Mental Training Tips for Distance Swimmers
Mental Training Tips for Distance Swimmers
By Lenny Wiersma, Sport Psychologist//Special Correspondent
Mental training is important for all events, but one could argue that distance swimmers are faced with unique demands that require a higher level of mental toughness than in other events.
A distance swimmer deals with barriers such as boredom, discomfort, fear, distractions and pain, sometimes all during the same race or practice. The whole basis of distance training is largely based on a swimmer’s ability to push himself on how much he can take for as long as he can take without overtraining, sustaining an injury or burning out.
Luckily, there are a variety of simple things you can do to maintain motivation and focus during a long practice or race.
First, a distance swimmer should be proud of the culture created by past swimming legends such as Mike Burton, Brian Goodell, Janet Evans, Kieren Perkins, and, most recently, Larsen Jensen and Grant Hackett. These individuals were known for their work ethic, dedication and mental and physical toughness, and have set the tone for future distance swimming greats.
Swimmers in these events should do their best to carry forth the qualities that these past champions are known for, and may want to watch video footage of how they performed under challenging circumstances. Certain races, such as Goodell’s victory in the 1500 meter freestyle in the 1976 Olympic Games, are truly inspiring.
The best psychological support and motivation a distance swimmer can draw from is within one’s own training lane. The culture that a group of swimmers create in their lane can drastically change the climate at practice and can be drawn on at competitions.
When I was a distance swimmer in college, I swam in a lane with three other teammates who created a culture of pushing each other to see how good we could get under demanding practice conditions. Instead of complaining about a long set, we took turns challenging each other for the lead, sometimes passing each other multiple times and calling each other out if it appeared as if any of us was backing off.
We prided ourselves on being the last lane to finish practice and the first to ask for more. This culture in part led to a National Championship win in the 1,650 freestyle for my teammate, who mentally drew back on those long distance sets during her race to come from behind to win.
During practice, it is tempting to let your mind drift while you are doing a long set. Doing this, however, almost always prevents you from having a quality practice, which relies on your ability to focus on the task at hand.
You wouldn’t mentally check out during a race, so it makes little sense to do it in practice. When you are starting to feel boredom set in, there are things you can do to get your mind back into focus. You can choose a teammate who is ahead of you in the next lane to chase down, for instance, by the time you swim another 75 yards. This is particularly challenging if that swimmer is doing a shorter and more intense set. You could ask your coach to choose a random 300 during a long repeated set of 300s with a challenging time for you to accomplish, which keeps you conscious of your effort and energy levels throughout the entire set.
Drawing on an inspiring or energetic song during practice is always helpful, as long as it keeps you focused on the set at hand.
Staying focused during a race is generally a little easier, as you are likely pretty motivated going into a race compared to doing a long repeat set of that same distance in practice. Setting a goal-specific time for that race helps maintain motivation throughout, or making a pact to not be passed by another swimmer during the race keeps you focused on your performance at all times.
If you have been diligent in being mentally tough in practice, you are more likely to adopt the attitude of Steve Prefontaine, the American distance running icon, who, claimed, "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
A distance swimmer deals with barriers such as boredom, discomfort, fear, distractions and pain, sometimes all during the same race or practice. The whole basis of distance training is largely based on a swimmer’s ability to push himself on how much he can take for as long as he can take without overtraining, sustaining an injury or burning out.
Luckily, there are a variety of simple things you can do to maintain motivation and focus during a long practice or race.
First, a distance swimmer should be proud of the culture created by past swimming legends such as Mike Burton, Brian Goodell, Janet Evans, Kieren Perkins, and, most recently, Larsen Jensen and Grant Hackett. These individuals were known for their work ethic, dedication and mental and physical toughness, and have set the tone for future distance swimming greats.
Swimmers in these events should do their best to carry forth the qualities that these past champions are known for, and may want to watch video footage of how they performed under challenging circumstances. Certain races, such as Goodell’s victory in the 1500 meter freestyle in the 1976 Olympic Games, are truly inspiring.
The best psychological support and motivation a distance swimmer can draw from is within one’s own training lane. The culture that a group of swimmers create in their lane can drastically change the climate at practice and can be drawn on at competitions.
When I was a distance swimmer in college, I swam in a lane with three other teammates who created a culture of pushing each other to see how good we could get under demanding practice conditions. Instead of complaining about a long set, we took turns challenging each other for the lead, sometimes passing each other multiple times and calling each other out if it appeared as if any of us was backing off.
We prided ourselves on being the last lane to finish practice and the first to ask for more. This culture in part led to a National Championship win in the 1,650 freestyle for my teammate, who mentally drew back on those long distance sets during her race to come from behind to win.
During practice, it is tempting to let your mind drift while you are doing a long set. Doing this, however, almost always prevents you from having a quality practice, which relies on your ability to focus on the task at hand.
You wouldn’t mentally check out during a race, so it makes little sense to do it in practice. When you are starting to feel boredom set in, there are things you can do to get your mind back into focus. You can choose a teammate who is ahead of you in the next lane to chase down, for instance, by the time you swim another 75 yards. This is particularly challenging if that swimmer is doing a shorter and more intense set. You could ask your coach to choose a random 300 during a long repeated set of 300s with a challenging time for you to accomplish, which keeps you conscious of your effort and energy levels throughout the entire set.
Drawing on an inspiring or energetic song during practice is always helpful, as long as it keeps you focused on the set at hand.
Staying focused during a race is generally a little easier, as you are likely pretty motivated going into a race compared to doing a long repeat set of that same distance in practice. Setting a goal-specific time for that race helps maintain motivation throughout, or making a pact to not be passed by another swimmer during the race keeps you focused on your performance at all times.
If you have been diligent in being mentally tough in practice, you are more likely to adopt the attitude of Steve Prefontaine, the American distance running icon, who, claimed, "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it."
