By Emily Thirion, Swimming World College Intern.
With taper season rapidly approaching, there is a significant amount of internal and external pressure placed upon swimmers. Everyone wants to be at peak performance when it matters most. Your teammates and coaches are relying on you to execute your very best. You want to score points and bring home glory for your club or university. It is only natural that there is stress that comes with a big race. Swimming, while completely physically taxing, is also highly dependent on mental fortitude.
It is of the utmost importance that you remain loose and relaxed before your next big race in order to swim fast. Here are three ways to help you stay calm and focused before you compete:
1). Ignore the competition.
Photo Courtesy: Hillsley Family
Sometimes, one of the things that induces the most anxiety is overthinking the competition. You look over to the lane next to you and see someone who appears to be bigger, stronger and faster than you. Obsessing over the heat sheet can be a kiss of death to the nervous athlete. Suddenly all you can think about is your competition. You watch them warm up, and their stroke seems so natural. It can be hard to snap yourself out of this mentality, but this is the perfect opportunity to think about what you can control.
Think about all the training you have put in to get to this meet. You are fit and ready to race; there is no need to concern yourself with what others are doing. One really effective way of tuning the rest of the swimmers out is by slipping on your headphones and cranking up the tunes. Another thing that can be helpful for some swimmers is to bring a friend behind the blocks with you. An easy way to distract yourself from the competition is by cracking a joke or two with a teammate. These things turn your attention away from others and help keep you calm.
2). Hone in on your race strategy.
Photo Courtesy: Atlantic 10 Conference
Another means of focusing on what you can control is running through your race strategy a few times in your head. Often, our coaches spend some time throughout the season having us visualize our “perfect race.” This could be envisioning your perfect start, how many strokes you want to take per lap, where you want to pick up your tempo, or even how you want to execute your finish. There is no surefire way to get rid of pre-race jitters, but thinking about your race in this way prior to stepping up to the blocks can be a good way of reinforcing how much you have prepared for this moment.
3). Focus on your breath.
Photo Courtesy: Duquesne University Athletics
It may seem obvious, but consider this: how are you breathing? Is your blood rushing, heart racing? Are your palms sweaty? While it is certainly good to have some adrenaline flowing, being too keyed up can have a detrimental effect on your swimming. It can tighten your muscles and make you stiff. Take a couple of moments before your race and just concentrate on a 4-7-8 tempo. Stand up straight, shut your mouth, and breathe in for a count of four. Hold that breath for a beat of seven, then exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. After a minute or so, you will notice a dramatic drop in your blood pressure and in your heart rate. It’s a nifty trick to know, because you can use it outside of the pool to settle yourself just about anywhere.
Do you have any other pre-race strategies that keep you relaxed before a big race? If so, leave your tips in the comments below.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.