How Psychological Development Affects Your Performance Psychological Development is a key component in sports performance. Here are three important factors that affect how not only how well you perform but how much you enjoy the sport. Perceived Competence: (Also known as self-esteem) Athletes' perceptions of their athletic competence go through predictable developmental changes: Athletes 7-9 years old focus on outcome and effort in judging one's competence. "I won, therefore I am a good athlete," or "I tried hard, I must be a good athlete." Winning and Losing serve as an...

The Diabetic Swimmer by Dr. Jim Miller Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an abnormality of metabolism that results in a higher than normal blood glucose (sugar). There are two major types of DM. Type I DM was formally known as juvenile diabetes. It accounts for less than 10% (approximately one million) of all diabetics and tends to occur in younger age groups, hence the name “juvenile.” Insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are mistakenly attacked by the body’s own immune system, resulting in their destruction. This destruction is usually complete, making the...

Olympic distance legend Janet Evans has announced her comeback and was back in the pool this weekend at the Janet Evans Invitational U.S. Masters meet in Fullerton, Calif. There, she broke the Masters world records in the 35-39 women’s 400m and 800m freestyle. We caught up to Janet the day before the swims and asked her a few questions about what this comeback means to her and about her goals in the coming year. Why the comeback? I think it’s always been in the back of my head, but I...

Pre-adolescents (10-13) face the challenge of developing "best friend" relationships and gaining acceptance from peers. Pre-adolescents are figuring out how they are similar to and different from others. They go through a stage during which close relations with same-sex "best friends" are very important. They are very loyal to friends and greatly influenced by what friends think. Unfortunately, young adolescents can also be very exclusive in their peer groups such that those who are different are shunned or mocked. Being accepted and having someone to trust and confide in is...

Check out this interview with Brett Hawke from Auburn University. Coach Hawke has coached some of the fastest sprinters in the world, including 50 Free Olympic Champion, Ceasar Cielo.

Hydration During Exercise: Sport Drink Guidelines The energy beverage industry is a huge market. It can be confusing for athletes, however, who need specific formulations during exercise that can be easily tolerated and quickly pass out of the stomach and absorbed. Here is a quick guide: Always use a sports drink during exercise of >1 hour duration. Choose a sports hydration drink that contains more than one type of sugar (maltodextrin, sucrose, fructose, glucose polymer) to insure the fastest rate of absorption of carbohydrate energy to the muscles. Do not...

Knowing what to expect through different phases of your training as you progress through the sport can help you understand how your training should be structured for optimal performance in each phase and as you move from one stage to the next. When you’re very young (age 6-14) athletes are in what we call the generalized phase. In this phase, coaches are trying to build base fitness and endurance while focusing on proper technical development of strokes, starts and turns. This pre-pubescent and pubescent stage of growth and development is...

There are three phases of talent development: Phase 1 : Introduction/Foundation Approximate years in phase = 5 Age of athlete: 4.5-9.6 years Phase 2: Refinement/Transitional Approximate years in phase = 4 Age of athlete: 10.6-14.6 Phase 3: Elite Performance Approximate years in phase = NA Age of athlete: 15.4 + Our focus will be on the final 2 phases and how it pertains to you as an athlete. In the Refinement/Transitional Phase it’s important that you are still enjoying the sport. What are the things about swimming you love? Why...

Q: Should you specialize in just one sport if you’re a multi-sport athlete? It’s been suggested that it will help get the edge and might even lead to a college scholarship. A: More and more children are specializing in one single sport and training year round in the hopes of gaining a competitive edge. Proponents argue that it improves young athletes’ chances of sport success and helps build winning programs. Critics argue that early specialization results in increased stress and burnout, specialization in a sport that might not be best...

Training and Workout Questions for Athletes 1. What type of commitment is needed for higher levels of competition? While your performance is influenced by numerous factors, there are three that exert the greatest influence: physical, technical and mental. As you progress through the sport, a greater commitment, of both time and energy, is needed to enable you to address all of these factors. Additionally, you will be asked to take more responsibility for and ownership of your practice and competition performance. One way of doing this is by accepting responsibility...