Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

smontanaro — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 11:05:13 GMT

Wow! This is such an important topic that the California Legislature is getting into the act: www.cyclelicio.us/.../ Oh, wait. Wrong kind of lane. :)

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

smiley92407 — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:09:35 GMT

Usually there is only one person per lane, but I'm flexible and adjust as the need arises. My wife simply moves into my lane if someone joins her, and we split the lane. When going to the pool where my masters team works out, circle swimming is the norm. I do enjoy watching the circle swimmers in swim meets. So much extra yards for them to swim.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Gary P — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 05:41:59 GMT

I never really liked splitting because it's like putting up a big sign saying no one else is welcome in your lane. Well, no one is, at least until every other lane is doubled up ;). We don't start circle swimming at the local pool lap swim until we have to. Then we do. If all lanes are doubled up, I'm the first to offer the next person who walks up a chance to circle swim in my lane....even though that usually means my entire workout will go to hell. But because circle swimming pretty much ruins my workout even with just two in the lane, I'd rather split until circle swimming becomes a necessity. Honestly, at least half the time I offer to circle up, the person who walks up declines because they'd rather wait to split than circle swim. I guess it depends on the usual density of swimmers vs lanes availability. At the times I usually go, there's rarely more than two swimmers per lane. In fact, I've figured out when to go so that I can usually have a whole lane to myself. But there are times, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas (college kids home for the holiday needing to workout) and from January through early February (New Years resolution swimmers who don't stick with it) when we have to triple up.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Mullenski — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 05:35:32 GMT

But what if there are already two people in every lane? Many people are on a tight schedule and can't just wait around until someone is done just because certain people are unwilling to circle. It seems very rude to me to expect other people to wait for a lane. I understand. Everybody is different and does different workouts. I do a lot of short distance, high intensity sets; 25s, 50s, and 100s where maintaining the interval to the second is critical. That doesn't work swimming circles with people swimming 500s, stroke drills, etc. If there were three or four of us doing the same workout, by all means, let's circle and push each other. But, might as well not work out if I'm going to run into the last guy in the circle 35 yards into a hard 50 on each repeat because he's swimming a 500. Not good for him, not good for me. Just as disconcerting swimming with somebody working a faster pace than you as it is swimming with someone working a slower pace. Call me very rude, but I am truly happy to wait for a lane and often do - enables others to get their workout in, and I appreciate it when I'm able (allowed) to do the same.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Jimbosback — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 04:22:48 GMT

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

knelson — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 02:54:19 GMT

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. But what if there are already two people in every lane? Many people are on a tight schedule and can't just wait around until someone is done just because certain people are unwilling to circle. It seems very rude to me to expect other people to wait for a lane.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Mullenski — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 02:14:20 GMT

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.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Former Member — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:43:06 GMT

If only people where I swim would share. Many hug the entire lane like it is theirs for ever.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Former Member — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 14:36:07 GMT

x-I like circle swimming when I am doing the same workout as the other people in the lane, and they are as fast as me. But during lap swim I need to split. I am a fast swimmer, and during a lap swim everyone else is considerably slower. I do not want someone else holding up my workout.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

swimcat — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 12:03:36 GMT

I prefer circle swimming bc if i swim fly i have a decent wing span and don"t want to,lop head off other person if splitting .

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Chris Stevenson — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 06:03:03 GMT

Next time you are at a meet, watch the heats of races for circle swimming. Even in fast USA-S meets I'd wager that 50+% of the swimmers circle swim their races even though there is only one person in the lane. In terms of whether it affects your turn, try circle swimming in the opposite direction and see if it doesn't feel a little weird. If you are going 5 sec apart it is very hard to do a turn straight in and out because the people in front and behind are too close, especially if you get any kind of significant underwater distance after your turn.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

orca1946 — Tue, 31 May 2016 12:45:02 GMT

We have never tried clockwise. I think that would be interesting to work into our warmups. Thanx for the idea.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

knelson — Tue, 31 May 2016 11:48:06 GMT

Not a result of circle swimming, just a result of poor technique, or coach inattentiveness. The angle is going into the turn (if done properly) in circle swimming, not coming out. Circle swimming can definitely contribute to poor turn technique if you get lazy. On my team all warmups (other than at meets, obviously) are swum clockwise. It felt really strange at first, but now it's natural.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

knelson — Tue, 31 May 2016 05:11:55 GMT

You're welcome. If you try it I'd recommend keeping your eyes on your lanemates a little more than you normally would!

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Michael Heather — Sun, 29 May 2016 09:58:22 GMT

And circle swimming makes you learn to come out of your turns on an angle which works against you when doing a meet. Not a result of circle swimming, just a result of poor technique, or coach inattentiveness. The angle is going into the turn (if done properly) in circle swimming, not coming out. Thanks to all who have responded, in either camp. One more feature of my training pool is that the lanes are VERY narrow. Maybe 6 feet, perhaps less. Plus there are the lane lines. I usually have nothing bad to say about Kiefer products, but these lane lines have the horrible issue of puncturing or tearing up hands even if they do not have broken anti-wave fins.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

srcoyote — Fri, 27 May 2016 08:22:20 GMT

In pools where there are routinely more than two to a lane, I'm all for circle swimming, though it goes much better if there is a system to encourage people to choose lanes based on swimming speed. I do this routinely when I travel to Chicago or DC. But the pools where I swim the most, rarely is there ever more than two swimmers per lane in the pool. With only two to a lane I'll choose splitting every time. And, yes, courtesy plays a roll. It means if I'm swimming in a lane by myself, a swimmer of any speed can feel free to join me without the risk of passing hassles, and neither of us need adjust our workouts (though I may use one-arm fly or adjust to no fly if I feel I'd swamp the other swimmer).

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Former Member — Thu, 26 May 2016 14:15:23 GMT

I swim with a small club in a small HS pool. ... #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. Swimming with a club is totally different then swimming in a gym or other place. If I'm with a team then yes circle swimming does work best, usually. But if I'm at the gym I'm 2-4 times faster then the other people there generally and splitting the lane is FAR easier then trying to circle swim where I'll catch up to them every 50 or so. As for your other points: 2. You'd have to be on the same interval while circle swimming, otherwise you're going to be constantly having to readjust. 4. I'd hope that if you swim long enough with the same people there should be no reason to be passing anyone. 5. I don't know how well dragging really works, I don't like to do it as if I'm too close I feel nothing but bubbles. I also don't feel it's that safe to have someone right on my heels as I'm trying to turn. I've been kicked in the head from people being right on my toes at the turn. I've even had people who have swam over top of me at the wall, which isn't very safe either. So unless people know not to get right on you circle swimming can have it's problems. 6. Unless someone is right on me when I'm turning I've never had a problem hitting anyone except the occasional hand. 7. Only if everyone agrees to the interval and the workout. Some of us like to do stroke workouts and if no one else wants to then I have to either swim their free interval or not do stroke. I do agree that circle swimming is the way to go, but only if everyone can pretty much agree on what's going on, which isn't a whole lot of the time.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Patrick W. Brundage — Thu, 26 May 2016 12:52:07 GMT

Didn't you build your own pool? Are you trying to tell us something...? :-)Yes, I did and it's exceptional for ensuring you have your own lane, but I did it mainly because my work schedule doesn't often permit me to swim at standard times. With that said, I still travel a lot for work and find myself usually dropping in with Masters workouts or, most often, in open lap swimming. In places I go to a lot (Ventura County, San Francisco), I've learned which pools at which lap swimming times are likely to offer the optimal environment for doing a real workout, but I don't always get to those and then find myself in situations ranging from having my own lane to being in a near mosh-pit. I've learned to adapt and appreciate just being in the water and letting go of my personal desires for a great workout when in those crowded situations.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

smontanaro — Thu, 26 May 2016 12:32:57 GMT

On another note, I was swimming in Canada last weekend and the warmup lanes alternated circle swimming in clockwise and counter-clockwise. I've never seen that done in the U.S. though I had some European teammates in college that used to mention that was normal. I saw a few collisions. Collisions caused by the alternating circles? I thought the idea of the alternation was that you swam in the same direction as the person just on the other side of the lane line, reducing the chance of collisions, or at least crashing arms. Were people forgetting which direction to circle?

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 26 May 2016 12:19:27 GMT

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. 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. I don't find most of these reasons compelling. In fact, I find #5 (and the related #7) to be significant disadvantages of circle swimming, not advantages. And the ability to different intervals means swimming sides is more versatile since, after all, you don't HAVE to swim on different intervals. But I agree in a gym environment where everyone is on their own, circle swimming is far more friendly/inviting and that's a big plus since lap swimmers can be hostile sometimes to new people in a lane. In a club environment it is no big deal to switch from sides to circle and no one feels awkward about asking (at least, not in my training group). That said, on my club the only time swimming sides really becomes common is during kick sets. Mostly that's because people want to talk while kicking, though partly it is because there is a greater variation in kicking speed than swimming speed and some people will go further (on a given interval) than others. This is all pretty simple: If you don't know how to share nicely and play well with others, build your own pool. Didn't you build your own pool? Are you trying to tell us something...? :-)

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

gdanner — Thu, 26 May 2016 12:16:26 GMT

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Patrick W. Brundage — Thu, 26 May 2016 11:48:35 GMT

This is all pretty simple: If you don't know how to share nicely and play well with others, build your own pool. For open lap swimming, as soon as you enter a pool with more than one swimmer in a lane, recognize that whatever designs you had on doing your workout on your intervals will need to be adapted. Learn how to adapt. If you're too caught up in yourself to be able to do this, see point #1.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

smontanaro — Thu, 26 May 2016 11:04:09 GMT

But if I'm at the gym I'm 2-4 times faster then the other people there generally and splitting the lane is FAR easier then trying to circle swim where I'll catch up to them every 50 or so. Bringing it back to my earlier comment (because my problems are the only ones which matter ;)), if my YMCA had several/all lanes marked for circle swimming and graded them slow to fast, Edward would probably get his own lane because everybody else would either be scared to get in the same lane with him, or put off by him always passing them or tapping their feet to get them to stop at the next wall. :)

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

Former Member — Thu, 26 May 2016 09:54:32 GMT

I don't mind circle swimming but if there are only two people, I'll vote for splitting the lane every time.

RE: Splitting lanes is bad for everyone.

gdanner — Thu, 26 May 2016 09:36:43 GMT

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. All swimmers should be on the same set or doing the same workout if you're on a club, which is how Michael explained his situation. If a swimmer wants to do his own workout, he should be finding open lap swim at another time and place. If a swimmer is getting late to practice, he should join in on the set that the team is on. Coaches should only run varying sets/intervals to the extent that there is enough lane space. 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. Are you referring to organized workouts where this occurs or lap swim? I've never had anyone run into me at club practice when I was circle swimming. That is the accepted default for swimming club. If there are only 1-2 swimmers in a lane, the next swimmer should notify them they are getting in, unless it's clear they're already circle swimming.