Does Shaving Really Make You Swim Faster?

By Andy Hutchison

Athletes know having physical and mental preparedness for competitions can go a long way toward success. Beyond the old standby “practice makes perfect” theory there are pregame rituals (naps, a particular diet, listening to certain song … and shaving?). For swimmers, the preparation reaches new levels when it comes time for significant races.

Most of Newtown High Schools swimmers, like their peers, shave their bodies, and many shave their heads, at some point during the season. The objective is, of course, to improve their swim times.

But does shaving really make the swimmers go faster?

The consensus at Newtown High is that shaving can be linked directly to a minimal decrease in times, but also that the mental advantage is the biggest that is gained by trimming hairs.

“I don’t think taking off the hair actually makes you all that much faster,” Newtown senior Chris Fragoso said. “I think if you feel more streamlined, you swim faster. I like to shave. It makes me feel faster in the water. I like to do it before a big meet.”

“I would say it’s definitely more mental than it is physical,” Newtown Head Coach Matt Childs said. “It’s a state of mind that you feel faster in the water.”

By feeling faster, swimmers gain confidence and, thus, are faster, Childs said. The coach believes shaving accounts for, well … shaving … tenths of a second off times.

Childs, who was a sprinter and backstroker at the University of Maryland, said swimmers feel more buoyant and less of a drag after having shaved.

“A lot of people think it’s all mental,” junior Patrick Stein said. But after cutting more than a second off his breaststroke time at last week’s South-West Conference meet, Stein is convinced there is some direct correlation between shaving and swimming more quickly.

“It feels like you’re gliding more smoothly through the water,” freshman Conor Donnelly added.

So why not stay shaved throughout the season if you are a swimmer?

“It’s not something you want to do on a regular basis or you don’t have the mental advantage,” Childs said.

The better swimmers will wait until their biggest meet of the year to shave, Childs said. “If you’ve already qualified for the state meet you don’t want to do it before SWCs,” he added.

Shaving is only part of the preparation swimmers endure come postseason time. Tapering is another. Swimmers will taper their practice swim times down gradually as they get closer to a big race much like any other athlete will reduce all-out workouts in practice as they get closer to big games.

Swimmers often wait until just before conference or state championship meets to shave. For those Newtown swimmers who had not yet qualified for state championship competition, they shaved before their South-West Conference meet the week prior.

This way, the swimmers are at their best — physically and mentally — for the state competition. In preparation for this past weekend’s state races, the Newtown swimmers hit the pool without swim caps and in specially-designed drag suits which are baggier and more resistant than standard swim suits.

“You try to practice with more drag,” Fragoso said.

“Obviously we’re losing a lot of drag by shaving,” senior Stefan Toi added. “It gets your head in the right place. It gets you thinking fast,” Toi said. “It gives you a good feel for the water.”

Freshman Abben Hung said the only downside to swimmers shaving heads is the strange looks classmates give after being accustomed to seeing hair on their heads.

Childs says there is no difference between a swimmer shaving his head or wearing a swim cap when it comes to results in the pool and many swimmers prefer to keep their hair, but some take the hair off their heads for that mental advantage.

“It’s definitely worth it,” Hung said.