goggles

Hi Chuck! Keep your head down!! Tuck your chin when you dive; if you even lift your head slightly, your goggles will slide down (believe me, I know). Also, tighten them a bit. Some people like to put them on under their cap; I've heard that helps as well. Good luck! Kari;)

You can pull the front of your cap down over the top of your googles. Just a bit so you can still see.

Never had problem keeping goggles on... since I was 8! Anyway, the biggest problem I could see is if the force of the water is so great upon entry that it were to knock your goggles off. This can be relieved by being streamlined upon entry into the water. Be tucked into the tight, modern streamline upon entry. Other options... another thing I do is practice with one set of goggles, looser fit, more comfortable for training, and then at meets I wear a tighter fitting pair. It puts my ming at ease. I have no fear of them getting water-logged at all. Plus... even though you couln't wear those goggles for an entire practice due to the tightness, you figure a :30 -> 5:00 race it's really no problem. Hope those suggestions help. Good luck! Regards, RM

I wear competition goggles at meets and have them so tight that I fear permanent eye or brain damage. But, I figure since I only do this for a few minutes ever couple of months, the damage can't be that great. That's what I tell myself anyway. I wear the Speedo Aquablade goggles and they work nicely. Having said that, they will probably fly from my face with the force of of a missile at the next meet.

Make sure your goggles are fairly streamlined in and of themselves. The new socket rockets by TYR are incredibly comfy for a racing goggle ... the peripheral vision is also great. Bigger almost clunky goggles catch alot more water ... and are easy to flip or move around even on push-offs. There are a ton of styles in the whole range from racing and very slim profiles on up to larger sizes.

Goggles are like running shoes - if they fit well, they work well. When buying goggles, press one eye onto your eye. It should suction on and stay on when you move your head around. As noted before, the less bulky the goggle is, the less water resistance it will face. Practice pushing your goggles onto your face before diving in, and tightening them a bit. Before a race, don't hang around the blocks with the strap around your head - put your goggles on last. Also practice diving a lot - even from the side of the pool. You'll feel where your head should be. Practice backstoke starts, too. One unfortunate truism I've found: goggles (like bathing suits and running shoes) wear out - splurge every few months and buy a new pair. Good luck!

If you find a pair of goggles that fit very well and you like them buy several pairs or the next time you go to get the same kind you may find that they are not being made anymore.

jeez...that's the worst thing that happens to me during races. And when they do come off, they stay on your face!! HOW ANNOYING...and to make things worst, you can't adjust them so they come off of your face because you'll get DQed! What a wonderful world we live in! anyhow, I found a pair that hardly ever comes off when I start. I use the Tyr Technoflex 2.0. They stick on my face really well, but I replace them about once every three months. I have a different pair for racing and a different for training. They usually don't come off for me, but just to be safe, I buy a new one because as they get older and worn, the fit becomes crappier. It just doesn't stay on your face as good as a new pair. So I think you should try many pairs becuase it took me about a dozen tries to get to the pair i use now. Hope this helps:p David

Another goggle question. Can someone reccommend a type that won't leave such ring marks on my eyes- I go to work after my swim and people stare at me.

The Kaiman goggle from Aqua Sphere leaves little or no rings around your eyes - they sit on the outside of the eye socket, not in it. Unlike traditional goggles, you don't have to wear them too tight that they leave marks. These are a smaller variation on the Seal Mask, which also will leavel little or no mark when worn correctly. Note that I'm the Northeast regional sales manager for the company, so take that into consideration but ask around about them. Lots of Masters swimmers (myself included) are wearing them. The website (www.AquaSphereUSA.com) lists retailers that carry them and you can pick them up on-line as well - just do a search on the net, or drop me an e-mail - we have reps across the country whose job it is to demonstrate our stuff.