Susie O'Neill admitted this week, after qualifying for the 2000 Australian Olympic team and breaking Mary T. Meagher's 19 year old butterfly record, that she uses pessimism to help reach her goals! What this means is that she actually tells herself that she probably WON'T achieve her goals and so there is nothing to feel pressured about - in fact (in her mind) she probably believes that the pressure is really on her competitors!
This is often called 'reverse psychology', which is where you pretend to yourself that you believe the opposite of what you REALLY believe. If that sounds confusing, you're right! To help make this clearer, I'll say it again - you pretend to yourself that you believe the opposite of what you really believe. This can take the pressure off you, and you can place it onto someone else!
A highly-rated swimmer who is often under the pressure of being expected to win could find this to be a great pressure-release technique, but be warned - this method will not work for everyone, it will only work for particular swimmers. So it is definitely something to try for smaller races first, and see if it works for you, before you try using it for the big meets.
The reason why pessimism can be effective for certain swimmers is this; some swimmers feel that there is already enough pressure on them (from others) to perform, without them having to apply any extra pressure on themselves by also expecting to win! After Susie O'Neill disclosed this fact about her attitude, several others also admitted to using the same method. Pessimism (when used correctly) can actually be a way of mentally relaxing, by 'deceiving' yourself into believing that there is absolutely no pressure on you, and that you can relax and just go for it. This allows you to go out and swim a more 'relaxed' attacking race - instead of trying too hard and possibly holding back, which quite a lot of swimmers can often do.
It is important to know that this approach would not work for a swimmer who is struggling to find confidence, they would definitely need a more positive, upbeat approach. A negative approach would only reduce their confidence even further, and so this approach must not be used to extreme measures, even by confident swimmers. The 'pessimistic' approach can really only work well for swimmers who are already in the spotlight and wish to get away from the pressure a little - and even many of those may much prefer a positive approach. Another benefit Susie O'Neill found from being pessimistic is that it prevented her from ever being complacent after a great swim, she always knows that she must continue to work hard and improve even further.
The key is to experiment - find out which mental approach works best for you, and once you find one that works for you, stick with it!
