Believe in Yourself and Your Abilities - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers

Probably the biggest problem I have found facing most swimmers is a distinct lack of real belief in their own ability. I am not talking about external confidence (which is simply a brave face put on for competitors!). I mean real inner belief that you truly KNOW that can win, or swim the time you desire. This lack of real belief in oneself creates a mental approach of fear, which can cause a variety of problems before races, the most common ones being:

• a deep inner feeling of not being good enough
• extreme nervousness (which sometimes manifests as vomiting)
• negative thoughts of all types
• low energy
• worrying about small details which may never occur
• intimidation from other competitors
• unusual or silly mistakes during the race
• recurring problems
• not looking forward to meets/swims
• jealousy of other swimmers

Once swimmers gradually begin to believe in themselves, these symptoms often disappear completely or reduce substantially, allowing positive feelings of confidence, anticipation and even a general feeling of happiness to fill your mind and body before a race. This is a far better preparation for a strong performance.

Don't get me wrong, however, nervousness before a race is not a bad thing! It's a sign that you are psyched up and ready to go. (So don't get nervous if you're nervous!!) It's only extreme nervousness that most swimmers can do without before a race. So what is the best way I know to begin to create belief in yourself and your own ability?

Daily Visualization

Let me explain, this is all you have to do. Every day for 5 minutes (or even if just for a few minutes) vividly imagine in your mind the absolute perfect swim you wish to do at your next meet, as if it is really happening right at that very moment. This literally reprograms your subconscious mind for success (much like a computer), it's a form of self-hypnosis which is very safe, easy and it works brilliantly.

When you visualize a race in your mind, use all your senses - imagine seeing the swimmers, pool and surroundings in their respective colors, smell the chlorine of the pool, hear the sounds people cheering you, and most of all - feel the joy of victory when you win the race or swim that time you desired. If you do this every day for around 5 minutes, you will gradually notice a shift in your confidence levels before races, and your times will begin to steadily come down. I don't have the space to tell you how this works, except to say that this programs the area of your mind that is the control-center of all of your body's movements.

Now the only trick to it is this - it's only the truly dedicated swimmers who will do this every day. It very quickly sorts out the serious swimmers from the ones who just wish they were better, but are not willing to do anything about it. Are you willing to try this for 5 minutes a day? Try it, you'll discover a whole range of extra benefits from it as well.

There are many important aspects to visualization which you should know about (I could probably write 100 pages on this topic alone) so I will try to cover some of the important ones in future tips, plus special tips on how you can use visualization to:

• overcome extreme nervousness
• reduce / erase pain
• learn new skills more easily and quickly e.g. kicks/turns
• overcome major intimidation from a competitor
• increase your energy
• relax more easily
• increase speed / reduce times
• banish negativity, and sustain positivity
• recover from illness and injuries more quickly

Begin today, find a quiet place for 5 minutes and start your daily mental training routine. Be patient and the results will come. As many of our subscribers are head coaches from various countries and National associations, we have a wealth of tremendous knowledge out there who wish to share their expertise. Donald J. King, who works with Paul Bergen at Tualatin Hill Swim Club, in Beaverton, Oregon USA has kindly submitted a technique he has implemented with his swimmers. He plants a new goal in his swimmers minds each week at training, who make a commitment with their lane mate to make 'the best turns of their life today'. He changes their focus each week onto a different particular aspect of their swim. Thank you, Donald, for your tip.