't speak underwater I'm not a mermaid.

Original poster

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 17:39

@thedendrochronologist i actually hate backstroke but it’s all I can do at the moment! Hopefully I’ll be able to do some front crawl soon

OP posts:

idontlikealdi · 23/04/2024 17:43

Tap on the foot to signal you are overtaking. Booking lanes based on speed is bonkers though. You should be able to change lanes on actual speed of the swimmers.

Feelingstrange2 · 23/04/2024 17:44

Etiquette. 3 max per lane. Up pool on left, back on right. Wait at the wall when there are faster swimmers. Faster swimmers ought then to only overtake if they are very sure of their ability to pass and not upset anyone else. Slower swimmers are waiting so faster should give something too. They are not god.

However, backstroke is not a sociable stroke to swim in a full lane. Wait until you have the lane to yourself one day.

I might be biassed because I hate backstroke - it only shows up my useless sense of direction, but I don't swim fly in a busy lane either as I don't think that's particularly sociable with others around as it tends to drown them.....maybe it would have been a good idea today tho! 😆

lidolemon · 23/04/2024 17:46

I wonder if she was trying to overtake you for a while, then when she did deliberately went slow to annoy you? Still bad manners if so.

Quite often I am behind someone for ages because I don't want to crash into them, but they don't realise that I'm swimming much slower than I'd like to and let me pass. It's generally the middle type lane that can be the worst; fast lane swimmers tend to know the etiquette and slow lane aren't too worried about overtaking at ends.

Sometimes, if I am stuck behind a slower swimmer who won't let me pass, I do a half lane and then switch over so I am then well in front of them, but never just in front of them. There are pools where overtaking mid lane can happen, these are wider lanes though so 3 people can pass by, not the standard narrow ones.

Lane and swim etiquette, and grumbles about fellow swimmers are what keeps it from being boring though during the session.

LizzieSiddal · 23/04/2024 17:48

At my club, although the lane rule is as @Feelingstrange2 describes, if there are only two of you we always take a side each of the lane and swim up and down it. It is much better that way as there is no issue with who’s slow/fast.

Catopia · 23/04/2024 17:54

It's normal but poor etiquette. Men often do this when they get in the fast lane where there is already a woman. Then after 2 lengths they're flailing around unable to breathe like an injured salmon. If they're really pissing me off I choose the rage swimming option where I put in a hard 10 lengths and lap them a couple of times to truly wound their egos, but otherwise I try to take a karmic approach to the lane swimming idiots.

Hedonism · 23/04/2024 17:56

I wonder if she was trying to overtake you for a while, then when she did deliberately went slow to annoy you? Still bad manners if so.

This is what I thought too. If someone is swimming close behind me then I assume they are waiting to overtake. There is nothing more frustrating than a slightly slower swimmer not stopping and I don't want to risk being that person 😬 I would rather just hang at the end for a bit and let them put a bit of space between us.

Original poster

Flowersandforests · 23/04/2024 18:47

@lidolemon@Hedonism possibly - but we kept the same distance apart so we were swimming at the same pace. When someone is obviously faster I do let them past at the end of the pool.

im definitely getting the sense that swimmers are quite territorial 😂pre injury I did a lot of running and never came across this but I guess you have a lot more space for overtaking etc

OP posts:

Octavia64 · 23/04/2024 18:51

14 in a lane is a LOT,

I've only really seen that actually happen in club swimming where you have an order and mostly stick to it as the coach knows pretty well the speed people can swim at over a long period of time.

Is that max capacity? How many were actually in the lane?

If I have someone slower than me in my lane I'll often swim 50s and push off just as they are on their way back to maximise distance between us.

Feelingstrange2 · 23/04/2024 19:02

14? Oh my!

When I got out of our 25m pool today there were only 4 of us in it! Not the lane... the whole pool!

TeenDivided · 23/04/2024 19:07

LizzieSiddal · 23/04/2024 17:48

I hate it when people ask me to do that.
For some reason it stresses me out a lot.
I'm a bit of a rule follower, plus it is hard for someone else to join the lane, plus I like turning round the same direction at each end.

I'll happily wait at the end to let someone a bit faster than me past.

Countrylife2002 · 23/04/2024 19:16

LizzieSiddal · 23/04/2024 17:48

I’ve been asked to do this by a couple of men recently and it’s been awesome!

LK2610 · 23/04/2024 19:16

Proper etiquette is for the slower swimmer to stop at the end of the lane so that the other person can take over. It’s super annoying when folks don’t stop and remain oblivious, so you’re stuck behind them. But that relies on being honest about your pace which it doesn’t sound like she was. I find men usually overestimate and make a thing of being faster than women which is stupid. They wouldn’t act like that if you were out for a run. It’s also in the rules that you can gently tap on someone’s toes if they haven’t noticed you but let me tell you, people don’t like that 😂 again men also take this too far and I’ve had guys scratch my feet and yank at them. I wish this was an over exaggerated but it’s not.

Countrylife2002 · 23/04/2024 19:17

When I went on Monday there was just me and one other swimmer in whole pool -
me in fast lane her in slow. Just before the lunchtime rush seems to be the sweet spot !

BettySundaes · 23/04/2024 19:22

I don't like toe tapping. Etiquette is switch as the ends, yes occasionally some are oblivious to how much they have they've been slowing you up. Constant mid lane overtaking is annoying. Its usually someone who should ge in a faster lane but your lane is less crowded- grrr. I love an off peak empty lane swim!

LK2610 · 23/04/2024 19:23

I also tend to go at around 11am or 3pm now as it’s nice and quiet

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