Swimming Abbreviations - Boost Coaching

Swimming drills

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Lane Etiquette

As a new (lap) swimmer, you are often unaware of swimming pool etiquette. Nevertheless, you quickly notice that the more experienced swimmers follow certain informal rules when they share a lane. If you want to appear to be a well-mannered swimmer and get along with your swim buddies, it is important that you follow the lap-swimming etiquette too.

Here are some general considerations while swimming in a lane:

• Gauge the speeds of each lane and join the lane where the swimmers swim at your speed. This is because it is distracting for experienced swimmers to have to constantly pass slower swimmers.

• If you are alone in a lane, you can swim following the middle line.

• If there are two swimmers in the lane, it can be split into halves and each swimmer swims in one half of the lane, or the swimmers use the ‘circle’ format described hereafter.

• If there are more than two swimmers in the lane, they should all circle in the lane. This is most often done clockwise in New Zealand and often anticlockwise in the US, Asia and Europe.

• When joining a lane, slowly enter the water and wait on the side during one lap until all swimmers have noticed that you will join the lane.

• If you are the second swimmer to join a lane, discuss with the first one how you will share the lane.

• Don’t dive into the lane from the starting blocks when you join a lane. This can be distracting or even flat out frightening for swimmers who are concentrated on swimming their laps and don’t know what is happening.

• If you want to pass a slower swimmer, tap them on the foot so that they know your intention. They should then stop at the end of the lane and move to the left corner so that you can pass. Do the same if you are the person being passed.

• Don’t push off the wall right in front of a faster swimmer. Let him/her pass first.

• Likewise, don’t push off right behind a slower swimmer to directly pass them by. Leave some room before pushing off.

• If you chat with a fellow swimmer, do it on the sides of the lane to not obstruct the lane end for the lap swimmers. Do the same if you need to rest.

• Don’t ‘borrow’ a piece of swimming equipment that you haven’t brought yourself and that seems abandoned. It may well be needed by one of your fellow swimmers very soon.

Follow these conventions and you will make your time at the pool easy for everyone. Have fun!