Caps on boys

no hard data just opinions and observations boys wear caps sprinters put googles on first then their caps even when their hair is short the longer the hair the greater the difference Here's an article I wrote on the new caps www.usms.org/.../showpost.php invite him to read swim faster faster www.usms.org/.../showthread.php the tips might help him breakthrough and get those cuts the good thing about elite meets is they aren't as long fewer swimmers make cuts and they tend to be faster ande I grew up swimming in the late 60s through early 80s. Boys didn't really wear caps then. My son is 11 and is teatering on some USA Swimming state qual times, but is about 0.5 seconds away in several 50s and 100s. He has never tried a cap. Should he? I would think a cap would only take about .01 seconds off a 50. Does anyone have any data.

In addition to Ande's post, make sure he tries the cap out in practice, or in simulated race conditions prior to any actual race. He will want to get used to putting it on and the feel in the water.

In addition to all the other good advice, have your son dive in with cap and goggles to make sure they won't fall off.

I have two boys that are a bit older but they have been wearing caps for many years. They have medium length messy hair. I think your son should try a cap. It should help a bit but I caution you to not set his expectations too high. The cap is not a magical speed booster but is instead something that probably falls into the attention to detail category. Buy him a cap that fits. An adult sized cap will be probably be too big and he probably won't like how far it comes down his forehead. Cap over goggles or vice versa doesn't matter much at this point. If you watch elite swimmers I think more put cap over goggles. But your son may like to put his cap on first, get it positioned right, then put on his goggles. He really should try this several times in practice before he races. I also suggest he wear the cap during warmups. The cap will hold a bit of air and can make the head feel a bit lighter.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll ask him to try the cap. But as a middle aged 45 year old, I have to ask... Men swimming with caps? Men wearing full body suits? Men swimming with long finger nails? Women swimming with enormous muscles? Am I the only one that thinks that pretty soon all swimmers will be named Pat or Chris and have the same appearance? And that possibly in 20 more years we will just have swimming vice mens' swimming and womens' swimming? Oh - BTW - I am NOT saying I miss the little briefs I was raised swimming in... No no.

I have very short hair and wear a cap in practice, but not meets. Goggles are too unpredictable on dives with a cap, for me anyway.

yes, i have data!! I did a 50 LCM free without a cap. 32.2 then a 50 LCM free with a cap. 31.9 I have a lot of hair. Am willing to bet that the difference may have been greater in a SC pool. Have him try the cap or shave his head.

I'm with Ryan. The only reason I wear a cap in open water races is because they make me. Ears out or I go nuts hearing the water slosh against the cap. I hate them. Only wore one as an age grouper a few times. I have always had very short hair so I never quite agreed with the feeling of speed that those who wear them have. Just another thing to mess with at practice and in meets. Have you kids get a hair cut and crank it up in practice. The .5 will drop before you know it.

Swim caps for guys came in in the early 70s.I finished collegiate swimming in 1971 and don't remember seeing any guys with caps in college.I started Masters in 1974 and most guys,myself included wore caps.Yes,the bodysuits look unisex,but every .01 sec counts.I'd wear a whalebone corset if it would help me swim faster(thankfully it wouldn't:rofl:)

This old man (picture about 2 years old) still has lots of hair and has no intention of cutting it off! Women get jealous! (The beard is used during summer Shakespeare.) I never practice in a cap, because our pool is just warm enough to make it uncomfortable, but I always race in one, goggles on first. It has reduced the goggle-dive problems to almost zero. And it kind of supports my neck during freestyle. First started wearing one in '75 at Knoxville Long Course, without goggles, for 100 M Beautiful Stroke. Put it on, and then folded it up in front to get it out of my eyes!!! Yep, you guessed it, the dive put it right back over my eyes and I swam almost blind tor the whole race, winning by a few tenths. (That was back before the competition was too much, especially at LC.) Haven't been to USMS Nationals since Elizabethtown (91 or 92?), but have always enjoyed meets, however big or small. In case anyone is interested, I use Ion swimmers shampoo and conditioner after swimming and Suave Daily Clarifying the next time I shower. Now back to the regular Beautiful Stroke-Affirming Avatar!