Did you ever notice professional swimmers wear two caps during a swimming competition? Or did you notice many swimmers wore two caps in the 2020 Summer Olympics? So why do swimmers wear two caps?
Actually, there are two reasons behind it. The first one is to better secure goggles at their place. The goggles go above the first cap but under the second cap, which helps that being at their place and drags less water.
The second reason is related to performance. Both caps are made from different materials, which eventually increase the performance. Let’s get to know in detail about both these reasons and about other things swimmers do.
Why do swimmers wear two caps?
Dana Vollmer’s outer cap slipped off after her gold-medal performance in the women’s 100-meter butterfly, revealing another swimming cap underneath. Many Olympic and other elite swimmers, like Michael Phelps, wear two caps during competitions. So why do they wear two caps?
Actually, wearing two caps helps in two ways. The first one is to secure goggles in their place and reduce drag in the water. The goggles go over one cap and beneath the other, which covers their straps, eventually helping the goggles stabilize and reduce water dragging.
The second reason is related to performance. Actually, both caps are made from different materials, the inner one made of latex and the outer one with silicone.
During the 2012 London Olympics, former women’s assistant coach Dave Salo explained it to Yahoo Sports. He said, “The outer silicone cap better maintains the shape and does not wrinkle as much (as the inner latex cap), thereby causing less drag.”
The inner latex cap sticks better to the head even though it wrinkles more; however, the silicone one comes off easily. So for optimum outcomes, professional swimmers wear two caps, taking advantage of both caps.
Will wearing two swim caps keep hair dry?
The answer is, sadly, no. Rather than keeping your hair dry, swim hats are made to decrease drag and keep you clean in the water. However, If you wear a silicone cap on top of another cap, you’ll have an excellent seal to stop water from getting in.
While a swim hat keeps your hair dry and protected from splashes when you don’t submerge your head in the water, if you do so, water will leak into the cap due to the lack of a water-tight closure.
Does wearing a swim cap help?
Definitely, Yes! Wearing a swim cap helps you in many ways. Here are the four benefits of swim caps and why it is necessary to wear swim caps:
- Swim caps keep hair out of your face, allowing you to concentrate on your training.
- The swim cap reduces water resistance, allowing you to swim faster. As a result, you won’t feel your ponytail dragging in the water since they keep all of your little hairs in place around your forehead and neck.
- Though they’re not designed for keeping your hair dry, but swim hats do offer some protection from the damaging effects of chlorine on your hair.
- They protect you from harm. If you’re swimming in an area with a lot of other swimmers or boaters, it’s a good idea to wear a brightly coloured hat.
- Even while swimming in frigid bodies of water, some hats will keep your head warm.
Why do swimmers slap themselves before the start of a race?
You probably have seen some swimmers slapping themselves before the start of the swim race. So why do they do this? Actually, there’s a reason behind it. Slapping prepares an athlete for action. This slapping helps the “warmup” process by increasing blood flow to the muscles.
Especially in the pectoral region, male swimmers will slap themselves red from time to time. Women can also use a closed fist.
Why do swimmers shave?
Swimmers shave to swim faster and decrease the water friction drag. Shaving the arms, legs, back, and virtually any other exposed portion of the body decreases frictional drag, enhances streamline, and increases the swimmer’s awareness and feel for the water. This results in better performance.
However, shaving was not extensively used in the swimming world until the 1950s.
Shaving is also quite popular among bikers and triathletes.
Why do swimmers splash themselves with water before swimming?
Before the race, many swimmers will lean down and splash water over themselves from the pool or may take a water bottle and pour it over themselves. So why do they do it?
In order to keep their suits in place as they leap into the pool and get their bodies ready for action, swimmers splash pool water over themselves or douse themselves with bottled water.
Moreover, swimmers splash water from the pool on themselves to lessen the shock of the first dive into the pool. This adjusts their body temperature with that of pool water.
Bottom Line
This was all about why do swimmers wear two caps. Now you can definitely tell your friends or family whenever you see a swimmer wear two caps. However, not every swimmer will do this or any other trick like slapping themselves splashing water.
We hope this article was helpful & informative. Please leave your valuable thoughts & suggestions in the comments below.
Thank you for reading!
