How to Time Laps Using a Keyboard

Whether you are working out individually or engaging in a team sport, knowing your lap times is essential to your athletic development. Regardless of the sport -- running, swimming or any other task that requires completing an action in a timed cycle -- you need to gradually decrease your lap times throughout the course of your training. You can use the keyboard on your laptop or desktop computer to time laps in the event that you do not have a conventional stopwatch handy.

Things You'll Need

  • Stopwatch utility
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Instructions

    • 1

      Download one of many free stopwatch programs or use an online Flash or Java-based one. Consider XNote Stopwatch, TheXSoft Stopwatch or Flash-based Online Stopwatch if you do not have such a program in mind.

    • 2

      Install the downloaded stopwatch utility if necessary.

    • 3

      Launch the stopwatch utility.

    • 4

      Check the stopwatch utility's hotkey settings. The "Start/Stop" hotkey will be the button on your keyboard that you will need to push at the beginning and end of any lap you are monitoring. This key may be "Enter" or "Spacebar" by default. Check your program's "Settings" or "Preferences" menu, as these may vary by utility.

    • 5

      Position the athlete whose laps you intend to time so that they are ready to begin.

    • 6

      Give your lap begin signal and push the stopwatch's "Start/Stop" hotkey simultaneously. Doing so starts the athlete's lap and begins the timing process.

    • 7

      Watch the athlete closely as he or she performs the lap.

    • 8

      Push the "Start/Stop" hotkey when the athlete has completed the lap.