Masters team practice Tuesday, there were two lanes closed because of some maintenance issue overhead. So we spilled over into the lap lanes. I was alone in a lane at first but then some random guy shows up and jumps in with me. That's fine, since I was occupying his rightful space. But he turned out to be a wide swimmer, arms and legs akimbo. He took up 3/4 of the lane width and his hands and feet often smacked into me. I got hit and kicked so many times I found bruises when I went into the shower. In addition, I had to alter my form to watch for his approach so I wouldn't get punched every lap.
I usually have no problem stopping another swimmer and informing them that they're not practicing good lane-sharing techniques. It's a little bit of a different issue, and usually done by swimmers who aren't accustomed to lane-sharing, but when someone jumps in the lane, begins swimming toward me (right down the middle for a head-on collision) before I'm even aware they've gotten in. In regard to MPH, swimmers aren't moving very fast. Nevertheless a collision does not feel good. When I'm lifeguarding at the pool, I watch for situations like this (and that mentioned in the OP) and try to stop them before they happen.
Dan
I usually have no problem stopping another swimmer and informing them that they're not practicing good lane-sharing techniques. It's a little bit of a different issue, and usually done by swimmers who aren't accustomed to lane-sharing, but when someone jumps in the lane, begins swimming toward me (right down the middle for a head-on collision) before I'm even aware they've gotten in. In regard to MPH, swimmers aren't moving very fast. Nevertheless a collision does not feel good. When I'm lifeguarding at the pool, I watch for situations like this (and that mentioned in the OP) and try to stop them before they happen.
Dan
