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Training
Basics:
Check out these tips for smoother swimming in the lane. If ever you
have a question regarding lane etiquette, please ask the
coach!
CIRCLE SWIMMING:
When there are 2 or
more people in a lane it is recommended to "circle swim", which is
swimming down the right hand side of the lane and returning down
the left hand side of the lane.
LANE LEADING:
Who should lead the
lane? Nothing makes a set run smoother than a great lane leader.
The first swimmer in the lane must understand the set and all the
intervals, be able to see and read the pace clock and have a good
sense of pace. If you typically take it out fast and fade, you are
better off swimming the set behind a teammate who will pace the set
better. The Lane Leader should use common sense and realize that
the way he/she swims the practice affects everyone in the lane. The
other swimmers need to support their Lane Leader, politely
correcting errors and electing new leaders at the correct
times.
STARTS AND TURNS:
Negotiating the walls
properly leads to a smoother running lane. Imagine that it is
Wednesday evening, you are feeling great, and you’ve found a
great rhythm. The lane is crowded, but has run smoothly through the
first half of the main set. Then it happens: a traffic jam at the
wall. There are people all over the place and no place to turn. The
swimmer in front of you just about clipped you coming out of his
turn. You begin to think it is safer to be on Highway 163 right
now! You’ve lost your focus, your count, your rhythm, and
your enthusiasm, and the rest of the practice is a waste. How can
this be avoided? Follow these guidelines for negotiating the walls
in your lane and you will encounter less traffic
hazards:
Pushing Off: The leader in the lane
should always be on the far right side of the lane, ready to push
off into the swimming lane. The other swimmers should move to the
right side of the lane as their turn to push off approaches and as
the people ahead leave.
Turning: As you approach the wall for a
turn, cross over to the far left hand corner of the lane once the
people ahead of you have passed by. Make your turn in the left
corner of the lane, and push off along what is now the right side
of the swimming lane. If you experience crowding at the walls and
there are a limited number of swimmers in the lane, consider
leaving with 10 seconds between swimmers.
Finishing: As in turning, finish as far
to the left in the lane as possible. Leave wall space so that the
swimmers behind you have an opportunity to get to the wall.
PASSING PRIMER:
With the number of
swimmers in our lanes, the need to pass another swimmer in a long
swim is almost inevitable, especially in distance sets. The key to
keeping the lane running smoothly and help all the swimmers keep
focus on the practice is to determine the passing strategy for the
lane before the set begins. Communicate with your lanemates to
determine what will work best everybody in the lane! Passing in the
center in a crowded lane is dangerous and not recommended. Instead,
we recommend using this common set of general guidelines across all
our lanes:
It is best to make the pass at the walls rather than in the middle
of the laps. Here is how it works:
Passer: Gently taps feet of Passee.
Passee: At the next turn, pulls over to the Right
Corner and stops.
Passer: Makes flip turn at Left Corner of
wall.
Passee: Starts swimming again, behind the
Passer.
In general , when circle swimming in practice, swimmers should make
their turns at the Left Corner of the lanes. As soon as the swimmer
ahead of you finishes his turn and goes by, you should swim towards
the center of the lane, make your turn to the left of the cross on
the wall, and push off on what is now the right-hand side of the
lane. If everyone does their turns this way, we will avoid crashing
in to each other.
With regards to
resting on the wall in the middle of swims, swimmers should hang on
the wall in the Right Corner of the lane. This will allow the other
swimmers to continue to make their turns in the Left Corner without
interference. Also, when finishing your swims, be sure to finish as
far to the left as possible so that the swimmers behind you have
some room to your right to finish as well.
MODIFYING THE PRACTICE:
Generally, the
coaches frown upon modifications to the practices since they have
designed each one with certain goals in mind. However, our Masters
Swimmers are free to adjust the sets as they like. Nevertheless,
when only some or one of the swimmers in a lane is making
adjustments, there can be problems. All the swimmers in a lane need
to discuss on modifications before beginning the set, and they need
to agree on the new plan. If it is inevitable that people will be
swimming different sets but sharing a lane, they all need to use
the proper passing techniques discussed above to stay out of one
another’s way. That said, the people who are following the
coached practice will get priority within a lane over the
others.
ATTITUDE:
Following all the guidelines above will help make your practices
more beneficial and enjoyable for everyone.It is also important to
have a good attitude about the practices and your lane
mates. It is understandable that disruptions make you
grumpy during practice. However, there is no reason to take
it out on your teammates. If you are looking for a conflict,
please don’t get in. Thaks! :-)
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