The table of contents for sports psychology tips for swimmers and parents of swimmers from Craig Townsend.
Some goals can actually create stress, and hence become twice as difficult to achieve. A reader contacted me about how making the cut for Nationals by August was her primary goal, but that she could never stop thinking about it and it was driving her crazy.
When you are at a meet, there are all kinds of silent hazards to watch for which can affect your mental attitude (and your races) - and many swimmers don't even know they are there. Recognizing these hazards is the main step towards a successful mindset - as many swimmers don't recognize them and simply allow their mental approach (and their races) to be silently sabotaged - without even knowing it!
One of the worst things (for self-confidence) and one of the best things (for improvement) is to regularly compare yourself to better swimmers in your own team or squad. Yes - I know this doesn't seem to make sense, so let me explain. Laura Broadbent, a swimmer with Stratford Kinsmen Y Aquatic Club in Ontario Canada asked me about this recently, and the answer is that comparing yourself to others can be a 'double-edged sword' - meaning it can be good OR bad for you, depending on your personality type.
Being a successful swimmer is not just something you do in the water. It follows you everywhere you go in life. Being successful in the pool means thinking successfully out of the pool as well. It means expecting the best - of yourself and of others. It means never being satisfied with anything that is second-rate, but demanding excellence of yourself in all areas of your life. Powerful thoughts.
What you believe is more important than anything when you are about to race. Of course, thoughts are important, but your beliefs will actually determine your results. So I have come up with what I regard as the 5 most important beliefs to remember when you are approaching a meet - instill these into your mind and make them your automatic attitude to all meets from now on. These beliefs can transform your performance without even changing a single thing in your training - they create inner change which automatically creates the outer changes you desire. But creating these beliefs is the hard work which I leave up to you - this is where your discipline must come in.
Being a winner often requires having some time alone to psych yourself mentally into shape, which means NOT always being the 'life of the party' with your team - and unfortunately this is not always popular with all squad members or team mates. Here are some guidelines designed to help you continue winning - whilst keeping everyone happy and the pressure from your team to a minimum. Meets and team expectations can occasionally force swimmers into situations where they find themselves racing without any mental preparation, and this does not bring success.
Most swimmers work hard physically in training - but this is not enough, not if you really want to be successful. You must also practice your mental preparation at training as well.
Some swimmers can try and play subtle little mental tricks on you (designed to give them an advantage) without you even knowing. These can only affect you a) if you allow them to, and b) if you do not realize what they are doing. Mental energy should never be wasted upon worrying about anything these swimmers say or do, as that is exactly what they want you to do - focus upon problems instead of the race!
Races are often won and lost before they even begin. Some swimmers who know this often try playing subtle mental tricks on their competitors - designed to give them a mental advantage without you even knowing it is happening. Occasionally these can backfire on the swimmer by taking their focus off their own race, but it is also important to be ready to handle these unexpected 'attacks'.
One of the toughest experiences is for a swimmer to physically and mentally build up for a big race or event, only to discover that they don't achieve their goal. This is something every swimmer must learn to overcome, as even the world's best do not achieve every single goal in their lifetime. But the hardest part is to emotionally detach from the goal and move on to new goals, as often the swimmer can experience huge disappointment and a 'let down' after the event is over.
