4 Ways to Mentally Sabotage Your Swim Practice

Apr 15, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; 18-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps swims laps during a practice session at the Arena Pro Swim Series at Skyline Aquatic Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic via USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Sports

By Annie Grevers, Swimming World Staff Writer

We have all done it. We’ve gone back and forth in the pool harboring anger, jealousy, resentment, misery. A pool can be a sanctuary or an asylum. But swim practice is what you make it. So, rather than list off the things that will make your practice mentality ideal, I’m going to list the things which can resolutely ruin your daily opportunities to improve…

1. Dwelling on a breakup.

Jul 13, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Swimmers warm up prior to the Sunday finals of the Bulldog Grand Slam at Gabrielsen Natatorium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, I know. This is hard. Especially if you just had your heart broken by that swimmer two lanes over. But using the quiet underwater time to think about that person and how much they hurt you is one perfect way to trash your time spent in the pool. But I’m working through my emotions. That’s good, but concentrate on that stuff when you’re not face down in water, focusing on the most efficient way to move through it. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like that heavy weight in our mind is portable. But the human mind will amaze you if you will allow yourself to push away that stressor until practice is over. Zero in on your stroke, your cadence, your turns. Give your breakup a breather while you’re doing no breathers.

2. Angry at the Stretching Club.

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

You know the Stretching Club? Are you in the Stretching Club? Not everyone in the S.C. is injured. We know those who really are and we respect that they are taking care of those injuries. But then there are those people who beat you in meets, and there they sit, on the deck, during practice…forever stretching out that hamstring, shoulder, quad, what have you. The truth is, they didn’t feel like doing this set.

….But I don’t feel like doing this set either….stretching sure looks fun to me…all of that oxygen out there…

Snap out of it! It’s your practice. Stop caring about their practice, and take note of the mentally engaged person next to you, currently kicking you butt. Race them. Bring your mind back to the point of practice. Don’t look for ways to excuse yourself from the pool; you know you’d look back on that with regret when you’re wrangling confidence before your big end-of-season meet.

3. Frustrated with yourself.

Photo Courtesy: William & Mary Athletics

Oh, we’ve all been here. I’m literally doing everything I know to do to be technically sound, but she’s still annihilating me! And she’s half my size. I had this thought countless times. This is when your mind begins some self-loathing chatter: I’ll start fresh tomorrow. Nothing is going to go well today. Maybe I’m actually this slow now? And I need to lower my expectations? When you’re trying your hardest, technically tuned in, but your times tell you you’re swimming in mud (while everyone else rides a current). This is when you narrow your mission, pick one piece of your stroke to improve, and perhaps stop looking at the clock. I told my coach to stop giving me times on my survival days, because I knew deep inside my best was not that slow! But my best that day certainly was slow. Ask Coach for one technical thing you can strive to master for the remainder of practice. Come away from the set knowing you took a small step forward that day instead of scrapping the entire practice.

4. Distracted by your distracted coach.

arizona-coaches-Rocket-Brandy-practice-2015

Photo Courtesy: Brandy Maben

Coach is on the phone, so I can loaf. He obviously isn’t here mentally today, so why should I invest any mental energy? But understand, just as you have defeating days (see #3), so does Coach. There are days when coaches are psychologically spent, and there are also very valid reasons for your coach to be on the phone. If you’re in college, there’s a 50 percent chance that person on the line is a recruit/potential future teammate. And when you begin to let yourself think that coach does nothing nearly as tolling as what you’re doing, check yourself. They most likely put in their time as a swimmer, and I know some coaches (an Ohio State coach, to be specific) who burns up to 2,000 calories while coaching a practice. His Fitbit tells him so.

You have complete control over your effort and concentration, but you know squandering two hours in the pool will not leave you feeling satisfied. And there’s a significant chance your attitude will drag some of your teammates down into the dumps with you. Stay mindful. Know that you’re part of a tiny population of people who know how to commit to something completely for over two hours each day. Take pride in your place in swimmer society and don’t flush any practices down the toilet. Every. Stroke. Matters.

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