Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

__steve__ — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:06:27 GMT

Those who think high-waisted undies are nothing more than wedgies or fat stuffing straps, like the ones softball coaches or hollywood types wear, just haven't purchased underwear in over a year. :eeew: Mine don't last that long due to bacterial fabric digestion-decomposition syndrome. Nevertheless, do yourself a favor and service your under-wardrobe with some Starters® My wife loves mine, your's will too. Is this spam?

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:33:43 GMT

When I am in season, I will swim my practices in just a drag suit. I also compete in meets in a speedo. When championship season rolls around, I shave down and rock the LZR Elite Jammer. :)

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:30:47 GMT

Here comes an unfounded but vaguely plausible theory for the etymology of "jammer." For decades in the surfing world, what are now called 'board shorts' were commonly referred to as 'jams,' short for 'pajamas,' because we often simply cut off a pair of old pajama bottoms at the knees, since they often had very reliable drawstrings (important detail) for pushing through surf. Finding more suitable (get it?) trunks was such a hassle, I used to send measurements to a guy in Honolulu who I found in the back of Surfer Magazine, who would then stitch 'jams' to spec out of smoothly worn sailcloth. Pricy, but they fitted perfectly and lasted forever. Since 'jamming' also has the slang surf/skate meaning of a high-performance forcing of a situation (as in 'I jammed that section, dude'), some copywriter for a swimsuit manufacturer may have decided this confluence of connotations conveyed the concept (oh the alliteration!) of youthful renegacy and non-stop cool. Thus managing to successfully market a fairly kooked-out-looking product at jacked prices.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:13:46 GMT

I don't even know what monster i created here. Are we arguing about whether or not age group swimmers are self conscious of themselves and if teams that require speedos are run by pedophiles?

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:23:52 GMT

Those girdle things fat people wear to keep in their stomach bulge. High waisted underwear right there.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

knelson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:41:47 GMT

You must have erased all memories of wedgies from your brain. OK, underwear that are intended to be high waisted! :banana:

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Chris Stevenson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:24:56 GMT

You've seen high waisted underwear for men? Have to say that's a new one to me. You must have erased all memories of wedgies from your brain.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

knelson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:23:38 GMT

Swimwear style seems to be very consistent with underwear, even the recent high waist. It is also acceptable to swim in underwear equivalent, even if your out of style. Except long underwear hasn't been banned yet. :) You've seen high waisted underwear for men? Have to say that's a new one to me.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Chris Stevenson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:11:28 GMT

Hey Chris, adults messing around with minors doesn’t involve just swim coaches: www.sfgate.com/.../article.cgi Not seeing the relevance. Along with Neill Williams and Tom Patterson. This discussion had turned to age groupers deciding between briefs and jammers, not college swim teams. Just a joke, I thought it was a funny video (and even on topic, except for the whole age-grouper thing).

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

__steve__ — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:03:04 GMT

Swimwear style seems to be very consistent with underwear, even the recent high waist. It is also acceptable to swim in underwear equivalent, even if your out of style.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

__steve__ — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:24:25 GMT

Just got wedgied ... probably deserved though

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:57:19 GMT

3Rd post up from here: Nowadays I imagine USA-S might be pretty suspicious of an adult who insists that all boys always wear briefs. Simple enough: jammers or briefs, it's the kid's choice and I'm glad they have one. Hey Chris, adults messing around with minors doesn’t involve just swim coaches: www.sfgate.com/.../article.cgi

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:52:15 GMT

Someone asked where the name “Jammer” (for long tight shorts) came from. Here’s my experience. Just because they were on sale (not due to preference), I bought a package of jammer style underwear and after wearing them for a while, they should really be called “Jerries” –an acronym for Jock Rash Irritators. BTW below is a 1965 photo of the Hollywood High School swim team (I was actually on it from 1968 through 1971) and those suits were the standard up until the late 80s. www.e-yearbook.com/.../Page_58.html In addition to brief type swim suits, short shorts (about 1/3 down to the knee) were part of the standard gym uniform and none of us had any problem with the “self-consciousness” issue. Why after 60 years of acceptance did the short look become a such a taboo?

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Chris Stevenson — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:11:42 GMT

The reasoning is quite clear and as the old saying goes "It ain’t rocket science". It sure isn't, most rocket scientists I know are smart enough not to expect (pre-)adolescent boys to be indifferent to their appearance, or blame them for it if they are. Nowadays I imagine USA-S might be pretty suspicious of an adult who insists that all boys always wear briefs. Simple enough: jammers or briefs, it's the kid's choice and I'm glad they have one.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Chris Stevenson — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:20:20 GMT

Times are different today than when most of us were kids growing-up in the sport. Wook, didn't you go to American University? They don't seem to have a problem with briefs!

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:52:25 GMT

Geez, the forum has another Dolphin 2. I can completely understand someone new to swimming being nervous about wearing the classic speedo around strangers. So, I don't assume to know someone' s true interest in swimming because of suit choice. "Geez, the forum has another Dolphin 2". As Maynard G. Krebbs (the beatnik character in the Dobbie Gillis sitcom) used to say “You rang???” As to the original comment from Mini Shark, I believe he/she logically concludes that if a kid’s embarrassment about wearing a classic speedo suit is a deterrent to taking up swimming, he’s more concerned about the appearance of his suit than swimming. The reasoning is quite clear and as the old saying goes "It ain’t rocket science". :agree: D2

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Jimbosback — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:39:49 GMT

My only problem with briefs these days is the ridiculous tan line I have a couple of inches above my knees. I'm generally very tan from the line down, and my thighs are pretty white. I suppose I could start doing yard work and such in a brief to moderate this, but ... gross.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Midas — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:37:58 GMT

Maybe this is because my association with briefs was not all Mark Spitz and Rowdy Gaines but also all the big-bellied middle-aged men I grew up seeing in them too. Just looked SO wrong. And now there are also images of Borat that have gotten mixed in there too.:afraid: Yikes! Totally my issue. More specifically, middle-aged, big-bellied "Eurpeans" were the speedo stereotype for me growing up. I generally feel very comfortable in the jammers, though I don't love racing breaststroke in them. (The problem with racing in briefs is that my upper leg hair probably slows me down more than the jammers and I'm not shaving for every race.) Briefs make me feel very "naked" but that's probably because I'm just used to the jammers. I have no more issues with pull buoys whether I'm wearing the jammers or not (in fact, my skin is probably slightly slicker than the suit). It's fascinating to see everyone's different perspectives on this! While most guys on my masters team wear jammers these days, we have a few who still kick it old school.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

tjrpatt — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:27:16 GMT

for some reason, when I wear some jammers, they don't stay up. Now, when I wear the brief-jammer hybrid, no problems. I stick with the TYR Race Jammers because I don't get that "plumbers crack" feeling.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:22:58 GMT

"Tell me, how can you determine how interested someone is in swimming based on their suit choice?" As stated in the previous post, if a person is so preoccupied with their suit choice that it is the deciding factor whether or not to go out for swimming, it's quite logical to assume they are more interested in their suit than swimming. On the same note, I’ve always thought the idea that adding more coverage to be faster was just an alterior motive to usher in what some consider a “morally conservative” look in men’s athletic wear. Jammers are just a streamlined version of boardie shorts which came in style after the traditional suits drew so much criticism. BTW, I don’t see how jammers makes one feel less self conscious. Although they completely cover the upper legs, they also intensify that “lumpy” appearance.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:27:35 GMT

When swimming in the US, I usually wore square leg unless I'm doing a lot of *** stroke. Now that i am in Germany, it briefs all the time. They are by far the most comfortable and least restrictive. I hate the way jammers clamp down on my quads. I've even cut the bottom half of my cycling shorts off to get rid of the elastic band.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:40:56 GMT

A quote from another post on this thread: “Believe me, I know beginner swimmers interested in joining teams who have not because of the requirement to wear a form fitting suit. I know experienced swimmers who have not joined teams/quit because the team required a speedo over jammers”. I originally commented on this a couple of days ago, but I guess it was deleted by the moderators because of the volatile nature of what I said. So I left out the volatile portion and hopefully this one will stay on. If an experienced swimmer won’t join or quit a team because he is required to wear a purportedly socially unacceptable suit (AKA –the classic speedo brief) instead of a jammer, he must not be really that interested in swimming to begin with. BTW, count me in the group that hates jammers and tech suits and hope for the return of the classic style suit.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

Former Member — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:39:37 GMT

I feel like the perception now amongst the younger generation is if you wear a brief, then you'll really into swimming (otherwise you wouldn't wear one), therefore you'r really good at swimming. More experienced swimmers wear briefs, less experienced wear jammers. Now obviously there is no correlation between that suit you wear and your skill level, but I've been there not so long ago and I assistant coach my high school team when I am home for winter break.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

GregJS — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:53:56 GMT

I'm guessing I'm from the same era as Midas. (Might've been interesting to see how people's ages correlated to their choice of suits?) When I got back into swimming a few years ago, in my late thirties, I was so relieved jammers had been invented. I had no desire to go back to the briefs we wore in high school in the mid-80's. Never liked 'em. Maybe this is because my association with briefs was not all Mark Spitz and Rowdy Gaines but also all the big-bellied middle-aged men I grew up seeing in them too. Just looked SO wrong. And now there are also images of Borat that have gotten mixed in there too.:afraid: Yikes! Glad to say my belly hasn't gotten too much bigger yet, now that I'm getting in to the middle-age zone; but unless these deeply ingrained associations somehow get exorcized from my mind, I'll probably be sticking with me jammies just the same.

RE: Guys: Your Preference: Brief vs. Jammer

jethro — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:44:09 GMT

I feel like the perception now amongst the younger generation is if you wear a brief, then you'll really into swimming (otherwise you wouldn't wear one), therefore you're really good at swimming. More experienced swimmers wear briefs, less experienced wear jammers. Now obviously there is no correlation between that suit you wear and your skill level, but I've been there not so long ago and I assistant coach my high school team when I am home for winter break. There might be something to this. I've had folks say to me (when I was on the pool deck) "you must be really fast." Maybe to them I look the part or something, but sadly my times don't support that. :( As for the original question, I'm not a fan of jammers.