Triathlon Swimming Q&A: Shaving Your Head

March 9, 2009

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. A bald head (or a swim cap) was so slippery that my head would pop up as I was kicking underwater – a very bad moment. The short hair acts as an abrasive that helps hold the streamline better. If I had to wear a swim cap, I would typically wear it inside-out to get the same effect.

But these considerations are not necessary in the sport of triathlon. There is no place in an open-water swim (except at the start and end) where an efficient streamline position matters. Furthermore, most triathlon races require the use of a swim cap while in the water (which covers your head whether it has hair or not). So, the only reason to shave the hair off your head in a triathlon is mental. Do it if you think it will make you fast. But don’t worry about it otherwise! Hope this helps! Until next time, happy training.

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