The fact that I forgot my swim cap today when I went to the pool, and the very ‘average’ times that followed made me wonder whether a swim cap would help me go faster. So I went to look for he answer.
It seems the common thought is a cap reduces drag and therefore makes you faster.
The first article I found, from ‘Real Competitive Swimming’ says "The difference in drag between a closely cropped head of hair and a cap is minimal at best. Furthermore, that cap acts like an insulator keeping all the heat your head is trying to radiate away from your body, while highly exerting yourself, trapped. Most of a body's working fatigue comes from the heat generated by the muscles in the act of working."
Short hair?
It seems logical that a man with very short hair probably won’t gain anything by wearing a cap. I hadn’t thought really about the heat thing. I guess this may be an issue for competitive swimmers, but as a triathlete, a cap in open water is essential so that’s not really something I will concern myself over.
The article goes on to say that fatigue caused by overheating if you wear a hat, is accumulative, so over a short time you probably won’t notice. It does point out the effect it will have on stroke, something I noticed during my swim session this morning.
Long hair?
Obviously, if you have long hair, and you can’t see because its flowing all around. It stands to reason that your stroke might be altered, aerodynamics affected, therefore speed could also be affected.
Frictional drag?
There are three main types of drag on a swimmer: Frictional, pressure and wave.
You might also consider the frictional drag of hair, compared to silicone. According to Ernest Maglischo's book Swimming Fastest, "hair is a source of frictional drag".
Several other sources seem to suggest that this could in fact be true. Here are some other views I found in forums and swim training sources:
‘Swimmers often attempt to reduce drag by using swim caps, special suits, and shaving prior to competitions’
'For the same reason that swimmers will wear a body suit, the hair on the body causes drag in the water.’
Conclusion:
It seems swimming without a cap could in fact make you swim slower for two reasons: frictional drag caused by your hair, and altered swim mechanics due to the hair being in your way, rather than tucked under a cap.
Melanie Ryding - Melanie writes on a range of topics, her main interest lying in health, fitness, weight management and sport
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