Swim cap: 5 mistakes when putting it on
Who knows how to put on the swim cap? Most of my “little” swimmers raise their hands, smile and shout all together: me, me, me, me… and they proudly show me. Then I repeat my question: Do you know how to PROPERLY put on your swim cap? They are all silent, with an odd hand raised saying: I know. The others are confused and are looking at each other.
It often happens that kids are in a rush to put on their swim caps before the swimming class. They don’t pay attention which part goes back and which one to the front, or their parents just put them on so at least they are wearing it. There are also those who constantly wear their caps incorrectly, convinced that it’s the right way. Almost nobody stops and explains how they should wear it.
Swim caps have a very simple design, but if you rush in putting them on, and instead of looking like a proper swimmer you can end up “masking” yourselves into: Dumbo, chef, Napoleon or a pirate, Hatter, or even a dreamer. Maybe there are few more options but these “styles” are currently in fashion.
5 wrong ways of wearing your swim cap:
1. Dumbo: If you want to look like Dumbo while you swim, then you need to put your cap on in the way to leave your ears sticking out. I don’t understand how it doesn’t bother them to leave their ears in such unnatural position or how the kids like to call it a “monkey” style. If you cover them with your cap, you don’t need to worry. You will still be able to hear your coach.
2. Napoleon or a pirate: Often kids or parents put a cap on in the way that the stitching (that goes along the middle of the cap) goes across and not along your head. In that way you can spot Napoleon or a pirate swimming crawl or backstroke in the swimming pool. It sounds like a very interesting sight but it’s definitely the wrong way to wear your cap.
3. Chef: Sometimes I feel that a chef will jump out of the pool and ask me what I want for dessert. “Chefs” are those who wear caps on the top of their heads where it looks as if they could easily slip off.
4. Dreamer: Many kids are true “dreamers” while they swim. It happens that they pull the cap all the way down across the eyebrows, so that they squeeze their eyes and then squint to see the lane in front of them.
5. Hatter: These are the swimmers who war their caps on the side as if they are wearing a hat and going out for a walk. The cap fully covers one ear while the other is completely out. They look as if they are trying to ask: What did you say, I didn’t hear you well?
So, what is the right way to put on your swim cap? Very simple actually. The stitching that goes along the middle of the cap should be placed along (not across) the middle of your head. Then, the swim cap goes always above your eyebrows (not like the ski hat that goes down to your eyes), and of course completely over your ears (not half the ear or that it completely sticks out). To make things easier for yourself or for someone who is helping you put the cap on, bow your head a bit lower, put the cap on your forehead and slowly roll it
down you head until you completely cover it, together with ears.
Why is it important to wear a swim cap at the swimming pool? There are enough reasons to wear it: your own and the hygiene of the pool, to avoid clogging filters with hair, to avoid getting your hair in your mouth while you are swimming (if you have long hair) or to cover your eyes, to avoid swallowing someone else’s hair while you are reaching for breath, to respect the house rules of the swimming pool, to avoid longer exposure of your long hair to water and chlorine in the swimming pool, etc.
