Hey gang,
Today, for fun, after my workout (1150yards - moderate pace), I decided I would see how fast I could do a lap at our pool. The fastest I could get was 35seconds over 50yards. Is that pretty good, average, sucky?
I did my most recent 2.4 mile swim (in the pool) at around 1:20.
I guess this post is more of a:
How fast have you done 50 yards before?
…type of question. 
Trae
For a real swimmer, 35 seconds would be good for a 12 year old kid. I think the record was just broken a few weeks ago around sub 19 seconds. For a triathlete it is ok. Doesn’t really matter anyway since I know of no races with a 50 yard swim.
The fastest I ever went was high 23 seconds but I wasn’t a sprinter.
I would guess that is average for triathlon? My best in college was off a relay start, 21.03.
And let’s finally settle this for all you non-swimmers. A lap is from one end to the other. In a 25 yard pool, a ‘50’ is two laps.
Now you know, and as G.I Joe used to say, ‘knowing is half the battle.’
And let’s finally settle this for all you non-swimmers. A lap is from one end to the other. In a 25 yard pool, a ‘50’ is two laps.
No. A LENGTH is from one end to the other. A LAP is back to your starting point. In a 25 yd pool, one lap is 50 yards, one length is 25 yards.
-Colin
“How fast have you done 50 yards before?”
23.1 seconds
.
So when you run laps, that is half way around the track?
“Sports. To get ahead of (an opponent) in a race by one or more complete circuits of the course, as in running, or by two or more lengths of pool in swimming.”
OTOH, the same dictionary says:
“One complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool.”
Here, a dog takes a few laps in a pool:
Sorry. Eganski’s correct. Ask anyone with a swimming background. One lap = one length.
btw 30.2 as a 10 yr old (in 1962)
for a 12yo that would be a good time for a 50 yds kick.
I’m not saying what makes sense (i.e a lap SHOULD be 2 ‘lengths’)
I’m just saying what it is. And when you say a ‘lap’ is down and back, you look silly. Now you can at least ‘talk the talk.’ I’m just trying to help.
2 laps? a 50
4 laps? 100
8 laps? 200
Apology’s are accepted, and don’t wait for other swimmers to tell you you’re wrong. If you try to tell a swimmer that 2 laps isn’t a 50, you’ll get laughed at.
Knowledge is power.
I think I swam a high 26 as a very medicre prep swimmer. Remember, off the blocks will get anyone out 1-2 sec. faster. A 100 is a better benchmark. I think I could go 57.5 or so. A 47 might get you a college scholarship.
Honestly, 35 sec. off the wall after a workout is decent and indicates you might be able to improve quite a bit: I swim under 22 minutes in Olympic distance races (which is close to a 60 min. pace in an IM I guess) and I can’t go faster than 31 or 32 off the wall for a 50.
50 yard kick!?!?!? Damn.
At my best, in high school, I think I hit 30 seconds for a 50 yard “sprint”. I guess that’s why I’m drawn to the idea of “slowtwitch”!!
-C
No. A LENGTH is from one end to the other. A LAP is back to your starting point. In a 25 yd pool, one lap is 50 yards, one length is 25 yards.
That’s what I thought until I saw the dictionary. Swimmers, being lazy, wanted to complete their workouts in half the time, and came up with this.
Hmm, interesting. I swam growing up, age-group to high school, and 50 yards was always 1 lap (in a 25 yard pool). Admittedly, I never had the smartest coaches!
-C
All those counters for the 500,1000, and mile can’t be wrong. 1 lap = 1 length of the pool, so like eganski said, 2 laps in a scy pool is a 50.
The 50 world record was just set at NCAA men’s met. The big frenchmen destored it at 18.74, first time under 19 (from a non-relay start). Then, just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, went 18.90 in finals. WHOAZZER!
-bcreager
When I was swimming competitively 1 lap always meant 2 lengths of a 25 m pool.
And people wonder why many swim coaches are still stuck in the Stone Age in the acquisition of new knowledge. Perpetuating myths seems to be more important than knowing that we don’t know everything there is about aquatic movements.
A length of pool was a lap…that was what your coach called it. So that’s what you call it. Nevermind it’s wrong.
I am a full-time swim coach, I come from a swimming background…and one lap in a 25yd pool is a 50. Now, if we’re talking about a 50m pool…then a lap is 100m. My coaches called a 25yd a lap…I know better now.
Dave
Just curious…did you swim age group in Arizona? If so, was it with Charlie C?
Dave
From the US swimming website:
Lap : One length of the course. Sometimes may also mean down and back (2 lengths) of the course.
Length : The extent of the competitive course from end to end. See lap.
Maybe it’s an east coast/west coast thing like calling soda, pop.
Trimike said for a real swimmer.
I can do 8x50yds on 1’ in 45’’ kicking and I CAN’T kick
So since you are spear-heading this change, i’m sure you’ve invented new lap-counters for people to use in high school and college for the 500, 1000, and mile?
Also, call Webster, cause he too is perpetuating a myth:
lap:
n.
A part that overlaps.
The amount by which one part overlaps another.
B One complete round or circuit, especially of a racetrack.
C One complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool.
A lap is from one end to another in swimming. That’s just the way it is. Some things will never change. That’s just the way it is.(insert piano here)