I have been a swimmer for about 7 or 8 years but I have never shaved my legs before, and the swimming team for my school starts in November. I have been training since summer, and I was wondering how many swimmers actually shave, and how does it help? should I shave my legs? and if so, should I do it now so I can get used to it?
Parents
Former Member
From what I can see/read, it's not the drag component (of the quantity/quality of hair) that makes the difference, it's that shaving exposes the nerve endings in the skin which respond to the stimulation of the water and change the feel; thus the reference to shaving palms of hands, etc. Just taking off the top layer of skin with a loofah or something like that can change the way the water feels on your skin - try that sometime for a good experiment. It's quite a mental game as well- the HS boys I coach make a party out of it, shaving patterns on heads and legs before conference, then completely before sectionals or states. That, combined with taper, makes for some great times at the end of of the season. So much of swimming is mental prep that whether the effects of shaving down are physical or psychological or, most likely, a combination - it's all good.
From what I can see/read, it's not the drag component (of the quantity/quality of hair) that makes the difference, it's that shaving exposes the nerve endings in the skin which respond to the stimulation of the water and change the feel; thus the reference to shaving palms of hands, etc. Just taking off the top layer of skin with a loofah or something like that can change the way the water feels on your skin - try that sometime for a good experiment. It's quite a mental game as well- the HS boys I coach make a party out of it, shaving patterns on heads and legs before conference, then completely before sectionals or states. That, combined with taper, makes for some great times at the end of of the season. So much of swimming is mental prep that whether the effects of shaving down are physical or psychological or, most likely, a combination - it's all good.
