Fast Suits vs Regular Suits
The graph shown is data collected by a team of researchers from different universities. The researchers experimented on subjects wearing regular ("conventional") suits and Fastskin suits, and calculated their drag and velocity for both suits. In this graph, there is not much of a difference in velocity and drag between the regular suit and the Fastskin suit. In some cases, the Fastskin performed worse than the regular suit. This graph displays uncertainty on whether or not Fastskin suits actually work. Click here to learn more about this data.
Going on from the difference in velocity and drag wearing Fastskin suits and regular suits, I conducted a simple experiment similar to the one above. However, I tested the effects of wearing swim trunks and a long-sleeved swim shirt and wearing a regular practice suit. I used a 10-year-old boy as my subject.
In my experiment, the subject swam 50 yards of a certain stroke wearing a regular suit. I timed him, and recorded his three trials. Then, he swam 50 yards of the same stroke wearing swim trunks over his regular suit and a long-sleeved swim shirt. I recorded his times for three trials. The subject performed a dive for all trials and strokes (except for backstroke, which requires starting in the water).
In my experiment, the subject swam 50 yards of a certain stroke wearing a regular suit. I timed him, and recorded his three trials. Then, he swam 50 yards of the same stroke wearing swim trunks over his regular suit and a long-sleeved swim shirt. I recorded his times for three trials. The subject performed a dive for all trials and strokes (except for backstroke, which requires starting in the water).
V.S.
Using the times I recorded, I discovered the following points:
- In the 50Y free, my subject added 4.5 seconds in his average time in swim trunks and a swim shirt from his average time in a regular suit.
- In the 50Y back, he added 6.25 seconds.
- In the 50Y fly, he added 7.96 seconds.
- In the 50Y breast, he added 3.54 seconds.
Surprisingly, the average times wearing the trunks and shirt and the regular suit are closest in the 50Y breast. A possible explanation for this could be that since breaststroke is the least efficient and most resistant stroke, adding more drag has a less significant effect on it than in other strokes. On the other hand, in the 50Y fly, the average times are the most distant from each other. This could be because butterfly requires the swimmer to move his/her arms over the surface of the water constantly. Drag added to the arms would make them feel heavier and more difficult to take a stroke out of the water. Following the 50Y breast, the 50Y free has a small gap between the average times, too. Freestyle is the least resistant stroke, which could prove why the average times are not so far apart. The times in the 50Y back are similar to the 50Y fly, but there is a smaller gap between the average times.
This experiment was not perfect, though. There are many potential errors that may have affected the results, such as reaction time, updating recent times, and of course, the natural behavior of humans to slow down as they tire. In addition, this experiment mainly focuses on the subject's times according to the situation, not the general public's. Another swimmer may be more affected by drag in a stroke other than butterfly.
However, this experiment definitely proves why elite swimmers do not wear swim trunks and swim shirts. Swimwear that is not compact and doesn't stick to their bodies would create more drag and make them slower. Although it is not completely proven that fast suits and bodysuits do work, they would have more potential to reduce drag than a pair of swim trunks would.
This experiment was not perfect, though. There are many potential errors that may have affected the results, such as reaction time, updating recent times, and of course, the natural behavior of humans to slow down as they tire. In addition, this experiment mainly focuses on the subject's times according to the situation, not the general public's. Another swimmer may be more affected by drag in a stroke other than butterfly.
However, this experiment definitely proves why elite swimmers do not wear swim trunks and swim shirts. Swimwear that is not compact and doesn't stick to their bodies would create more drag and make them slower. Although it is not completely proven that fast suits and bodysuits do work, they would have more potential to reduce drag than a pair of swim trunks would.