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 - 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.
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 agree with this. At my pool, there are only four lanes. One of them has stairs at either end where people are often doing PT. That would only allow for 7 at a time if we didn't know how to circle. (Many don't!) I think expecting someone to sit on the deck for half an hour and wait, when they allocated 90 minutes of their busy day to being there, is more intrusive than asking someone to share space.
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.
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.
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.
