Tech Suit - Why Competitive Swimmers Wear Tech Suits (2024)

A tech suit, also known as a technical racing suit, is a highly-manufactured compression tech swimsuits that assists you in swimming faster, reduces fatigue, and glides longer. They have the latest rigid stretch fabric technology, which allows for maximum compression when molding the suit to the body. Your body will be leaner than ever, and you’ll swim faster if you wear a tight tech suit while shaving your full body.

Why Do Competitive Swimmers Wear Technical Suits?

To swim best on race day, competitive swimmers trust technical suits to assist them in maximizing their hard work at swim practice.

Here are the main ways that swimming tech suits help competitive swimmers perform better:

Compression:

Technical suits come in small sizes. This is to assist in compressing the swimmer’s body into a hydrodynamic position and also encourage blood flow to the target muscles. They contain panels that are specially designed to assist your glutes and hip muscles, offering a light compression that improves performance.

Water-Repellent Fabric:

The technical suits are made of dry fabrics that repel water and cause less drag in the water. Compared to normal training suits that are mostly made of nylon or polyester, the fabric can absorb plenty of water. This fabric repels water and also reduces drag in the water.

Enhanced Speed in The Pool:

Technical suits will definitely work while swimming. Swimming tech suits are made of hydrophobic microfilament fabrics which are water resistant. This fabric reduces drag staggering by eight percent. The tech suit swimming resists contact with water, pushing the water away from the swimmer’s body, making them swim faster.

Mental Benefits:

For most swimmers, a tech suit is their wrap and safeguard, a piece of swimming wear that enhances their confidence on race day. Although the psychological benefits are tough to describe, wearing a shiny, expensive swim suit that you know is highly hydrodynamic can assist you perform better on race day.

What is Considered a Swim Tech Suit?

Two main things make a swimming suit a tech suit:

Fabric:

Technical suits are made of woven fabric and bonded seams. The normal training suits are made of thicker textiles and have sewn seams.

Coverage:

A tech suit is not permitted to go above the navel or below the knee for male. For females, technical suits cannot cover the neck and go past the shoulders or below the knee.

For men, Technical Suits cannot go below the knee or over the navel. Whereas technical Suits for women are not permitted to cover their neck, go past their shoulders, or below their knees.

FINA assesses technical suits, and they put their stamp on them to approve them for competition.

Also, evaluate a swimsuit to ensure that it complies with standards for coverage, thickness, and materials when it bears the “FINA Approved” label or a small FINA QR code on a sticker on the back.

Key Differences Between Technical Suits & Regular Training Swimming Wears

Here are the main differences between the swimwear you wear during swimming and the ones you should wear at swimming meets.

Materials:

Training swimwear is made of polyester, a very durable fabric, but it does not stretch and fades when exposed to chlorine or UV rays.

Technical Suits for swimming are made with a combination of water-repellent fabrics, with the two main materials being polyamide and spandex. This fabric is excellent for reducing drag in the pool, but the fabric is delicate and does not have a long lifespan. A tech suit can be used around 12 to 15 times, depending upon your care.

Use:

Training suits are stronger and have a long lifespan, which makes them best for training situations. They do not stretch and fade when they come in contact with chlorinated water.

On the other hand, Technical Suits are designed for competition. Competitive swimmers prefer to wear a tech suit to give their best performance at swim meets.

Shape:

Men’s training suits for swimming come in various shapes like speedo, square cut, and training jammers. Technical Suits for men cover only the area between the hip to the top of the knees.

Similarly, training swimming suits for women come in various shapes and fabrics, whereas Technical Suits come in limited shapes. Technical Suits for women, also known as knee skin which is a regular swimming suit along with a jammer

Technical Suits are one of many innovations designed to help competitive swimmers compete quicker than ever at swim meets. Technical Suits are an expensive investment in your swimming since they are made of water-repellent materials intended to increase blood flow and compress the body.

Ultimately, whether you decide to race with a tech suit at your upcoming swim meet should come down to how well you are trained, how much money you are ready to spend, and finding the perfect tech suit for you.

Tech Suit - Why Competitive Swimmers Wear Tech Suits (2024)

FAQs

Tech Suit - Why Competitive Swimmers Wear Tech Suits? ›

While basic suits are excellent for training, their material often doesn't offer the same level of compression or drag reduction. Consequently, tech suits can significantly enhance performance during competitions, thanks to their hydrophobic (water-repelling) materials, seamless construction, and body-hugging fit.

Why do swimmers wear tech suits? ›

Tech suits were developed to improve athletes' blood flow while swimming by compressing their muscles. Compression enables the body's systems to flush out lactic acid and metabolic waste more quickly during hard efforts, resulting in improved performance.

Why do swimmers use special suit when competing? ›

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.

How much difference does a tech suit make in swimming? ›

Additionally, the study found that tech suits can reduce drag by 4.4% to 6.2% and reduce the amount of energy needed for swimming by 4.5% to 5.5%.

Why can you only wear tech suits a few times? ›

Due to the specialized material used in these swimsuits, and because of how tight they are worn, tech suits don't last as long as training suits. Life spans are highly dependent on how you care for your suit and in general, they last for eight to ten meets.

What is the purpose of a tech suit? ›

A tech suit is a must if you are serious about swimming competitively. The compression benefits and hydrophobic materials definitely give you an edge over other swimmers, and every second counts when you race. Get one today and see how much it helps you in the final stretch of a big race!

What is the difference between a tech suit and a swim suit? ›

At the end of the day the suit doesn't do the work for you, but a tech suit helps to support fast swimming by covering your skin with technological fabric that is designed to move through the water faster – while a training suit's emphasis is more on comfort, look and durability.

Why don't Olympic swimmers wear Speedos? ›

The bodysuits that swimmers now wear are more streamlined than the human body. Swimmers are faster in those space age bodysuits than in the skimpy Speedos they used to wear.

How many times can a tech suit be worn? ›

Don't wear a tech suit anymore than you have to.

Racing suits don't last long. After about a dozen races they begin to stretch, the fabric degrades, and allows the suit to hold more water. This includes and Aquablade .

Why don t swimmers wear cotton swimsuits during competition? ›

Absorbent materials such as cotton can break down in the water. These fibers can clog pool filters and create the need for expensive repairs. Lycra and Nylon are the best non-absorbent materials for swimwear.

Do high school swimmers wear tech suits? ›

“Southern California Swimming's House of Delegates voted unanimously to prohibit the wearing of 'Tech' suits in Age Group competition at committee level (BRW), invitationals, dual/tri and intrasquads.”

Is it worth buying a tech suit? ›

Pick a suit that you can wear to the majority of your meets or races. If you have one big meet at the end of your season, it might be worth it to invest in a new tech suit or even level up to a flagship or elite-level suit to help gain that extra advantage in the water.

Why do tech suits have to be tight? ›

That reduced drag means you can swim faster with greater efficiency, which results in better performance in the pool. To achieve this goal, you need a properly fitting technical suit. A suit that's too large creates drag and doesn't stay in place.

Why are swim tech suits so expensive? ›

The main hydrophobic fabric in tech suits, elastane (also known as Spandex), requires a longer and more involved manufacturing process compared to other textiles like polyester (the key fabric used for training suits).

Why are tech suits banned for 12 and under? ›

The ban on tech suits for young swimmers seeks to shift the focus from equipment to skill development. The controversial ban on tech suits for swimmers aged 12 and under in the United States raises important questions about the balance between technology, cost, and fair competition in sports.

What does the green check mark mean on a tech suit? ›

There are a handful of suits in the market with the FINA logo that would be considered legal for Age Group competition. These suits will bear an additional green checkmark logo developed by USA Swimming to indicate approval (the two versions are to the right).

What are the rules for tech suits in swimming? ›

No Technical Suits may be worn by any 12-Under USA Swimming athlete member in competition at any Sanctioned, Approved or Observed meet. A Technical Suit is one that has the following components: Any male or female suit with any bonded or taped seams is defined as a technical suit regardless of its fabric or silhouette.

Are you supposed to wear something under your tech suit? ›

10-step guide to putting on a tech suit:

Remember, do not wear a second swimsuit underneath your tech suit. At the end of the legs, there's a rubber grip that keeps your suit in place. Flip them up so you can slide them up your legs easier.

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