[zolthrowaway]

Since you generalized a large group of people, I'm also going to generalize them, too. Most swimmers are very reasonable people just trying to work out. If you ask questions while they're between sets or after their workout, I'm sure they will be willing to talk to you. There are only like 4 rules when swimming.

1) Stay to the right side of the lane. 2) If you're on the wall, stay in the corner of the lane (so people can turn). 3) If someone touches your foot, stop for a second and let them pass. 4) If multiple lanes are open, try to stay with people of similar speed.

If they're getting mad at you for anything else, those people are being jerks. Rule 1,2, and 4 are all things you would do while running or cycling. They are follow the flow and try not to be in the way. They are common courtesy everywhere, not just a pool. Rule 3 is the only one that may not be intuitive, but you'll be kicking someone in the fingertips and face for at least a whole lap if you don't let them pass. Plus, it can ruin a set if they're trying to hit a certain pace. I'm not saying anyone should ever be a jerk to you, but it's similar to when people walk 4 wide down the sidewalk.

[inanutshellus]

I've never swam for exercise in lanes before, but I always assumed you'd only have one person in a lane at a time. How does it work to have two in one lane? If I'm swimming and someone wants to share my lane, do I swim out, wait for them to get to my side, then swim back when they reach my side? (And if I'm the slower person, I assume I start swimming behind them as soon as they launch off from the edge?)

It'd also be a shock to me to see a second person just simply joining me in my lane. Is there a protocol for joining a lane other than, I guess, flagging me down and asking? Do people normally know how to accept having a second person in their lane?

Funny thing to be asking so many questions about...

[seorphates]

One person per lane is generally guaranteed only in competition. You can get your own lane if your pool is lightly loaded but by no means would your lane be off limits to others, normally.

It's crowded when you're finger tips to toes or you smash into the oncoming swimmer off the wall (the ones following you) which is typically the mistake of the one turning and not the oncoming swimmer but not always. You try to stick to lanes moving at your preferred pace. It's a little like driving - sometimes you get your own lane and sometimes you don't.

You haz kwestuns we haz anserz

[zolthrowaway]

Rule 1, stay to the right. Generally, there is a black line running down the center of the line. Stay to the right of it, it's like traffic. Swim down on the right, reach the wall, turn, turn around swim down on the right again (you're on the opposite side). You don't have to coordinate with anyone. That's why it's courteous to stay to the corner of the lane when you are stopped at a wall.

[Spooky23]

During peak times, my YMCA wants 5 to a lane. It’s tough because you have competition level swimmers, people who were competitive swimmers and casual swimmers. Some folks are having fun, others are pushing.

Customs vary by when and where you learn them, and it’s feels very hostile, especially for casual swimmers. (In my online experience, the closest thing is the “eternal summer” phenomena in Usenet in olden times)

In any case, worrying about the nonexistent risk of swimming in a recreational pool is counter-productive — casual swimmers will be turned off by the experienced ones.

[romwell]

>the closest thing is the “eternal summer” phenomena in Usenet in olden times

Surely it must be the Eternal September :) [1]

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

[Spooky23]

I’m eternally grateful you picked that up! :)

[dvdgsng]

1) 2) & 4) are sane, reasonable and common. 3) however is not common at all, in fact I've never come across this behaviour in several years of swimming in multiple places. I just don't see how this would apply if there are not enough lanes for different paces. It does not scale at all. One very fast swimmer could easily dominate a lane, everyone would have to watch out for him/her. When you have more than 4 people on a lane, this is heavily annoying. If everyone applied 4), this wouldn't be a problem at all.

[zolthrowaway]

It really depends on context. If you have a bunch of people sharing one lane at a rec center, yes, you could be a huge jerk if you constantly were forcing people to stop by touching their feet. If there is one other person in your lane and there isn't a massive skill gap, touching their feet and having them stop is perfectly reasonable.

I swam in college. I was a distance swimmer. We would have warmups during the break with people from all sorts of different teams at different skill levels doing different events. When I'm warming up for the 1650 and there are sprinters in my lane, they are going to touch my feet a lot. That is just part of it. It takes literally a second for them to pass and allows them to do what they need to do. Context is key for sure, but in general feet touching is the international sign of please let me pass in swimming.

[cattlefarmer]

How does this work?

Aren't you usually furiously kicking/flapping with your legs when swimming?

Are they actually touching the bottom of your feet, ie your soles? Do they have to time it right to not get kicked?

[zolthrowaway]

For freestyle (front crawl), it's more of a scissor kick. Your whole body turns with you so it's really easy to touch the sole of the foot heading toward the bottom of the pool. When someone is doing something like breaststroke, they're doing a frog kick which is generally going out and away from the body and then pulling the legs in, you just time it so you touch their feet when they pull their legs in.