Lane Swimming at Kidsgrove Sports Centre
There’s an opportunity to come lane swimming every day of the week at Kidsgrove Sports Centre.
Maybe you want to improve your fitness or master your technique. Perhaps you simply want to enjoy the mindful experience of being in a swimming pool.
Whether you’re a swim-master or you’re just getting started, lane swimming is a great activity with its own community of like-minded people.
In this article, we’re going to look at lane swimming in a little more detail.
Let’s start with the basics.
What is Lane Swimming?
Lane swimming involves swimming in a chain-like manner. You leave a small gap between yourself and the person in front and swim in a particular direction. Rather than swim up and down the lane in a straight line, you swim in more of a large oval shape.
You may have seen people swimming in lanes and thought it’s not for you. That’s not the case. We have three lanes at Kidsgrove. Slow, Medium and Fast. So whatever your ability, there is a place here for you.
Choose your lane
Here’s our guide to each lane:
Slow lane: for continuous length swimming at a relaxed and leisurely pace.
Medium lane: for continuous length swimming slower than 30 seconds per length (25m).
Fast lane: for continuous length swimming at 30 seconds per length (25m) or faster, predominantly front crawl.
Lane Swimming etiquette
Swimming in a lane is a continuous exercise, where you can share the lane with up to 11 people. It’s important, therefore, to know the correct way to go about things. You don’t want to annoy your fellow swimmers or get in each others way. Here are a few basic rules of etiquette…
1. Keep your distance – Try to leave a five second gap between you and the swimmer in front. This will ensure that you have enough space to swim comfortably. Sometimes, when the lane is full, it may not be possible to leave such a gap. In that case, use common sense and decide on an appropriate distance.
2. Swim in the right direction – Slow lane swimmers should swim clockwise. Medium lane swimmers should swim anti-clockwise and fast lane swimmers should swim clockwise. If in doubt, there should be a sign next to each lane that indicates the direction in which you need to swim.
3. Follow the leader – Don’t just go into the lane and do your own thing. If you’re trying out a new stroke or technique, or trying to beat your previous best, that’s fine. But always be mindful of the people around you.
4. Don’t swim in the middle of the lane – Sometimes the person in front will be a little slower than you. Rather than trying to overtake them, simply wait til they are approaching the end of the lane, hold off, and just cross to the other side. Effectively placing yourself in front of them. This will avoid any unnecessary collisions or disruption.
5. Let the faster swimmer go – Similarly, if you are the slower swimmer and the person behind is keen to get past, then let them. Wait at the end of the lane to let them past and then simply carry on behind them.
6. Take a break if you need to – When you first start lane swimming, things can be a little overwhelming. Especially if the group you’re joining are all experienced lane swimmers and they’re faster than you. Don’t panic. That’s perfectly natural. If it is that you can’t keep up, take a break. Stay at the end of the lane near one of the ropes so you’re out of the way. Take as long as you need to catch your breath. Then just rejoin the group when you feel ready. Lane swimming is much like any other sport. The more you do it, the more your body becomes accustomed to it. As you progress, you’ll probably find you don’t need to stop. Most importantly, just enjoy it.
Mastering technique
Take a look at these helpful swimming technique videos courtesy of Speedo.
Front crawl/freestyle
A faster arm stroke doesn’t always improve your swimming speed. Hence, longer, efficient strokes are always better than shorter, aggressive movements.
A good freestyle breathing pattern fits naturally within your body rotation, and delivers optimum oxygen to allow you to train efficiently.
The stronger your leg kick, the more propulsion you can achieve. Therefore, your leg kick will help increase your swimming speed, while also assisting the stability of your stroke.
A streamlined body position will allow you to move through the water faster, while power can be generated through the rotation of your hips.
Breaststroke
An arm pull that is strong and efficient will allow you to move through the water faster.
Your breathing and stroke timing are linked, and are crucial to the efficiency of the stroke.
The stronger your kick technique, the more propulsion you will achieve, and the faster you will be able to swim.
The correct body position for breaststroke needs to be as close to a straight line as possible. Thus, your arms, head, back and legs should be in alignment. This makes the body more streamlined to the water and, therefore, less resistance is created.
Backstroke
Learn the correct hand positioning and arm placement tips needed to hone your stroke technique for a faster, more efficient swim.
Breathing more comfortably during your backstroke swimming session means you’ll enjoy an efficient and more relaxed swim.
The stronger your kick technique, the more propulsion you will achieve, and the faster you will be able to swim.
The correct head and body positioning results in better energy conservation and a reduction in drag.
Butterfly
Improve your arm placement and hand entry for a stronger, faster swim.
How frequently you breathe during butterfly depends on your experience and level of fitness. Some swimmers breathe once every stroke cycle; others prefer to breathe every second or third stroke. Therefore, we recommend that you experiment to find the most effective and comfortable breathing method for you.
The stronger your kick technique, the more propulsion you will achieve, and the faster you will be able to swim as a result.
Becoming streamlined improves your efficiency in the water.
Try lane swimming today
Why not come and give lane swimming a try? It’s the perfect way to exercise your body and mind.
As we mentioned earlier, there’s an opportunity to try lane swimming every single day here at Kidsgrove Sports Centre. It’s hugely popular.
Book yourself a slot by clicking the button below.
