In Conclusion...
...reducing drag in swimming is possible in many ways, but not all of them will have a significant effect on your times.
Although certain swim suits, like Fastskins and Speedo LZRs, can help you swim faster, there are cases in which those suits actually underperform than regular suits. However, it is clear that a regular/fast suit is more beneficial to swimmers than a pair of swim trunks and a swim shirt. An experiment displays that dragging swimwear not only slows down the swimmer, but also makes it harder to swim certain strokes.
In addition, most swimmers use caps to reduce the friction on their head. Caps are beneficial in reducing friction on the head, but probably don't affect people with shorter hair as much.
Instead of concentrating on objects that could help in drag reduction, swimmers should focus on improving their technique. For example, swimmers should try to perfect their streamlines, which are essential in turns and starts. They should also try to make themselves more buoyant by "pressing the T," or pressing their upper body down in order to raise the hips.
Although certain swim suits, like Fastskins and Speedo LZRs, can help you swim faster, there are cases in which those suits actually underperform than regular suits. However, it is clear that a regular/fast suit is more beneficial to swimmers than a pair of swim trunks and a swim shirt. An experiment displays that dragging swimwear not only slows down the swimmer, but also makes it harder to swim certain strokes.
In addition, most swimmers use caps to reduce the friction on their head. Caps are beneficial in reducing friction on the head, but probably don't affect people with shorter hair as much.
Instead of concentrating on objects that could help in drag reduction, swimmers should focus on improving their technique. For example, swimmers should try to perfect their streamlines, which are essential in turns and starts. They should also try to make themselves more buoyant by "pressing the T," or pressing their upper body down in order to raise the hips.
Swimming is a very complicated and technical sport. New ideas and biomechanics are constantly being discovered, and swimmers are learning how to swim faster. As our knowledge in technique and training gradually grow, more and more records will be broken and set.
An article from Swimming World Magazine states:
An article from Swimming World Magazine states:
Most recognize biomechanics are the main area of improvement for elite swimmers. Like golf and tennis, swimming is a highly technical skill requiring repetitive accurate movements for learning. Tennis and golf professionals have coaches helping them with technique. In these sports, a radar gun or mishit ball makes it obvious when a skill is altered. In swimming, technical changes are more subtle. It takes continual awareness for refining a stroke, which doesn't happen overnight. This is one of the main principles of motor learning: the principle of specificity. It takes numerous repetitions of an exact movement to make it autonomous. When it becomes autonomous, one is more likely to subconsciously use these skills in a race, a necessity as conscious thought slows down movement."
Swimming World Magazine
Although physical objects like swimsuits can help swimmers improve their times and reduce their drag, it is important to know that drag reduction is also possible through technique. Swimmers should always strive to have perfect technique, and should do so during both practice and meets. By learning how to swim strokes more energy-efficiently and with less drag, swimmers can pave their way to the top.