Goggles: 5 mistakes when putting them on

Goggles are the essential part of the swimming equipment. However, kids tend to lose them all the time, or forget to bring them to the training. But when they do have them, if a coach or someone older doesn’t put them on, they usually wear them in the wrong way. There’s a similar story with wearing the swim caps.

Even though goggles have a very simple design and are age and purpose appropriate (whether they are being used recreationally or professionally), kids wear them in many different and very interesting “styles”.

5 wrong ways of wearing your goggles:

1. Slippery slope: Kids often put the elastic band very low on their necks and they look as if they will almost slip down.

2. Mumps: Similar to swim caps, kids push the top of their ears down with the elastic band and they look as if they have mumps. I sometimes wonder how their ears don’t hurt when they wear goggles like that.

3. Stripe: When they put the elastic band across the middle of their ears. Plus, they pull it so tight that it leaves a massive stripe that can be seen after they take them off.

4. Everest: When they put the elastic band on top of their heads as if they are trying to conquer the tip of an iceberg or the Mount Everest.

5. Upside-down: There are those swimmers who wear their goggles “correctly” just a “little bit” upside down. You can see that by looking at the logo on the goggles that is standing upside down.

How to properly wear goggles? When you want to put on your goggles, first put them on your eyes, then pull the elastic band behind your head and above your ears. The band should be located across the middle of your head, where there is the widest point on your head. Most goggles have a logo of the brand both between the goggles and on the band, so you can easily read it and put on the goggles in the right way.

If you ask what is correct, to place your goggles under or above the swim cap, the answer is that both versions are ok. It’s completely up to you. However, most professional swimmers put the goggles under the cap because it’s more practical, and the goggles won’t come off, and in that way, they also minimise the resistance in the water.

How to choose the right model of goggles? Try to put on the goggles on your eyes without fixing them with the elastic band. Then open your eyes a bit more and press the goggles with your index finger to create a vacuum. If they fit properly without being fixed with the elastic band, they are probably the right model for you.

Why is it important to wear goggles at the swimming pool? In the first place, it is to make you feel more comfortable and avoid getting chlorine into your eyes, which is a very common thing. Then to see better under water (even though you can see under water even without the goggles). Today, goggles together with the swimming suit have become a fashion statement and they make you feel better.

What can I do to prevent foggy goggles while swimming? It can be quite frustrating if that happens often during your training. Today there are special anti-fog goggles, as well as special liquids to prevent your goggles from fogging up. When I used to swim we didn’t have these things and the only “solution” was your own spit. After we sprayed them with the “magic liquid” we would then leave them to dry while we were warming up for the training. Then we would wash them out, and believe it or not, they wouldn’t fog up.