At Gators we want to develop complete young swimmers to be positive, confident and mentally strong athletes. Athletes who are mentally strong and confident have greater success not only in the pool but in all aspects of life.
To do this we need to do more than jump in the pool and swim a bunch of laps and drills. We need to work on goal setting, mental toughness and visualization drills outside of the pool. Once a swimmer combines mental work with hard work in the pool the sky's the limits!
STEP#1 - Make A Commitment
There is no “Born With It” gene.
There is only a “Worked For It” gene.
You can write down all the goals you want, but if you do not make the commitment to work hard to reach those goals you will never reach them. Choose to make it to practice, be a good teammate, listen to your coaches, focus and practice deep. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. Hard work and commitment is what separates the average athletes from the successful ones. Below is a PDF document which discusses how to change your mindset, set goals and become mentally tough and a video from one of the greatest, Michael Jordan.
Mental Toughness Training For Young Athletes - PDF
Mental Toughness & Embracing The Feeling - VIDEO
Michael Jordan Leaves The Audience SPEECHLESS ― One Of The Most Inspiring Speeches Ever-VIDEO
STEP#2 - Write Down Your Goals
Decide that you are going to win.
Decide that you are going to be great at what you do.
Believe in yourself and your goals 100%. You may be thinking you can’t, but remember everyone has to start somewhere. Even the experts were once beginners and the most successful people have the mindset that they can learn and grow from every situation. If you think you know everything, you have already met your full potential. Your potential is unlimited, unlock it. Below you will find our Goal Worksheet for swimmers along with a video from Zig Ziglar on goal setting and correct mindset.
Setting Goals for Swimmers Worksheet-PDF
How To Think Correctly | Zig Ziglar Motivation | Let's Become Successful - VIDEO
SMART GOAL SETTING - HOW TO - JPG
STEP#3 - Being Coachable & Practicing Deep
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Is your swimmer coachable? Are you willing to listen to your coaches and learn and continue to grow and improve? You can practice for 8 hours a day, but if you are not focused with an open mindset to learn you are wasting your time. Focus IS the hardest part of the equation. It is easy to think "I know this", "I have done this 100 times", or even 1000 times before. We need to listen to our coaches and focus on everything we do in practice so we are practicing deliberately not longer. You must practice with your head as well as your hands. Below is a video intro to how to make the most of practice and everything you do in life.
Deliberate Practice: The science of peak performance - VIDEO
Is Your Swimmer Coachable??? - VIDEO
STEP#4 - Mental Toughness & Visualization
If you can’t see yourself doing it, you’ll never do it.
Did you know that your subconscious mind does not know the difference between your imagination and reality? You can train your mind to help your body to perform the way you want. Just like physically practicing deep, you have to practice and commit to your subconscious mind training. Below are some great references to get started with mental training and visualization and how powerful it can be for all aspects of your life.
Mental Toughness Training For Young Athletes - PDF
Visualization used by Michael Phelps-VIDEO
A Beginner's Guide to Visualization (Sport & Athletes)-VIDEO
Additional Resources & Reading
Mental Toughness For Young Athletes
