why do hot guys wear 3-4 inch speedos?

[50 Free]

As far as I know, the jammers are thought to be faster. I really don't know how they determine this, it's like the idea that we swim faster after shaving our legs. LOL. Whatever, anything for a faster time...

[Byron]

The bit I never understand when the cod-science of all this is presented is that the way jammers are worn so low a pocket of water resistance is created at the butt crack and so defeats the object of the intended "improvements".

[Swimmboy]

Yes, many jammers are so low you wonder about water going into the suit (tunneling) and slowing a swimmer down. A US college swimmer told me a few yrs. ago the jammers were better than briefs because the tight fabric around their thighs gave added support to thigh muscles that get tired quickly in a race. Also, many fabrics are slicker than human skin, so covering more of the body helps you be slicker (and faster?) in the water.

[50 Free]

I don't think tunnelling is a performance thing... it isn't part of any competitive swimming that I know of. I do know that swimmers who show butt crack at a swim meet will be asked to fix that. We want to keep it PG. The rules call for appropriate swim wear, the meet referee is in charge of defining that. And they do! You know, there is a time and a place for exhibitionism, but teens doing it around little kids is not going to be allowed at a USAS event, trust me.. .

[Byron]

Yes, I can understand that they are appreciated by some athletes as jammers are in effect compression shorts, assisting with physical stamina.
What needs to be pointed out however is that the satisfaction of achieving a new personal-best time does not equate with a win in competition.
The runner has to break the line first and the swimmer still has to touch the wall first.
If the guy in the next lane is also wearing his best jammers in order to beat you (100% visible in most championship meets now) why don't we even it all up and just go back to speedos?

[Byron]

Whilst protecting the innocence of kids is an important issue I would point out that the word speedo was only used in this thread until jammers were introduced in post#6 - and then tunneling
(for which there is a separate thread on this forum)

[50 Free]

Well I guess when we see a championship performance happen by the wearer of a brief suit, your question might be asked of someone who can give a credible answer. Meanwhile the answer to the question whether less is better must be NO, obviously. For competitive swimming, that is. Ogling and drooling is another matter but for all you know some swimmers (or their parents) might not want to have their photos end up in such a discussion as these tend to... LOL ... do we really wonder why speedos aren't as popular as some wish they were? It's hilarious how an athlete's performance is rated by bulge and clarity through lining... In today's tech the most innocent little photo on facebook gets blown up and printed and viewed one handed all over the world.
Thanks for helping me figure this out.

[skinnykid]

It depends on the suit. Tech suits (they're really expensive) are faster than skin, so more fabric = faster. If not, skin is faster so more skin = faster. It just depends on the suit.