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.
Am OK with circles IF: it's a team workout, everyone is doing the same workout, and the swimmers in each lane are swimming the same, or close to the same, pace. However, my comments below relate to times when I am there to work out on my own and when I will happily wait for a lane, or a lane to split, because:
x1 - You didn't pay for half of the lane, only the space in which you are swimming. Be observant and share. >>> I paid for access to the facility in order to get a great workout. If I have to wait for a split lane, I'm happy to, often do, and expect others to do so as well. Nothing more intrusive than having somebody jump in a lane two of us have already split, and are deep into our respective workouts, expecting us to switch to circles. See #2, below.
x2 - Circle swimming forces everyone to be not only on the same set, but almost the same interval. >>> Am there to do my workout on my intervals. Impossible to circle when I'm on 10x50s on a 0:45 when another guy is swimming his 500 warmup and another guy is doing a kick set.
x3 - circling makes you aware of all of the other swimmers in your lane >>> No more so than when splitting.
x4 - circling forces people to know how to pass or be passed with civility >>> Not really. Circling just forces people to pass which is either accomplished civilly, or not, depending on the passer and passee. Have seen plenty of civil, not so civil, and total obliviousness/ignorance.
x5 - circling allows you to drag on the leader or be a tow truck, pulling everyone else in the lane. >>> No thank you.
x6 - unless in a really crowded lane, circling keeps collisions to a minimum. >>> No potential for collisions when (properly) splitting. See #2 for circling.
x7 - circle swimming can be symbiotic, making everyone in the lane faster through teamwork. >>> Perhaps so if everyone has agreed to do the same set/workout and is of comparable ability. However, this has never been my experience.
Very happy to split a lane with another swimmer regardless of our relative abilities. Almost impossible, again outside of an organized team workout, to circle with other swimmers and accomplish the workout I've planned. Extremely frustrating for everyone.
Am OK with circles IF: it's a team workout, everyone is doing the same workout, and the swimmers in each lane are swimming the same, or close to the same, pace. However, my comments below relate to times when I am there to work out on my own and when I will happily wait for a lane, or a lane to split, because:
x1 - You didn't pay for half of the lane, only the space in which you are swimming. Be observant and share. >>> I paid for access to the facility in order to get a great workout. If I have to wait for a split lane, I'm happy to, often do, and expect others to do so as well. Nothing more intrusive than having somebody jump in a lane two of us have already split, and are deep into our respective workouts, expecting us to switch to circles. See #2, below.
x2 - Circle swimming forces everyone to be not only on the same set, but almost the same interval. >>> Am there to do my workout on my intervals. Impossible to circle when I'm on 10x50s on a 0:45 when another guy is swimming his 500 warmup and another guy is doing a kick set.
x3 - circling makes you aware of all of the other swimmers in your lane >>> No more so than when splitting.
x4 - circling forces people to know how to pass or be passed with civility >>> Not really. Circling just forces people to pass which is either accomplished civilly, or not, depending on the passer and passee. Have seen plenty of civil, not so civil, and total obliviousness/ignorance.
x5 - circling allows you to drag on the leader or be a tow truck, pulling everyone else in the lane. >>> No thank you.
x6 - unless in a really crowded lane, circling keeps collisions to a minimum. >>> No potential for collisions when (properly) splitting. See #2 for circling.
x7 - circle swimming can be symbiotic, making everyone in the lane faster through teamwork. >>> Perhaps so if everyone has agreed to do the same set/workout and is of comparable ability. However, this has never been my experience.
Very happy to split a lane with another swimmer regardless of our relative abilities. Almost impossible, again outside of an organized team workout, to circle with other swimmers and accomplish the workout I've planned. Extremely frustrating for everyone.
