Types of Drag

 

Whether it’s perfecting your form or choosing your suit, swimmers always look to decrease the drag. Drag is viewed as swimmers' worst enemy and can be detrimental to your success. Swimmers choose suits and caps that are tight to the body to increase hydrodynamics. Here is a little more information on the different types of drag that swimmers experience:

Form Drag

Form Drag is resistance that is caused by an object’s shape and profile as it moves. This can be different for everyone due to their size. Individuals who are larger tend to feel more resistance because they take up a larger area of space. You can also feel the difference if you don’t have your arms and legs together, covering more space. You won’t go as fast and will come to a stop much quicker.

Wave Drag

This type of drag is caused by turbulence. This turbulence can be felt from other swimmers that are swimming next to you. At a much larger scale, boats in a lake or beach cause a lot of turbulence causing waves to roll into shore. If you try swimming against this, you will find it very difficult. Did you know that the ropes in pools weren’t just used to mark lanes? They are specially designed to reduce drag and turbulence from other lanes. 

Frictional Drag

Frictional drag results from constant rubbing against water molecules by the swimmer’s body. This type of drag affects swimmers the least due to the formfitting swimwear, which helps reduce this friction. Many swimmers even take it a step further and shave their body hair. 

Now that you know the different types of drag, you can do your best to decrease it. Always choose a formfitting suit that covers majority of your body such as the TYR alliance Polyester Splice Maxback. Also be sure to stock up on Swim Caps to cover your hair. Lastly, focus on your form and try keeping movements as close to your body as possible! Happy swimming!