In swimming, you have in many cases four or more swimmers in one lane at a time. With that many people in one small lane together, things can get pretty contentious if everyone doesn’t follow a “code of conduct”.
I am here today to explain what different signals mean when they happen during a practice, because they will happen at one point or another. Things such as tapping on someone’s feet or swimming beside a slow swimmer mean: “get out of my way. I’m coming through here.” If you’ll be going slower, than you better let the person behind you go ahead.
Here are some examples of the unspoken lingo of swimmers when sharing lanes.
Doing butterfly when someone comes in: “Go find your own lane!”
Foot tapping/Right behind on a turn: “I’m on you. Let me by.”
Letting someone go ahead of you during a set: “You’re faster than me here. Go ahead and go.”
Someone who sprints warm up: “Slow down, dude! It’s only warm up. Save it for the main set.”
Swimming down the middle of the lane: “I’m the king of the lane and you all just have to deal with it.”
This is just a small snapshot into how we swimmers communicate when we swim in lanes together. It’s an unspoken language that speaks volumes to those around you so be sure to watch yourself.
