Have you ever borrowed someone else’s wetsuit for a race, only to find that it didn’t fit very well and filled with water? It is not a fun moment of discovery on race day. But, how much of a difference does it make if your wetsuit fills with water? If your wetsuit is obviously larger, it makes sense that it would make you slower. But how about wetsuits that feel tight when you put them on and collect about a centimeter of water around your waist, shoulders and arms? Does this small amount of extra water weight affect your top swimming speeds? And if so, by how much?

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Q: Why do some swimmers shave the hair off their head and others do not?

A: The short answer is that a bald head will not make you magically faster on race day. Some swimmers shave the hair on their head as part of a ritual of shaving the hair on the arms and legs. During my days of Division-1 swimming, I didn’t like to swim with a bald cranium. Why? A very-short buzz-cut helped me hold my arms in a streamline position off the starts and turns. For those that don’t know, a streamline means to hold both hands together with the arms held over the head.

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Coach Dobko will pick one of your questions each week and give you some insight into swimming. E-mail your questions to duanesworlddobko@worldnet.att.net.

If you have just bought a new wetsuit for the season, do make sure you try it out before your first race. A wetsuit, (especially a full suit that covers the arms and legs) can restrict movement and make your stroke feel a little weird. I have found that I have to work harder to rotate the shoulders, as the neoprene around the upper torso makes you much more buoyant. Thus, your stroke becomes much more flat in a wetsuit.

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