I keep my hair pretty short (not quite a buzz cut but pretty close) and I never wear a cap to masters workouts. I’m curious if it makes much of a difference. Of course I wear the caps in races since they are required.
only in a race
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only in a race
Ditto, I also have “Nature’s swimcap”
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I never used to, but started wearing one full time about a year ago. I found some thick TYR silicone caps that are comfortable and helped when swimming outside on cold days. I guess I just got in the habit of wearing it all the time.
Mark
Yep, definitely helps being a bit more comfortable jumping into a cold pool (until the first 500).
My hair is long enough that it flops around and would cover eyes and generally be annoying in the water if I didn’t wear a swimcap. Must of the guys in my masters class are with bald or have short hair, if I had short hair I don’t think I’d wear a swim cap. I guess I’m just vain.
I see a swim cap as 100% pointless unless:
trying to keep hair in check
trying to keep warm
you are a competitive swimmer and are looking for that tiny edge
that’s just my opinion
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I wear one in masters all of time now. I decided to start doing so because when I had to wear them to race it felt awkward as I was not accustomed to wearing one. Now that I wear one all the time it feels normal when racing.
I wear a bright one during OWS in the hope that it makes me more visible to drunken watercraft operators. This heightened visibility may or may not be a good decision.
In a pool it is required by the NYS Board of Health.
Not sure if it makes a difference, but in open water I always wear a bright colored cap for visibility.
I do, always have, feels weird without it.
It’s about 50/50 in my Masters group
jaretj
Nope.
I’ll wear it in competition in the pool, it’s faster, but they’re hot.
In triathlons and open water races I’ve been known to “lose” caps, usually around the first buoy. They were all defective though. I don’t litter though. I’ll stuff the cap in my suit and keep going.
Yeah. My ears get clogged easily, and the cap provides just enough protection to keep it from ever happening. I hate plugs. I also wear a bright orange one for OWS.
Outside of racing I only wear one when OWS. Just in case the ol’ ticker gives out and someone fishing from the bank notices a bright green thing just bobbing around.
I wear one in masters all of time now. I decided to start doing so because when I had to wear them to race it felt awkward as I was not accustomed to wearing one. Now that I wear one all the time it feels normal when racing.
Yep, same here… If I have to wear it during a race, I might as well get used to it in practice. The old Army saying comes to mind… “Train as you fight”
Besides your lead arm, your head is primary point of contact. So I think a cap makes a difference, and not a small one (depending on amount of hair).
I started to wear one since I am training in the express lanes. Most comp swimmers use one.
Just for OWS. I don’t find I have to “get used to” how a cap feels by wearing it at the pool.
I know they are required for IronMan events… What are the rules in the event it falls off during the event?
I keep my hair pretty short (not quite a buzz cut but pretty close) and I never wear a cap to masters workouts. I’m curious if it makes much of a difference. Of course I wear the caps in races since they are required.
I have the same hair setup as you and I always wear one. I find that it helps my hair (what there is) get less “crusty”. I am not sure how (as it still gets wet), or what the science is if any at all, but it works for me. Something about my hair hitting that massively-chlorinated water directly makes it feel like straw.
Not unless I have to. I shave my head so I don’t see much use using one in training.