Reverse Circle Swim: Why Do It?

by Hannah Saiz 15

November 26th, 2013 Lifestyle, Training

After four years of swimming nearly every practice in a reverse circle pattern, I’ve gotten used to life on the left lane line. However, when I brought my training pattern to a new team, the first question I heard was “Why?”

Why reverse circle?

My answer has changed daily, depending who is asking, how much time we have on the wall and whether I feel like trying to explain everything all at once. So, for all the club athletes I’ve confused, here’s a list of reasons to swim the “wrong” way during practice, at least some of the time.

1) Stop Circle Swimming During a Race
“Hey, that was a great swim. Just one thing – stop circle swimming while you’re racing.” A show of virtual hands – who has had a coach tell you to avoid circle swimming during a race? It’s hard not to! Your body gets so used to this pattern of coming into the wall at an angle and pushing off at an angle during practices, day in and day out. When it matters in the big time, your brain shuts off and your body does what you’ve trained it to do – which (in most cases) is circle swim. (To those few of you who practice swimming straight up and down the black line during a workout when there are others in your lane, please…don’t.)

One great thing about learning to reverse circle swim is that you become a little more aware of where your body is in the water, and when it comes down to racing, the added awareness – and break from that mindless right sided slog – can help straighten you out over the black line.

2) Train Like You Race
With the possible exception of distance swimmers, you almost never race someone who is headed in the opposite direction you are. So swimming every lane in the regular old circle pattern makes little sense for practicing the way you’re expected to race. Alternating one lane of regular circle swimming with one lane of reverse circle swimming creates an opportunity for pairs of swimmers to race one another down the lane line – the same way they might in an actual race.

3) No More Butt Grabs or Broken Hands
I know I can’t be the only one who has been swimming backstroke down my side of the lane, when suddenly a hand from a swimmer doing backstroke in another lane in the other direction has made unwanted contact! One of the great things about swimming in pairs down the lane line is that you get to avoid this bit of contact because you’re always on the same swimming plane as the person who would otherwise be passing you.
Other benefit if you’re an athlete with a really wide recovery that tends to go over the lane line, you won’t lock arms with someone traveling the other way. That saves you from shoulder injuries, broken paddles, bruised hands and a myriad of other woes swimmers just take for granted!

4) No Crowded Lanes At A Meet
Okay, so this one you’ll probably need some friends for. If you get a pack of five or six athletes together who are all comfortable with reverse circle swimming and spread them out in a lane at a meet, no one will jump in your lane. Even as a solo athlete, I’ve had success in defending an empty lane at the Minneapolis Grand Prix by reverse circle swimming because I confounded everyone who was watching me swim. The only problem here is that if anyone stops swimming, other athletes take the opportunity to “correct” the reverse, rather than joining it.

5) Keeps You on Your Toes
Seriously. When was the last time you were swimming during warm up in a regular old circle swimming pattern and had even a momentary flash of What am I doing? type thinking? And I’m not talking Why am I swimming? I mean Where’s my hand? What’s my head doing? Was my flip turn crisp?

If there are any among you who don’t run on auto pilot during warm up – my hat’s off to you. If you reverse circle swim, you can’t turn your brain off. The moment you do, your body will shunt you to the “right” side of the lane and suddenly you’ll be facing down another swimmer for a head-on collision. (Been there, done that, got the bruise to prove it.) And with your brain forcibly turned on to prevent running into people… Well, let’s just say you’re more engaged, and open to hearing/learning/absorbing new things.

So – see you on the “right” side of the lane. (By which I mean the left, of course.)

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Tim Manley
10 years ago

We do a fast paced distance set, we call it the Irish Mile, it’s just a 750 yard swim in the opposite direction for time. We keep record’s for each group that does it both male and female, it’s just a way to get kids to swim fast and there is a fun aspect to it!

newswim
10 years ago

I like the idea basically because it provides a “different feel” during workout coming in and out of the walls. Don’t like it during general warm ups for safety issues but its o.k. if teams are exclusively assigned to specific lanes.
Also like the warm-up where you have several waves of swimmers going three across in one direction…as you come into the wall you must stay underwater (the time and length depends on the number of waves behind/above you).

Joel Lin
10 years ago

Good points. Racing is all about muscle memory and just trusting your preparation. If all you have done to prepare is swim in a right side of lane circle, that is what your instinct will take on when you race. And thinking about it and reminding yourself to not circle swim in a race is a distraction from just racing. I have always been astounded to see national or even world class swimmers circle swim through prelim and sometimes even final races.

NewZealand
10 years ago

In New Zealand at most meets even National meets it is compulsory to swim one lane clockwise the next counterclockwise it is just normal. I would say most clubs would swim this way as well

Triguy
10 years ago

I always thought that other countries went up the right and came back down the left side? At least that’s what our coach told us when he got us to do it occasionally on the chance we made it to international level.Being in australia I’ve always trained up left, down right.

Which way is a reverse circle? Couldn’t either be?

Gina
Reply to  Triguy
10 years ago

Well when I went to Euro SC years ago they swam anti clockwise (that’s what we call it in the UK) and a couple of GB swimmers did what was said it in point no. 4 and got a pretty empty lane for most of there warm ups.

In most UK swimming pools they adopted a rule of odd lanes swim one direction and even lanes swim the other. There is still a lot of scratching and grabbing and, if 2 swimmers are side by side for the whole length, it’s a lot harder to get away from.

UK Coach
Reply to  Gina
10 years ago

In the UK usually lane 1 is clockwise, lane 2 counter-clockwise, lane 3 clockwise, etc. This was introduced due to a swimmer losing their sight in one eye and subsequently suing for a tonne of cash. Many moons ago we used to swim all lanes in the same direction. The swimmer lost their sight when a swimmer coming in the opposite direction had a low recovering arm that happened to catch the other swimmer across their face as they went for a breath.

Mr Bungle
10 years ago

People’s elbow to the back of the head for even mentioning it. BLASPHEMY! Reverse circle swim is the tool of the devil! **throws holy water

ssty
10 years ago

actually we all hate it ar practice

gramps
10 years ago

It is actually against the rules to revers circle swim in warm up. You are lucky you didn’t get thrown out of the meet.

CoachGB
Reply to  gramps
10 years ago

Where is that written?

About Hannah Saiz

Hannah Saiz fell into a pool at age eleven and hasn't climbed out since. She attended Kenyon College, won an individual national title in the 2013 NCAA 200 butterfly, and post-graduation has seen no reason to exit the natatorium. Her quest for continued chlorine over-exposure has taken her to Wisconsin …

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