Every swimming website in the world has an article about swimming ettiquette, rules of the pools, etc. The number 1 rule is usually, let’s say it together: swim on the right side of the lane! Even our website is named after this idea of “circle swimming.” This is a great tactic for avoiding head-on collisions, but it can sometimes develop bad habits in swimmers, especially when it comes to turns. If you’re in a more crowded practice, it can be even worse.
Every once in a while, I like to mix things up at practice by having an “Empire Practice.” The concept is simple: For one day, everyone swims on the left side of the lane. I call it an “Empire Practice” because the list of countries who still drive on the left side of the road is heavily littered with countries that were formerly part of the British Empire (with the notable exception of Japan).
The actual idea is not all that complicated, nor novel. The timing is the key. I like to use Empire Practices if I see a few days of sluggish practice, and want to refocus my team on the details. If you overuse them, they lose the effect, and become just another thing for the swimmers to acclimate to and become routine and lackadaisical about.
Of course, this isn’t the worst thing, because with younger swimmers, they sometimes get so used to circle swimming that they’ll do it in races. But I much prefer it as a change-up, to keep things fresh and interesting, and to get everyone back into a training frame of mind.
Try it, and let us know if you have positive results
