Is it really worth shaving...

I find shaving drops my times about 1 sec/100 without a taper.It feels great in the water. One warning,for about 2 mo.after shaving my wife makes me wear thick pajamas to bed to protect her from my body stubble.

It's worth it. You'll notice the difference as soon as you dive in the water. What's the big deal? It takes, what, a couple hours to clip and shave? Then maybe there's some minor discomfort when it grows back and you'll look kind of funny in shorts for a few weeks. Think about all the time and effort you've put in in the pool. Shouldn't you do what you can to swim your fastest? I shouldn't talk, though. I don't like wearing a cap.

...as I was contorting last night to remove offending follicles...I thought to myself, "Is it really worth the effort?" I mean I'm not top 20 let alone top 10, and although I give a gallant try and swim OK. I'm not a lighting bolt in the water. Admittedly it's a nice thing to see a few abs lurking below the surface a little bit, which are not so observable with the man rug in full bloom, but beyond a little vanity clipping...is it worth it...or is it going to give me a psyche up that get's me a second off my 50 etc etc... Anyone else ponder this sort of thing... Hey SS, Don't just clip it, get the blade and get it all. When you're done you should be smooth as a baby's....oops! forgot we're not supposed to talk about body parts.

Studmuffin, A good portion of it is mental. But next time you're in the pool, move your arms and legs around kinda slowly and observe your hairs... if they're anything like mine, they'll flow back and forth the same way coral and other aquatic plants do in the current. It may be miniscule, but it does slow you down a bit. Plus when it is all over, Mrs. Stud will appreciate the smooth legs ;)

Kirk we'll hae to have a race or virtual race in the next year since we're in the same age group. I might need a handicap though ;) Not if it's breaststroke you won't! By the way, I'm swimming the 200 *** on Saturday. That should give you a good indication of my speed (or non-speed) in that stroke.

Me too at Zones this weekend. Ok, if you're in it's on for a virtual race!! Give me some extra motivation! You're going down, buddy! If I don't (virtually) lap you it will be a miracle! ;)

In high school and college my teammates and I would always grow out our leg hair until our championship meet. By the time I'd shave, it would take several razors -- my hair was so long that it would be a bit curly! My boyfriends always thought that I was nuts, and I definitely hid my legs under tights and long pants until I had them hook, line, and sinker, but back to the topic... After shaving, the feeling in the water was incredible. Perhaps, it physically helped to shave, but it is mentally invigorating to feel so sleek in the water. Definitely go for the shave, but wait until just before your meet so that you can really feel the rush of smoothness.

In high school and college my teammates and I would always grow out our leg hair until our championship meet. I wonder if high school girls still do this today? My guess is it would be a tough sell.

I know that none of the high school girls that I coach do it, but it's also Idaho, and we're not very competitive in swimming circles anyway. I've also never asked them to, and my coaches essentially required it of us. Although none of us actually tested them to see what the consequence would be if we did shave prematurely. I certainly don't do it anymore, and now that I have my ankle-length suit, I'm not sure that it would have the same effect.

Like Penny Lee Dean said, "shaving is beneficial because it helps the swimmer feel the water better and feel faster in the water. It has been proven that the swimmer moves through the water with less resistance and therefore swims faster." :applaud: