A Quick Turnaround: Bouncing Back Between Sessions

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Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

By Jamie Kolar, Swimming World College Intern.

Championship meets are not for the faint of heart. They are long, grueling, and usually more than one session a day. So, what happens when one of the first session does not go according to plan? It is a hard thing to swallow; all the hard work you have put in over the past few months seems to be irrelevant. You are understandably crushed, but the majority of the meet is still ahead of you. How are you supposed to want to keep competing when your swims do not seem to be going well?

The answers to these questions may vary as it all depends on you. It is hard to turn things around, but it has been done before! Just look at the Chicago Cubs. They made the ultimate turnaround! To make such a turnaround in such a sort period of time is challenging, however possible. There are some things that you can do between sessions to help pull yourself out of this dark road that you appear to be heading down.

Do something that make you feel good outside of the water.

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Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

Whether it is going out for dinner at your favorite restaurant or watching an inspirational movie, do something that brings a smile to your face. It is hard to be sad when you are smiling. As Buddy the Elf would say, “I just like to smile, smiling is my favorite.”

Chances are, not only will you be smiling, your mind will have a chance to relax. Taking your mind of the next day/event may just be the solution to getting over a bad day. It allows you to fully recover and to go into the next session with a fresh outlook and a new perspective. It may also limit the overthinking that is probably going on between the time you leave the pool and the next day’s warmup.

Talk to your coaches.

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Your coaches can be a valuable resource. Talk to them about what they thought about the session, get feedback about the race that did not go as you wanted and get suggestions for what you can improve on during the next session.

If you are still feeling down ask you coach for some words of wisdom and encouragement. They might not try to inflate your ego often, but this is exception. They will be happy to lift you up when you are down and will happily give you advice, as they were probably once in your shoes.

Remember to swim for the love of swimming, not for the love of dropping time.

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Photo Courtesy: Kara Sekenski

Enjoy the journey, not just the destination, as it can be a fantastic ride. When you get up on the blocks, don’t think about anything else but swimming your race and racing the person next to you. Times can cloud your ability to think about the big picture and focus on the moment.

Overthinking and time fixation can hinder your ability to enjoy the moment and swim for your love of swimming. Once you stop thinking about a specific goal time, it can take a big weight off of your shoulders and will allow you to swim for the love of swimming.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World nor its staff.

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Anonymous

6 years ago

The Chicago Cubs took 108 years to turn it around