I'm with the other folks who say it's pretty unlikely that the pools are 10% different and yet you're repeatedly hitting the same times. Count your strokes from as close to the same push as you can (like, note where you break out relative to the flags). Unless that shows a clear 2-3 stroke difference, the pools are the same size. You actually probably don't even need a tape measure, just pace them off (heel to toe if you want to get precise). If the "slow" yards pool had continuous victory at sea conditions from kids cannonballing into it and no gutters, and the meters pool was dead calm and with good gutters etc. that would make a difference, but "fast vs slow" pool is usually more at the granularity of whether records can be broken or PRs set or not, which is not a 10% swing.

When you swam in his pool, were you alone or swimming with other people? If other people, were they just a little bit faster than you?

Never underestimate the power of the ego in the water, which is why swimming on a team results in better swimmers than swimming alone.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

I'm not sure I understand either point. I've only ever swum in this one pool... The people at the front desk aren't swimmers and don't even know the difference between yards and meters. When I asked... They opened the pamphlet, and said it's 25 yards by 25 meters. When I asked which way the lanes were setup for... They looked at me blankly and said "yards, I think?". I can say that this pool holds high school meets about twice a month. But, I don't know if that helps determine the length. Do they still swim competitions with YARD pools?

So, I go swim in this other pool and he tells me it's 25 meters. Since he's obviously a lifelong swimmer I assume he's right. The pool doesn't feel any different lengthwise, and my typical laptimes are the same in both pools. So, I'm assuming they are both the same length. I just don't know which... Meters or yards.

Sometimes alone, sometimes not. I don't recall anyone at a similar pace...certainly no one I thought I was competing with. That happens at my home pool all the time. The HS team practices at the same time as me in the morning. I try to keep up with their kick sets. :=)

Counting your strokes is the best way to determine pool length. As another poster pointed out, in the 25 m pool you will take 2-3 spl more than in a 25 yd pool. The club where I swim has a 25 yd indoor pool and a 25 m outdoor pool, so I am intimately familiar with this, espec in the summer when thunderstorms often force us to leave the outdoor pool and go inside. In the 25 yd pool, I am 16-17 spl vs 18-19 in the 25 m pool. If going really hard, I might go up to 18 inside and 20 out. Further, once you get your spl figured out for whatever length pool you normally swim in, then you can pretty much estimate the length of any hotel or club pool you swim in. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Since you are confused, they must be the same. I swim 25 meters indoors. On the very rare occasion I have to swim 25 yards, it is immediately noticable because the walls come much faster. It would be the same if you went the other direction, you would be begging for the walls at speed going from 25 yards to 25 meters.

THERE IS 7 FEET DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 25 M & 25 Y. That is a pretty big difference.

Yes. Most competitions in the USA are in yards. It’s a throwback tradition. In large part, it’s bc pools are super expensive to replace or renovate. Most before the 1970’s were 25 yards long. While most nowadays are built as convertible pools, with bulkheads, mandating that USA, NCAA, and HS meets be meters would create a giant outcry, bc of all the pools that are 25 y.

USA swimming has national meets in 25 y pools. NCAA is exclusively in 25 y pools for nationals, except in 2000 and 2004, when an experiment in meters was tried. It’s crazy, and I much prefer 25m and 50 pools, but this is ‘Murica.

Good point. Whereby you only mention psychological advantages. The physical slipstream though has massive influence, when there is a lot of stress in the lane my times mostly are better.

Want to know the length for sure? Bring a tape measure next time.

Or walk the distance of the pool (on deck.... not in the pool). 1 step is ~1 yard.

Both pools are the same distance. And my bet is they are 25 yards.

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Walked both sides of my home pool today. 32 paces x 35 paces (I have a short stride). Lanes are setup the short way. So, sounds like both pools are 25 YARDS.

So much for my future Olympic swimming career. /pink

...or not...

I am with you on this. We can talk about what makes a pool fast or slow (24 hour fitness in pasdena, tx, 3 lanes, no gutters, shallow and warm!) but what really determines everything is the length of the pool.

The lifetime fitness outdoor pool at Citicentre in Houston is just hair under 26 yards.
The pool I trained LC in as a kid was only 49M.

Someone mentioned the Outdoor Pure Austin pool: it is long. Haven't measured it, but I know for sure. 3 dolphin kicks, 12 strokes ALWAYS gets me down to the end of a pool on the first 25 of any repeat. I was in that pool by myself (so less turbulence) and it was long glide into the wall to do 12 or a short stroke to 13.

what is your "home" pool. I have an extensive record of pool throughout the country. It is unlikely but entirely possible that I have measurement data.

Also: your swim coach may be wrong. It doesn't matter how much experience he has. The masters swim coach (former D1 swimmer) at my gym insists the outdoor pool is 25M when I have literally measured it not to be.

Home Pool:
Don rodenbaugh natatorium
Allen Texas
Website says "25 yards x 25 meters". I paced it out on Saturday as 32 paces x 35 paces---walked it twice, got the same respots both times. Lanes are setup the "short way".


My coaches pool:
The Verandah Club
Dallas, TX
(website even says "25 meter indoor lap pool")

Ha, I have not been there but I did sign up for an indoor tri there once...just couldn't make it. Was the construction part of the $50M football facility that is having structural problems?

I'd trust the measurements, and in fact I'd say that is a fast pool. Where is your coaches pool? Ummm something tells me that he is wrong!

Coaches pool is listed above. Their website even lists it as 25 meters. Funny.

I have no idea on the natatorium and Allen football stadium... Lol.

Optimized water that cost $1,000 a gallon.

I googled and found an image of your coach's pool:

They use Competitor Antiwave lane lines with the supertensioner connections and 4.5 inch disks.

In the 25 yard setup with the supertentioner connection you are supposed to have solid color on both ends of the pool and 17 sections alternating colors. Below I have linked my college pool with that setup, which is part of how I recognized it so quickly. You can count the alternating colors on both images if you wish, but trust me there are 17 on both.

I assure you my college pool is 25 yards. I do not know for sure that the coach's pool is 25 yards, but I have a feeling it is.

Here is my college pool (we are getting a new one next year thank goodness) with the exact setup:

https://www.google.com/search?q=kalamazoo+college+swim+pool&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS732US732&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRkdGz7KLgAhVLHqwKHeObAFUQ_AUIECgD&biw=1236&bih=569#imgrc=Rud2rtiEEDr59M:

LMAO. That's some fine sloothing work.

In the meantime, I know that the texas UIL held a swim meet at my home pool on 18 Jan. I was able to find the Texas UIL rulebook and all official events are defined as YARDS, there is no metric alternative. The starting blocks at my pool aren't movable. Those facts along with the my paced out dimensions of the pool is pretty conclusive that my HOME pool is 25 YARDS.

I don't typically count strokes when I swim---I've always let the Garmin do that (I know, I know...don't start). But, I do notice when I shorten-up (take an extra stroke) and end on my off-side. I think I'd notice an extra 3 strokes.

So, everything points to the Verandah Club pool being a YARD pool.

I train a lot in the slowest 20-yard pool ever. Always in the high 80s temp wise (has hit 90 a few times), side jets, no gutters, loose lane lines and as the 'fast guy' I always have to swim against the wall. The temp limits it to being tolerable for about 2400 yards, then my times start going up. Blech.

Side note: For much longer distances, I'm not altogether convinced that shorter pools are that much faster for me than longer ones, even though you get more pushes off the wall per 100. The loss of oxygen on the turns is greater--and that's the limiter for me when I am doing long sets. For example: I would much rather do that ePostal thing in a 25m pool than a 20y pool. Yes, faster for any interval under 500 yards...but....

How many strokes per 25 do you take in your every day pool?

How many strokes per 25 were you taking in his pool?

If they were the same, both pools are either meters or both pools are yards.