Competitive swimwear
Competitive swimwear refers to the swimsuit, clothing, equipment, and accessories used in the aquatic sports of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, triathlon, and water polo.
Some swimsuits are designed specifically for
Unlike regular swimsuits, which are designed mainly for aesthetic appearances, swimsuits designed to be worn during competitions are manufactured to assist the athlete in swim competitions. They reduce friction and drag in the water, increasing the efficiency of the swimmer's forward motion. The tight fits allow for easy movement and are said to reduce muscle vibration,[1] thus reducing drag. This also reduces the possibility that a high forwards dive will remove a divers swimwear. Starting around 2000, in an effort to improve the effectiveness of the swimsuits, engineers have taken to designing them to replicate the skin of sea-based animals, sharks in particular.
In July 2009,
Some swimmers use a specialized training suit called drag suits to artificially increase drag during practice. Drag suits are swimwear with an outer layer of looser fabric – often mesh or nylon – to increase resistance against the water and build up the swimmer's endurance. They come in a variety of styles, but most resemble a looser fitting square-cut or swim brief.
History
The history of competitive swimwear has been dominated by concerns over public nudity in the first half of the 20th century and by efforts to reduce water drag in the second half.[5] Those efforts initially lead male swimmers to reduce the early sagging one-piece swimsuits down to briefs only. Goggles were used in the crossing of the English Channel back in 1911, but only in 1970 appeared at international competitions. With the advent of rubber technology, latex swimming caps became mass-produced in the 1920s, and more efficient silicone caps appeared in the 1970s.
With the development of new materials that tightly fit the body and offered lower resistance to water than human skin, this trend was reversed to a complete body coverage from heels to neck and wrists. In 1999, Australian competitive swimmer
The LZR Pro and LZR Elite lines were launched on 13 February 2008, with the LZR Elite being marketed as "the world's fastest swimsuit."[9] It was the focus of Speedo's campaign for the 2008 Summer Olympics, spearheaded by Michael Phelps of the United States. They created a holographic (visually generated) video of Phelps wearing the suit which was displayed in London, Sydney, New York, and Tokyo on the day of the suit's release. Speedo's LZR Racer had become so effective by the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics that many swimmers, despite them or their swimming federations having exclusive contracts with other apparel makers, have chosen the LZR Racer over competing bodysuits.[10] At that year's Olympics in Beijing, 94% of all swimming races were won in that suit,[11] while 98% of all medals were won by swimmers wearing that suit, and 23 out of the 25 world records broken were achieved by swimmers competing in the LZR suit.[12] As of 24 August 2009[update], 93 world records had been broken by swimmers wearing a LZR Racer,[13] and 33 of the first 36 Olympic medals have been won wearing it.[14]
In 2009, FINA rules and regulations were altered, effective from 1 January 2010. Suits made with polyurethane were banned because they made athletes more buoyant. These rules also banned suits which go above the navel or below the knee for men and suits which extend past the shoulders or cover the neck for women [15] FINA stated that it "wishes to recall the main and core principle is that swimming is a sport essentially based on the physical performance of the athlete".[16]
Suits
Bodyskin
A bodyskin is a style of competitive swimwear worn by both female and male athletes. Bodyskins are normally made of technologically advanced
The bodyskin resembles the design of a dive skin, commonly used by snorkelers and scuba divers for warm weather climates. The primary distinguishing feature is the material from which the bodyskin suit is made.
Some bodysuits provide full body coverage from the ankles to the neck and wrists, such as
Swimmers reported that bodyskins improved buoyancy. This is true as long as the suits remain dry. As such, they are recommended for distances under 200m.[18]
The national coach of a small country stated that the suits need exact sizing and resulting high cost "increas[ed] the disparity between the haves and have nots."[19] As with most technologically advanced fabric swimwear, bodyskins were only commonly used at highly competitive levels of the swimming sport and are known to sell for prices in excess of US$400.[10] Despite their cost, a single bodysuit can only be used for a handful of races, as getting in and out of the suit repeatedly would damage its form-fitting properties, memorably when Ian Thorpe tore his Adidas bodysuit right before the 4x100 men's freestyle relay podium ceremony in the 2000 Summer Olympics.[7]
FINA rule changes
Bodyskins were banned from
Briefs
A swim brief refers to any
Like
Drag suit
A drag suit is a pair of baggy square-cut or brief-style trunks that competitive swimmers may wear over their normal suit to provide extra resistance ("drag") from the water. This allows the swimmer to get more out of their training than they would without a drag suit. Drag suits are meant to be worn over a long period of time to wear in the material and possibly tear the fabric. The more worn-in, torn or ripped the drag suit, the more resistance it provides the swimmer. Since drag suits make swimming more difficult, swimmers do not wear drag suits in competition. Drag suits originated as older swimsuits at the end of their useful life that swimmers would then wear over another suit.
Kneeskin
A kneeskin is a type of competitive swimwear worn by both male and female athletes. Kneeskins are normally made of technologically advanced
The kneeskin is similar in design to the full
Jammer
A jammer, also called a swim jammer, is a style of
Legskin
A legskin is a type of competitive swimwear worn by male swimmers. Most legskins are made of technologically advanced
Since 2009, legskins have been banned for competition swimming by FINA since they gave an unfair advantage to swimmers who wore them; the ban includes bodysuits.
Racerback
A racerback is a type of women's swimsuit design common today among competitive swimwear and incorporated into some types of women's clothing. The top-back of the swimsuit is not covered to provide flexibility and movement of the arms during swimming.
Square cut
The square cut or square leg style suit is a form-fitting male swimsuit used as a slightly less revealing style than swim briefs for water polo and diving, or for recreational wear. Like swim briefs, they are made of a nylon and spandex blend. They typically sit low on the waist and high on the thigh, but provide more coverage for the upper leg than briefs. The square-cut style was popular as a recreational swimsuit for men during the 1950s.[23]
Suits of this type are named for the coverage that they provide to the upper thighs due to a square seam opening for the leg. Square leg suits range in appearance from those similar to swim briefs with a slightly straighter front and wider side panelling (eliminating the arc appearance on the leg), to those resembling boxer briefs by providing an inch or more of fabric coverage over the upper section of the leg.
The square leg suit of the 1970s made a fashion revival in Australia in 2002 with the introduction of colorful floral and retro geometric patterned suits by swimwear label
Accessories
- Earplug – Device to protect ears from loud noises
- Fistgloves
- Goggles – Forms of protective eyewear that do not enclose the nose
- Hand paddle – Plastic plate worn on the hand by swimmers during training
- Kickboard– Device used to keep someone above water
- Training fin– Finlike accessories worn on the feet, used for swimming, snorkeling and diving propulsion
- Noseclip – Device worn during water activities
- Pull buoy – Floatation device used in swim workouts
- Snorkel – Tube for breathing face down at the surface of the water
- Swim cap – cap worn while swimming or bathing
- Weight belt– A ballasted waist belt worn by a diver
References
- ^ "Speedo fastskin fsii, Speedo Fastskin PRO". swimming-faster.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26.
- ^ "Opportunity In The Suits Crisis". SwimNews.com. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Administrator. "Fédération Internationale de Natation – fina.org – FINA General Congress". fina.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23.
- ^ FINA bans hi-tech suits from 2010 BBC, 31 July 2009
- ^ Swimwear history – from silk to sharks. BBC
- ^ Hunter, pp. 162–166.
- ^ a b Cowley, Michael (8 September 2010). "Klim relives the night we smashed them like guitars" – via The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b "adidas presents new bodysuit: the JETCONCEPT". EurekAlert!.
- ^ Engineering the world's fastest swimsuit Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Physorg.com. 28 February 2008.
- ^ a b "Speedo's suit divides swimming world". Reuters. 23 June 2017.
- ^ Time's Best Innovations of 2008. Time.com (29 October 2008). Retrieved on 19 May 2014.
- ^ Phelps Secures his Place in the History Books after Landing his Eighth Gold Medal! Archived 2014-05-19 at the Wayback Machine Speedo. 17 August 2008
- ^ "Fast Times: Speedo, Like Michael Phelps, Goes For World Domination in an LZR Suit". The Wall Street Journal. 14 August 2008. p. A14. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ Goodgame, Clayton. (13 August 2008) High-Tech Swimsuits: Winning Medals Too. Time. Retrieved on 19 May 2014.
- ^ "FINA General Rules 2013" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-26. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
- ^ Fina extends swimsuit regulations. BBC. 19 March 2009
- ^ a b Roberts, Jacob (2017). "Winning Skin". Distillations. 2 (4): 8–15. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ "Bodysuit Problem". Swimming Science Journal. San Diego State University. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ "Testimonies about Bodysuits". Swimming Science Journal. San Diego State University. 2000-07-20. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Hi-tech suits banned from January". BBC Sport. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Hoare, Daniel (24 November 2006) Vic Liberals play down election costings error. The World Today
- ^ Competition Swimwear Archived 2012-04-16 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Yadegaran, Jessica (2006-06-03). "Snug suits not for shy beach boys". Contra Costa Times.