Drafting
Riding, running or swimming closely behind another competitor to sit in their slipstream and save energy.
Definition
Drafting, also called slipstreaming, means positioning yourself directly behind another athlete so they break the air, or water, resistance for you. The leader does more work pushing through the air, while those behind expend noticeably less energy at the same speed.
It is a major factor in cycling, where riders form pacelines and rotate the lead, and it also matters in some running events and in open-water and triathlon swimming. Because drafting saves energy, deciding when and behind whom to draft is an important strategic choice, and some events restrict or ban it in individual disciplines.
Scope: This entry covers drafting in the sense of slipstreaming behind another competitor. In North American team sports, 'the draft' separately refers to the system by which teams select new players, which is a different concept.
Where you’ll hear “drafting”
Sports that use this term:
Cycling
A low-impact endurance sport that doubles as transport, exercise and adventure.
Running
The most accessible endurance sport — no venue, just shoes and the open road or trail.
Swimming
A full-body, low-impact endurance sport suitable for almost every age and ability.
Speed Skating
A racing sport on long-bladed skates, powering around an ice oval or tight indoor track with long, rhythmic strides.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Drafting to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Tactics
- DraftingRiding, running or swimming close behind another competitor to save energy in their slipstream.
- Breakaway and pelotonThe cycling tension between the main pack riding together and small groups that break clear to gain time.
- Serve and volleyAn attacking tennis tactic where the server follows their serve to the net to finish the point with a volley.
- Pacing strategyPlanning how to distribute effort across a race so energy lasts the full distance without fading.
- Negative splitA pacing tactic where an athlete covers the second half of a race faster than the first.
Rules
- Drafting rulesRules that govern when a rider or athlete may sit in the slipstream of another to save energy.
- Lane disciplineThe rule that competitors must stay within their assigned lane in lane-based races.
- False startA rule breach in a race when a competitor begins to move before the starting signal is given.
Skills Academy
Sports science
- Aerobic and anaerobic energyThe difference between energy the body produces with oxygen and energy it produces without it — a core idea behind why different efforts feel and last so differently.
- ProprioceptionThe body’s internal sense of where its parts are and how they are moving — the awareness behind balance and coordinated movement.
- Individual differencesThe idea that people respond to the same training differently — so what works well for one person may not suit another.
Decision making
Equipment
- Bike helmetA hard-shelled head covering worn while cycling and riding bikes.
- Cycling shoesStiff-soled shoes that clip onto pedals to transfer power efficiently while riding.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton.