Can Distance Swimming Performance be Improved by a Cognitive Thinking Strategy?

The purpose of this study was two-fold: to identify subjects' preferred cognitive strategies during distance swimming and to examine the effects of using a cognitive strategy that is complimentary to the one being used by swimmers. Subjects performed an 800 m swim while being timed and assessed for heart rate. One week later, subjects read a Behavioral Instruction Sheet and followed it during the second swim. Results showed that associative thinking was used more frequently than dissociative thinking. (Coutre, Tihanyi, and St-Aubin/The Sports Journal)