Each team or squad possesses its own collective group attitude or mindset which has the capability to either raise each swimmer to the greatest heights of their ability, or pull them all down to the depths of despair if not watched carefully. A positive group attitude is something which must be cultivated by each and every swimmer belonging to a team, as even just one 'slacker' can have an amazingly detrimental effect upon the team as a whole. Any swimmers who do not try as hard as the others should be encouraged by the rest of the team to 'join' the positive team attitude and contribute to building its total group energy, otherwise they may begin (knowingly or unknowingly) to pull other team members down with them.
Negative energy and jealousy within a team do not bring out great performances in any of its swimmers (long term) - in fact, each and every team member will perform far better if they support, encourage and praise the rest of their team, because when the team increases its overall power, so do you. Team power is far stronger than individual power, and you can use this to your advantage. There's an old saying that says "a champion team will always beat a team of champions".
Basically, the better your team does, the better you will do (and also the other way around) - that's how it works. This may seem a strange concept as few people talk about it, but one reason for this phenomenon is simply because you are surrounded by successful people. You may have noticed that successful people always seem to hang around together, and a sure-fire way of being successful is to be on a successful team!
However, some people just never seem to 'get' this concept of team-power - they often think that if they boost their teammates up, then they will be doing themselves a dis-service and wind up further behind, but this is NOT how it works. In fact, it empowers and raises the group energy of the team - and as a chain reaction, your performances will improve considerably due to your increased levels of inspiration and motivation.
But what do you (as an individual swimmer) do if you are training in a lane next to a 'slacker'? You keep your focus purely upon your own lane and your own swim, and refuse to notice anything outside of your lane. Possibly you could also imagine that you are actually trying to catch up to a swimmer who is out in front of you (yes, even if they don't exist!) and generally ensuring you keep your motivation strong and fired up.
So never under-estimate the importance of the atmosphere at training - it will have a major effect on your future results, so make sure you are a part of a powerful, positive, motivated team.
The Mind controls the body, and the mind is unlimited. The best of success,
Craig Townsend
