Lap Counting

Originally posted by CycloneVM

Originally posted by jblamb1401 I've moved small rocks around the deck in the past, but my best technique is that if you forget the count, you're required to do whatever you think you are on + 1.

^^^ This The problem for me comes because as you are swimming your lap your brain switches from "just got done with Lap X" to "now I'm on Lap X" to "X Laps to go" and I screw it all up. Often I can look at the clock and figure out where I'm at, but sometimes not and that's when the +1 rule applies. Another easier method is to stick to shorter distances in your sets Hard to forget where you are when you are only swimming 200 or less!

That's what I've done. It's always the lesser. I count by 25 though, so every length adds up to the total.

I've been using this for years.  Tried other swim watches but always went back to the Sportcount.  Simplest, easist to read, least disruptive to my stroke to read.  Only downside is I'm on about my fifth one. 

I go by letters. Lap 1 is "A" and I think about all the words that start with that letter. Lap 2 is "B" and so on. Sometimes I'll think of male names on the way up and female names on the way back.

If there are newer lane lines in the pool, they typically have discs.  If you grab them closest to the wall and give a good pull, you can pull the discs back a couple of feet - be patient, it takes a while and a fairly good pull.  Then, each lap (2 lengths) or each 100 or whatever you are counting, pull one of the discs back to the wall.  You will need to "clean up" the discs every now and again if there are a lot of people in the pool (separate the counted lap discs and the lane line discs).  It has worked for me for 30+ years.  Easy, and you don't have to buy anything.  In answer to the obvious question, no it doesn't hurt anything.  If you leave it be, in an hour or so you won't even be able to tell you pulled the discs back.

I count by 100s and validate against the clock.  It helps that there is a big digital clock on the wall at my pool.  If I'm swimming a 400, at the 100 I take a peek at the clock and in my head I'm expecting to see a certain elapsed time (say 1:25), I might actually see 1:23.  Then when I get to the 200, I expect to see 2:48 (1:23 + 1:25) and as long as I see roughly the right time I know my count is right.  If it's way off then I know I miscounted and can adjust accordingly.

Garmin SWIM watch.