Try Adding A Little Greatness To Your Swimming
As someone relatively new to swimming you might think that you'll never be swimming in the fast lane of your pool. And the thought of having the speed and effectiveness of an Olympic swimmer is a complete impossibility. Those guys are just WAY too fast!
But don't be a dazzled by the brilliance of fast swimmers, there's plenty we can learn from them, not just in the pool but outside of it too.
Here’s some things that great swimmers do that you can easily replicate:
It's easy to get into a cycle of thinking you'll never be good at something and as a result behave in a way that re-enforces that position. The behaviours above don't require masses of swimming talent, in fact they require no talent at all to implement, just passion and discipline.
But don't be a dazzled by the brilliance of fast swimmers, there's plenty we can learn from them, not just in the pool but outside of it too.
Here’s some things that great swimmers do that you can easily replicate:
- Rather than just going through the motions, great swimmers perform key drills focusing on the key purpose of the exercise. Do you know why you perform certain drills and what to focus on in each? You should: www.feelforthewater.com/2017/03/the-swim-smooth-drill-set-primary-drills.html
- Great swimmers have an inner sense of belief and positivity about their abilities. Feeling good about yourself is actually a conscious decision you can make, so be proud of what you do and be positive about it: www.feelforthewater.com/2011/08/most-important-walk-in-swimming.html
- Great swimmers swim consistently, rarely missing sessions or taking long breaks from training. You might not be swimming as frequently as an elite swimmer but let's match their consistency and so avoid your swimming being like a game of snakes and ladders.
- Great swimmers perform a regular stretching routine to allow them to achieve a range of motion needed to swim with great stroke technique.
- They think about what they eat and how much alcohol they drink. By putting more of the right things into their body and less of the wrong things they get more out of it.
- They constantly work on and refine their pacing skills in training. The ability to start any swim without going out too fast and slowing down is paramount to performing at your best, regardless of your base swimming speed. Not only does it mean you swim to your ability level but well paced training sets improve the quality of your training so that you get more fitness gains. Use a Finis Tempo Trainer to achieve this.
- They think of their training in "blocks" rather than "sessions". It's of no benefit to perform a single all-out training session but taking a week to mentally and physically recover. The key to improvement is to repeat a regular training week over and over again with the right balance of training, technique and open water skills ("the three keys").
- Great swimmers swim consistently, rarely missing sessions or taking long breaks from training. You might not be swimming as frequently as an elite swimmer but let's match their consistency and so avoid your swimming being like a game of snakes and ladders.
- Great swimmers perform a regular stretching routine to allow them to achieve a range of motion needed to swim with great stroke technique.
- They think about what they eat and how much alcohol they drink. By putting more of the right things into their body and less of the wrong things they get more out of it.
- They constantly work on and refine their pacing skills in training. The ability to start any swim without going out too fast and slowing down is paramount to performing at your best, regardless of your base swimming speed. Not only does it mean you swim to your ability level but well paced training sets improve the quality of your training so that you get more fitness gains. Use a Finis Tempo Trainer to achieve this.
- They think of their training in "blocks" rather than "sessions". It's of no benefit to perform a single all-out training session but taking a week to mentally and physically recover. The key to improvement is to repeat a regular training week over and over again with the right balance of training, technique and open water skills ("the three keys").
It's easy to get into a cycle of thinking you'll never be good at something and as a result behave in a way that re-enforces that position. The behaviours above don't require masses of swimming talent, in fact they require no talent at all to implement, just passion and discipline.
Try adding a little greatness into your swimming and you'll be well on the way to becoming the swimmer you've always wanted to be.
Swim Smooth!