4 Unspoken Rules of Warming Up at Swim Meets

Photo Courtesy: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

By Jinq En Phee, Swimming World College Intern.

Warming up at swim meets. Every swimmer knows that trying to warm up at a swim meet can be a huge pain, especially at big meets such as Nationals or World Trials where the pool can be super crowded. What makes your warm up experience worse is when some swimmers do things that are selfish and annoying.

There aren’t any specific rules about warming up set by FINA or USA Swimming, but there are some rules set by the meet organizers such as feet first entry in each lane to ensure every one’s safety and convenience. There are also some rules that usually aren’t written in black and white, but every swimmer should know them.

1. No usage of hand paddles.

I’ve lost count the number times I’ve been hit in the face or poked by a hand paddle when I was just trying to peacefully warm up for my race. Every swimmer would do anything in order to swim fast in their races, but using had paddles when you’re warming up is a selfish act and it is not safe for other swimmers.

In the FINA rulebook, rule number 7.2 states,

“In each sports discipline, minimal safety requirements must be defined and applied with a view to protecting the health of the athletes and the public during training and competition. Depending on the sport and the level of competition, specific rules should be adopted regarding the sports venues, the safe environmental conditions, the sports equipment authorized or prohibited, and the training and competition programmes.”

Although neither FINA nor USA Swimming stated that the usage of hand paddles during warm ups as an official rule, most of the meet organizers forbid the usage of equipment such as fins and paddles during warm ups.

2. Don’t jump on top of other swimmers.

The reason is pretty obvious….it hurts. You’ll hurt yourself, you’ll hurt the person you just jumped on, and you’ll probably slow the entire lane down. But some people do it anyways. Be cautious and look out for any swimmers coming into the wall before jumping in, feet first of course. The last thing you need at a swim meet is an injury!

3. Pace lane means pace lane.

Unless you’re doing nothing else other than pace sets, it’s better to stay out of the pace lane. You might be in someone’s way and there’s a higher chance of people crashing into you at their full speed. Vice versa, if you want to do pace sets, go to a pace lane. You might feel great lapping everybody else in the lane but other swimmers will be annoyed.

4. Be courteous to other swimmers.

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Photo Courtesy: Kara Sekenski

One thing that every swimmer should keep in mind when warming up is to be considerate. The title’s pretty self-explanatory, don’t intentionally do anything that is in the way of other swimmers. There are many things swimmers do that get in the way of other swimmers that they are not aware of.

For instance, go to the side of the lane if you want to rest at the wall. Circle swim; don’t swim in the middle of the lane unless you’re trying to lap someone. Be courteous to others, you wouldn’t like it if someone constantly gets in your way and messes up your whole warm up would you?

Other than these unspoken rules, every coach and swimmer has the responsibility to read the rule book sent out by the meet organizers before every meet, and respect them. And at the end of the day, we could all agree that a smooth and hassle-free warm up makes everyone happy.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Paul Windrath

6 years ago

Having watched alot of nationals, the No Diving Rule is violated so many times it might as well be a rule. Coaches do not enforce in during practice nor do officials enforce it at these championship meets.

Why have the rule if it is not going to be enforced.

Very sad….

Someone

6 years ago

Reply to Paul Windrath

Oh boo hoo

-1

Jessy Forbes

1 year ago

Reply to Paul Windrath

It is a serious safety issue. Spinal cord injuries and concussions are no joke. The coaches need to properly train their swimmers.

Mark U

1 year ago

Reply to Paul Windrath

I’m a meet referee and always try to enforce the no diving rule. It’s not the swimmers but the coaches that are the problem. The warm up rules are always in the meet letter, which most of the coaches never bother to read.