I swim with a small club in a small HS pool. As a result of low attendance, we often get only one or two people per lane at practice. The typical response to an addition is, "let's split the lane!" which is universally accepted. I have never been a supporter of this style of training or lane sharing, because it automatically makes a third person wait for someone to accept his/her appearance at the end of the lane. This is only the first of a myriad of reasons not to split lanes.
The one and only time swimming straight away is correct is during competition.
If you want to enumerate the good things about splitting lanes, please precede the number with "x" so we can keep track of the different lists.
Circle swimming is immensely better and automatically adding people to the group is a no-brain activity.
I will enumerate some reasons why splitting lanes is just bad all around, please feel free to agree and add your own observations. If you disagree, use reason to make your argument. Simply saying that you like it is not acceptable. Recreation swimmers are fearsome champions of splitting lanes and not acknowledging people waiting to enter the pool. For that reason, they get:
#1 - You didn't pay for half of the lane, only the space in which you are swimming. Be observant and share.
2 - Circle swimming forces everyone to be not only on the same set, but almost the same interval.
3 - circling makes you aware of all of the other swimmers in your lane
4 - circling forces people to know how to pass or be passed with civility
5 - circling allows you to drag on the leader or be a tow truck, pulling everyone else in the lane.
6 - unless in a really crowded lane, circling keeps collisions to a minimum.
7 - circle swimming can be symbiotic, making everyone in the lane faster through teamwork.
x1 - I didn't pay for half the lane, nor even the space I'm swimming in. I just paid to swim. However, the space I'm swimming in is constantly moving...and it may be moving significantly faster, or slower than your space is moving, and the space of a third swimmer in our lane. Maybe we're all of different speed and ability. That can be really frustrating to the faster swimmer. So, maybe one of us...the one who got there last...should get out and wait until space opens up while the two remaining swimmers SPLIT the lane.
x2 - Why do we have to be on the same set, or even doing the same workout? I may be doing repeat 500s freestyle while another swimmer is doing 50s ***, and yet another is trying to do IMs. That combo doesn't lend itself to circle swimming. Two swimmers splitting a lane don't have that issue.
x3 - Circle swimming only makes me aware of the other swimmers when they make their presence known to me. Too many times I've been swimming along when out of nowhere a swimmer gets in the water...unbeknownst to me...begins swimming...comes from the other direction and causes a head-on collision. This doesn't happen when splitting a lane.
x4 - No, circle swimming does not mean the other swimmers know how to pass. Maybe they're not passing at all because they're the slower swimmer. My experience is that the slower swimmers rest at the wall, and then inevitably begin their next interval just as I'm approaching the wall to turn. Consequently, I come off the wall at speed only to be right at the feet of a much slower swimmer...and potentially unable to pass because the third swimmer is too close for me to pass.
x5 - I don't care about dragging (drafting???) or towing. I just want to swim my workout.
x6 - Circle swimming causes more collisions. See x2, x3, and x4 above.
x7 - See x5 above. To be symbiotic everyone in the lane pretty much as to be of similar ability and at the same point in very similar workouts.
Dan
x1 - I didn't pay for half the lane, nor even the space I'm swimming in. I just paid to swim. However, the space I'm swimming in is constantly moving...and it may be moving significantly faster, or slower than your space is moving, and the space of a third swimmer in our lane. Maybe we're all of different speed and ability. That can be really frustrating to the faster swimmer. So, maybe one of us...the one who got there last...should get out and wait until space opens up while the two remaining swimmers SPLIT the lane.
x2 - Why do we have to be on the same set, or even doing the same workout? I may be doing repeat 500s freestyle while another swimmer is doing 50s ***, and yet another is trying to do IMs. That combo doesn't lend itself to circle swimming. Two swimmers splitting a lane don't have that issue.
x3 - Circle swimming only makes me aware of the other swimmers when they make their presence known to me. Too many times I've been swimming along when out of nowhere a swimmer gets in the water...unbeknownst to me...begins swimming...comes from the other direction and causes a head-on collision. This doesn't happen when splitting a lane.
x4 - No, circle swimming does not mean the other swimmers know how to pass. Maybe they're not passing at all because they're the slower swimmer. My experience is that the slower swimmers rest at the wall, and then inevitably begin their next interval just as I'm approaching the wall to turn. Consequently, I come off the wall at speed only to be right at the feet of a much slower swimmer...and potentially unable to pass because the third swimmer is too close for me to pass.
x5 - I don't care about dragging (drafting???) or towing. I just want to swim my workout.
x6 - Circle swimming causes more collisions. See x2, x3, and x4 above.
x7 - See x5 above. To be symbiotic everyone in the lane pretty much as to be of similar ability and at the same point in very similar workouts.
Dan
