How Come I Can't Keep My Goggles On !!! (by Dan Frost)

Recently, I was cruising down the information superhighway when I saw the following short message posted on a swim forum:  "Any idea on how to keep my goggles on after the start on the blocks?"

It caught my eye because I can not consistently keep my goggles on either. In practice, mine would come off almost half the time. My percentage of goggle retention in competition is slightly better, only because I tie the elastic headbands to "race tension," which for me is slightly looser than the pressure of a well-tied tourniquet. Even so, I have still had more than a fair share of starts where my goggles have partially flooded, fully flooded, partially shifted, or ended up around my lips. In freestyle, it is a simple nuisance, but in breaststroke or butterfly/IM starts, it is blinding.  I eagerly searched around the newsgroup to see what other people were giving for answers. Some seemed reasonable, others seemed far-fetched. Here is a sample:

"I have the same problem. One way a lane mates told me was to pull your cap down so that it is over the top part of the goggles. Ugly, but it does work."

"I guess pulling your cap down over your goggles would help, but I myself wouldn't recommend it. If your goggles are coming off after your start, you've got one of two problems. 1) They need to be tightened, or 2) Work on your start, you're probably diving too low."

"I'd have to agree. Get your head down. Think about getting your ears below your arms. This will force your head down."

"I suggest moving the band up higher on the back of your head. Right over the bump on the back of your noggin. Also try to sandwich your head between your arms on the push-off or dive. This will make you more streamlined and protect your goggles from the brunt of the force of the water."

"Tighten them."

"Crazy Glue."

"Binford 2000 goggle straps, now with turbo boost holding power."

"I prefer to wear Swedish goggles and find that they never come off. After I put my goggles on, I place my fingers on the top of the goggles and pull down with a little force. If it feels loose or pops off, I reposition them or tighten the straps. I always check right before I step up to the block, too."

"The straps going in back of your head must be placed higher than your ears, as high on your head as possible."

I made some adjustments to my starts at my most recent competition, based on some of the more reasonable suggestions listed above. Mostly, I concentrated on keeping my head down and my arms close to the ears. I kept my "Swedes" at "race tension" with my swim cap over the headband (but not on the lenses themselves). The result: Four clean starts in four races. I was overjoyed that I did not have to resort to Crazy Glue.