QuickTips Index - page 2

Maintaining Focus for Multi-day Meets - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
How can a swimmer possibly remain focused over a 5-6 day meet? How can you be positive about swimming a final tonight if you've only qualified in the heat in 4th place this morning? The answer to these questions is this: Switch on, then switch off.

Swimming Secret to Beat Fear - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Does your confidence desert you when you need it most? Do you worry about competitors who should be worried about YOU? Do doubt and fear plague you before big races? Well, I'm going to divulge a little secret to you today, no - actually a huge secret, that most of the great swimmers and champions would definitely NOT like their competitors to know about. You are not alone.

Swimming in the Zone, Your Peak Emotional State Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
You may have never noticed it before, but you are in a particular mood every time you swim at your best. All you need to do is find out what it is! Every swimmer possesses their own winning mood which will bring them with their own best possible performance. When you swim at this level, we call this mental state the zone.

Swimmers, Feel Like a Winner to be a Winner - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
An email I received during the week mentioned that Gary Hall Jr. was quoted as saying that his coach told him to 'try to reproduce or re-enact the same winning mood he felt when he won a major event' rather than worrying about the specifics of his next swim. How could this possibly work?

Sprinters and Long Distance Swimmers Differences in Mental Preparation
An open water swimmer asked me recently about the difference in mental preparation between a sprint swimmer and a long distance swimmer, especially when finishing the race (not winning) becomes the main concern. This is an interesting question because the preparation for both swims is similar in one way, but different in another.

Swimmers, Use Mental Training Daily - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
A Head Coach asked if I could focus some tips on training for meets, as well as the events themselves, for some very valid reasons. He teaches his swimmers that if they maintain positive thoughts and attitudes during the training session, it does two things.

Swimmers, Control The Un-controllable - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
I received an email from a coach in the States recently asking how to stop her swimmers from worrying and reacting to un-controllable in races, which are the things we simply have no control over in a race whatsoever. She gave examples of when her swimmers would worry about things such as the temperature of the water, thinking there were too many people in the warm-up pool, or not liking the lane they were assigned.

Swimming After Being Sick or Injured - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
I am often asked is it possible to perform well in meets directly after coming off illness or injury? Judging from my experience with many swimmers, the answer is definitely yes. One of the very few benefits a swimmer gets after being off sick for days, weeks or even months is that there if virtually zero expectation put upon them. The pressure is taken completely off because no-one (and possibly not even yourself) expects you to do well if you've missed lots of training and have been unwell.

Swimmer's Mental Toughness - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
I conducted a seminar this week to some young swimmers at Sydney’s Olympic swim site, and (as usual) found myself being asked some unusual questions about the power of mental training in swimming. This is one of my favourite subjects, because regardless of whether the time is fast or slow, the mind plays a huge part in every swim, much more than most people think.

Relaxation for Swimmers - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
One of the popular questions I get asked by swimmers is "what’s the best way to handle nerves?" The answer is, of course, is relaxation. But before we talk about that, it’s firstly important not to panic if you find nerves affecting you before a swimming race, it’s perfectly normal and actually a very good sign that you are psyched up and ready to go.

Swimmer's Mental Edge - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Is it possible to beat a swimmer who is faster than you? Yes! In fact, it happens all the time. Let me explain how this is possible. Many times I have worked with swimmers who have been technically better and faster than another competitor, yet they were consistently beaten by these competitors at meets. Even more frustrating, they quite often put in better training times than their competitors, only to find themselves battling to catch them in the meets.

Swimmer's Pressure of Expectations - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Have you ever felt the pressure of being expected to win? This is something all good swimmers experience at some time in their careers, which can often bring on feelings of stress and anxiety, and this can affect your performance in the big meets. Whenever you experience these feelings, an important thing to know is that these thoughts very often become exaggerated in the mind, and become ‘mental monsters’ which they usually have no right to be!

Five Minutes Before Each Swimming Race - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
The most vital time for a competitive swimmer is in the five minutes before each race. This is the time that makes or breaks a swimmer – often from this time they will end up on the block either mentally prepared or beaten before they start. During this time the mind becomes ‘programmed’ for a particular result, from being bombarded by a host of positive or negative thoughts – and these determine the quality of the swim to come.

Trying Too Hard - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Has it ever seemed that the harder you try, the further away from your goal you become? This is often experienced by swimmers whose desire to achieve a major goal becomes so all-consuming that they have trouble thinking about anything else. This often creates the situation where (much to their frustration) the goal appears to be moving further away from them instead of getting closer.

Overcoming Intimidation - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Have you ever felt that a swimmer scares, intimidates or just bothers you? Do you ever feel that you just don't have what it takes to beat them? Well, join the club! Many swimmers experience this at some time in their career.

How a Champion Swimmer Thinks - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
What goes through a champion swimmer's mind before and during a race, compared to a regular swimmer? When two swimmers are at the same level of skill, talent and experience, this is what will separate the two at the end of the race.

Self-esteem and Confidence - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
The opportunity of being in contact with so many people has shown to me that all over the world a large number of swimmers, even at the very elite level, are struggling with loss of confidence and lack of inner belief and self-esteem. This seems to be an ongoing problem for many swimmers, and so today I am going to resist the temptation to teach any techniques, and simply drive home a powerful truth which must become embedded in the minds of all potential swimmers of the future.

Delaying the Pain - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
One of the greatest abilities the mind possesses for the swimmer is its ability to kill pain. The body, so top endocrinologist and mind/body expert Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us, possesses every chemical you will find in a pharmacy or drug store, including morphine, commonly used in hospitals as a painkiller.

Self-Talk - The Power of Pre-event Thought - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
What thoughts go through your mind before an important race? This question may be crucial to your results in the pool. It seems that the more science discovers about the human mind, the more important the power of thought becomes, especially in swimming. Believe it or not, every thought you think, and every word you say in the 5-10 minutes before a race can have a major effect upon your results.

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.

Frontrunners and Underdogs - Mind Training Tips for Swimmers
Most swimmers I've worked with are either "frontrunners or underdogs". This means they either prefer to lead the race, or come from behind, to win. The majority of swimmers seem to prefer coming from behind to win races, rather than leading the race from the start. This way they seem to feel that they 'know where they are' in the race, instead of worrying about who's coming up behind them, as the leader often does.

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