One-Piece vs Two-Piece Swimsuits
Mar 30th 2024
A Guide for Women’s Water Polo
Any women’s water polo player who has spent an afternoon eggbeating knows the importance of one-piece vs two-piece swimsuits. Just as your core strength and swimming skills need to be top-notch, the gear you wear when you hop into the pool must have a design that amplifies your performance.
Not only are you taking on an opponent, you’re constantly fighting against the water itself. The swimsuit you wear will affect your speed, maneuverability, and protection. With less resistance in the pool and minimal fabric for defenders to grab, you’ll become a formidable foe.
Simply put, this is no day at the beach. Function rules over fashion regarding the types of women’s water polo swimsuits you and your team will wear. Let’s explore your options.
The Importance of Fabric
Before we explore one-piece vs two-piece swimsuits, we have to address fabric. Your suit’s material is one of its most important factors. A water polo swimsuit must be thick, durable, and flexible enough to withstand the game’s physicality.
That’s why most types of women’s water polo swimsuits are polyester. It’s a resilient material that protects from chlorine and the sun. The snug fit it can provides will keep opponents from quickly grabbing you or causing a wardrobe malfunction. And it dries quickly, keeping you comfortable out of the pool.
Companies may add other materials to their polyester blend, but having a majority polyester blend is essential. Lesser fabrics are for leisure or fashion and can tear or impede your progress in the water. They are not for high performance or competition.
One-Piece Swimsuit
When gameday rolls around, the choice between swimsuits is as clear as water. It’s not about looks; it’s about getting the job done. Slipping into a one-piece is like putting on aquatic armor. This suit is the uniform you’ll don before the crash of limbs and the splash of water.
Because of their design advantages, coverage, and build, the one-piece water polo swimsuit is the standard choice at every level of the sport. The functional fit ensures you’ll worry less about resistance or getting grabbed underwater, allowing you to focus on putting the ball in the net. Let’s look at the pros and cons of this type of women’s water polo swimsuit.
Pros
The most significant difference between one-piece vs two-piece swimsuits is that one-piece suits are ideally suited for competition. With their strategic design, you’ll worry less about your equipment and more about bunny shots and corner throws.
One-piece suits feature thick straps around the shoulder. The thickness helps keep your suit up during heated matches, ensuring no fingers accidentally grab hold while you lunge for a rebound and cause an embarrassing slip. Thicker straps are also more comfortable on the shoulders, which is especially welcome given how tight water polo swimsuits fit.
Back coverage is another advantage. Two-piece suits can slip and require adjustment. Tinkering with a uniform midgame distracts the player and can slow down the pace of play. One-piece suits completely cover the back, keeping your uniform in place and your mind in the game.
Cons
Even though they are the superior option for games, one-piece swimsuits do have a few cons versus their two-piece counterparts. We know that function is much more important than fashion. However, paraphrasing Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders: If you look good, you feel good and play good.
Indeed, most types of women’s water polo swimsuits don’t look the most dynamic. However, S&R Sports can customize your team’s gear so they can suit up with pride. Just fill out our custom team gear request form, and we can work together to ensure your squad hits the pool with swagger!
Two-Piece Swimsuit
Of course, the game itself is just one aspect of water polo. Behind the scenes, countless training sessions lead up to every ball in the net. The best players spend countless hours in the pool. You’ll want to be comfortable and add a little personality to your suit.
When you don’t have to worry about the heat of competition, sometimes it’s nice to stay cool with a two-piece swimsuit versus a one-piece. It shows a little personality, keeps things fun, and even lets you get some sun outdoors.
Pros
Women love the two-piece type of water polo swimsuits for shooting drills, circuit training, and swim sets. They’re cute and can be more comfortable than one-piece options. The suits’ thinner straps and looser fit aren’t a problem when you don’t have to worry about physical opponents or the scoreboard.
Of course, a two-piece made for leisurely trips to the pool won’t do you any favors while you train. That’s why you’ll want to ensure you find bikini sets designed for training. These will be chlorine and saltwater-resistant, lightweight, fully lined, and have SPF 50+ protection. S&R Sport offers several two-piece training suits from Delfina.
Cons
The cons of the one-piece swimsuit versus the two-piece are primarily related to competition. As discussed above, the pros of the one-piece type of women’s water polo swimsuit are in its design. In this way, the cons of the two-piece follow suit.
Thinner shoulder straps and the bands around the tops and bottoms allow for more entry points. Though a good training suit will always be a snug fit, there’s more room for error here. When the games get physical, there can be a mighty struggle between limbs underwater. Two-piece swimsuits are more easily compromised.
Final Thoughts on One-Piece vs Two-Piece Swimsuits
A good water polo player is in the pool all the time. Training, practice, and games call for different types of women’s water polo swimsuits. When deciding between one-piece vs two-piece swimsuits, you’ll find that you’ll want both depending on your circumstances.
S&R Sport x Delfina USA knows a thing or two about water polo---we’re an official supplier to the MPSF! Shop our quality aquatic sports products and receive free shipping for orders over $75!
