To help members to do their swimming training we keep lane markers in the pool all the time. These are special professional racing lane markers shaped to eliminate wash from one lane crossing into the other lane. The colours are also significant. They mark out your progress through the pool without having to look up. The first and last 3 meters are red to warn you that you're coming to the end. There is a small red section in the middle and the sections in between are 1 meter segments of alternating yellow and blue. The standard width of a racing lane is 2 meters, the same as the fast lane. Good swimmers doing front crawl can swim and pass each other in this lane but not without concentrating and can do breast stroke by adjusting their stroke when passing. This does put restrictions on a training regime being done when the lane is busy but most of the day is ok and during lane swimming and swim club every one in the lane is doing the same routine.

Directions:The directions on the signs are designed to ensure that when you are closest to the person in the next lane, you are going in the same direction. This reduces the risk of having to swim against somebody else's wash. The directions are:-

SPACE*Lane nearest to the Window

To swim away from the high wall, swim by the window.

To swim towards the high wall, swim by the window.

In the slow lane,

Passing :The standard procedure for passing in a lane that is narrow for a swimmer in both directions and one passing in the middle is to tap the feet of the person in front of you to let them know you want to pass. When you get to the end of the lane the person who was tapped stops to let the person behind go ahead and then swim off after them. Many people are slow to tap because they think it is an imposition or a declaration of superiority. Try to remember that the person in front is probably feeling under pressure because you are on the heels and would be upset to think that they ruined your session. That you pass or get passed doesn't necessarily imply any superiority of inferiority in your swimming. Staying behind someone who swims slower than you interferes with your workout ant theirs and staying in front of someone who swims faster than you does the same. If someone taps you more than every second one of his or her lengths you should move into the other lane. You should move sooner if it interferes too much with your own workout. The faster swimmer should not move into the slow lane even if it is empty as they may intimidate slower swimmers who arrive after the start.

Remember.Your swim is as important as the next members no matter how quickly or slowly they swim. If you can have yours and they can have theirs without one taking from the other then we are all happy!