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Swimming
GG
Posts: 82
in General Chat
Evening all,
Couple of quick questions.
Q1. Do you stretch before swimming or are there any drills you use before starting.
Q2. How do you guys get around swimming with the plebs breastroking in the fast lane [:@] etc. Im polite, and as a result my sessions get ruined. Im guessing your going to say early mornings or join a swimming club.
G
Couple of quick questions.
Q1. Do you stretch before swimming or are there any drills you use before starting.
Q2. How do you guys get around swimming with the plebs breastroking in the fast lane [:@] etc. Im polite, and as a result my sessions get ruined. Im guessing your going to say early mornings or join a swimming club.
G
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Ah for the plebs who don't understand what fast medium slow means I swim up and down the middle, provided your lanes are wide enough! They will soon move out of the way, or get the message and move lanes. I used to be kind, but like you it was screwing up my sessions. If anything ever happens just remind them that this is the fast lane, go fast or get out of the way, hehehe
By the way i dont use this method on kids or old people,well not all the time [;)]
See you next week-end???
2) Swim over the top of anyone in my way.... only after trying the usual foot tap drills and when they ignore it and turn anyway.... just go straight to 'swim over them' drills when there are no lane ropes....
I have had a fair few arguments with others in the pool who then complain to the lifeguards who just tell them to get out of my way lol[:D]
Kids especially piss me off as they deliberately stand in front of me and try and get out the way at the last minute so quite a few times i have connected with a punch or very strong kick which usually sees them cry off to their parents.... just get the message... get out my way!
You have to be selfish sometimes in order to get ahead.
As for warming up, just lengths of different strokes in the slow lanes, and some drills if I have time / am feeling virtuous.
As for pedestrians in the fast lane - Imtimidation is the only way. Sorry but these poeple are being sumpremly selfish - INTENTIONALY! - of course if the whole pool is busy then its tough tities for everyone - I tend to walk straight out again.
Many many swimer of different abilties can share a lane bbut only if they are considerate and accepting of theior place in the pecking order... so,,, make love, not war... then intimidate the bar stewards.
I dont get road rage but lane rage.. my god!
In such case I change the training in a pure technique training, drills; and since swimming is 80%technique and 20% fitness, I suppose I don't get held back by these people.
Don't let others ruin a workout; instead shift it in your advantadge!
We will do between 400 and 800 to warm up usually front crawl and back crawl as these strokes involve all the muscle groups. Its worth considering back crawl as a warm up because it uses the same muscles as front crawl but does not have the respiritory restrictions.
Roger so far?
Your problem with the breast strokers is a common one. Even at swim club we have an issue because you have up to 10 to a lane so that might not solve the problem. I would look around at different pools if you have any close by. we have about 10 in a 15 mile radius so we are pretty well off. I chose a centre that has a 25m lap pool, a 15m todler pool and a lazy river with slides. this keeps the 'mess about' kids and the non swimmers away from the lap pool which has 2 fast lanes, a wide medium lane and a wide slow lane. i swim every weekday at lunch time and i often have a lane to myself but rarely more than 2 to a lane.
If you have no choice but to share a lane with someone going slow, adapt you swimming to the lane speed. kick drills (with a kickboard) are a real workout. you could also try catch ups, zips or finger drags to lengthen your stroke and shorten the recovery (you might need to google these). if you dont have the lane ropes out why not try vertical finning (trying to swim upwards with fins on). hold your position out of the water for 60 seconds with a 15 second rest 4 times, this has the same effect as 4 x 50 FC kick.
Joking honestly...joking.
So you are one of those people who thinks they own the pool then?!?
I agree that the slower swimmers should let the faster ones by, but there is a method to do this.... touch the feet (as mentioned in a few peoples posts), the people I was referring too in my above post are those who just cut you up at the end of the pool and in my opinion that is unacceptable, when someone is attempting to do it to me I will quite gladly push off the end of the pool wall hard to get back in front just to spite them. They dont have the right to 'bully' me in the pool, I wouldnt to someone slower than me, even if this disrupts your 'training'.
Rant over.
Instead of punching her or cutting her up as advocated by some, I just slowed it down and did some drill work instead. Everybody's happy.
I maintain that the most afective way to keep everyone in the lane moving closest to their desired speed is to let them by when they come up behind you... tapping on the feet is often seen as threatening to many, including me.
Now where'd I put my rose tinted googles?...
For anybody who has been forced to overtake on the straight you will notice a few things: 1) You have to push off about 2 metres behind the slower swimmer, 2) You have to make up the length of that swimmer in the water, call it another 2 metres, 3) You then have to get 2 metres ahead of them before moving back into the correct position.
So, because somebody has failed to pay attention to a faster swimmer coming up behind them, you have up your speed sufficiently to gain 6 metres over a 25m length... which is often a tough or impossible change of pace. It also means that you have to spend most of the length on the wrong side of the lane, getting in the way of other swimmers and risking a head-on collision. This is dangerous. Also, if you fail to make the full 6 metres on the slower swimmer then they will get to the end, turn, and be pushing off in your face.
So let the faster swimmers through, even if it means you have to pause for a few seconds. And if somebody has to pass on the turn because you are obstructing them then accept your mistake.
Of course, in a really busy lane you can't just bash up and down heedlessly, so slowing down to do some drills is often the best (read 'safest') thing to do, but I think that people who would deliberately obstruct other swimmers and therefore try to cause a dangerous situation just because they themselves have failed to be observant are acting very poorly.
It's all about water safety. Mess about and somebody will get hurt.
Bopomofo - I agree completely that the overtaking should be done at the end but in a civilized polite fashion. A slower swimmer may disrupt a faster swimmers 'training' but also a faster swimmer, by making the slower swimmer stop and pause for a second or two, will disrupt there training too... it works both ways.
Also, if you are civilized and polite in the pool the other swimmers are more likely to happily let you by.
I'm with sfuller. Tapping somebody's feet is a fairly normal consequence of coming up on a slower swimmer. I would never tug an ankle or toe - that would be threatening, not to say aggressive!
I don't think waiting for a second to let a faster swimmer by would be dreadfully inconvenient even for a "fast" swimmer. After all, once the faster swimmer has gone by, they're not going to catch you again for several lengths, if they're in the correct lane...
I think to lots of people who aren't doing specific 'swimming training' - ie to a program/regularly/for a reason - then tapping them on the feet can be quite intimidating and breaching the bounds of personal space. I know its not hurting someone, but you are touching them on lets face it - a relatively intimate part of their body (going back to the old pulp fiction line of would you give a guy a foot massage!). I also know some people, mainly ex girlfriends, who can't stand having their feet touched by someone - that is talking about a long term partner, let alone someone in a public swimming pool.
I agree, that if you are in a pool with lots of swimmers/triathletes - then its common practice and fine as thats a language that everyone understands.
As for turning in front of people, I usually work on the theory that i'll swim right up behind someone and give them one turn and a length to then let me pass on the next one. Ie if you just sneak up behind them they may have turned before they noticed you and thus not realised their error. But if they turn again then they are just being inconsiderate swimmers, as they should realise that you are faster and let you pass. When that happens i'll just speed past them on the next length - but I agree with some of the posters here that passing in a busy pool can be more dangerous. Specially when it involves swimming 3 abreast (ie a front crawler coming down the other way as you pass - this doens't bother me after doing mass swim start triathlons, but normal people don't like this!)
As for your comment about why should the slower person pause, as opposed to the faster person. I believe, and I may be wrong here, that if you are in the 'fast' lane, then the slower people should slow down for the faster people as you are swimming in the speed/sprint lanes. Just like if you are in the 'slow lane' you should let the speed be dictated by the slowest person, as you are travelling in a lane or people who want to swim slowly.
I akin it to motorway driving in many ways. The slow lane is for people who want to go slowly. The middle lane is for people who want to go consistently at a medium/fast pace. The fast lane should be for people who want to 'overtake' - ie have bursts of speed, ie sprint lengths followed by rest periods - or interval training. The problem is that everyone has excessive pride and 'over-seeds' their own swimming ability.
Sorry for the rant but i'm currently very bored in a Polish hotel room with only BBC World news to keep me occupied!
Jack
Big response to this one. Now I know im not the only one i feel less annoyed by it... until the next time the lanes get blocked up.
I think I have found the cause, which matches the motorway analogy nicely. That is we have our happy swimmers in the slow lane keeping their hair dry, no problem. But like the motorway we have some unaware slowbies blocking the middle lane blisfully unaware of the chaos ensuing behind them. This invitably drives some to go in the fast lane, and slow down the sales reps and big german car drivers. The other victims tailgate and attempt some rash overtaking.
Here here for footapping!
In all these matters, acting with a bit of consideration and courtesy - whether passing or being passed - should do the trick. I think we all get annoyed with rudeness or ignorance in any form. There's usually a way around it.
Right, that's the moderate view out of the way... time for a RANT! There's this idiot down our pool most mornings who swims slow/medium breaststroke using that David Wilkie 'arms straight out at the sides' kind of style. Being about 7 feet tall with long arms he occupies the entire width of the lane, and he has NEVER EVER EVER in living memory (and I talked to loads of other swimmers about him) EVER moved over to let anybody pass. He will swim up and down, up and down with a damned great queue of frustrated freestylers behind him, being overtaken by people in the slow lane. I've tried foot tapping, asking him politely ("Mind if I swim through?"), saying "EXCUSE ME!" quite forcefully etc etc and he will NEVER give way. I have a feeling that one of these mornings I'm just going to hold his head under the water until the police arrive. [:@]
Where do you swim? Is it worth asking the staff to have a quiet word with him?
I can't help being tall,slow,clumsy and deaf!! Be a bitmoreconsiderate of MY feelings, will ya!!?? [:D]