By Cody Evans, Swimming World College Intern
It’s that time of year again when the grass is green, the lakes are warm and the sun is almost always shining. Oh right, how could we forget! Training is still going full force!
Swimming is one of the toughest sports, both mentally and physically, partly because of the seemingly eternal duration of the season. The swimming ‘season’ goes pretty much all year-round with some swimmers having anywhere from two to five weeks off in a year.
A few years back I remember asking my coach why as swimmers, we had to practice so much and for so much of the year compared to other sports. Besides the obvious need for practice he explained that since our sport is in a foreign substance, we must practice more to make the feeling in the water more natural. We need more hours in the water for repetition and skill acquisition. There is no exception to that, especially in the summer. Finding the motivation to continue swimming at the same level is definitely not easy.
So while others are hanging at the beach, here are a few things that help keep me motivated and focused during the summer swimming season:
1. Have a goal.
Photo Courtesy: Donna Nelson
Goals are always important, no matter what season of life you’re in. They help you plan and focus on something specific. Swimming goals keep your focus on that certain time or technique you’re longing to nail. Goals can keep you positive, make you train harder, and increases your confidence. Muhammad Ali famously said “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.’” Suffer now, then reap the rewards.
2. Have a meet to look forward to.
Photo Courtesy: Anesh Debiky/Swimming South Africa
By just practicing over the summer and not competing, swimmers may find it difficult to stay motivated. Without an end-of-season meet you may find yourself with a negative attitude towards training because you have had nothing to look forward to in the near future. With this mindset, the motivation to come to practice and remain focused on the goals you have set can start to feel like they are further and further out of reach. Nothing gauges progress and rewards hard work like great swims at an end-of-season meet.
3. Stay in shape.
Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers
When you continue to train hard over the summer you continue to improve. When you don’t train over the summer you essentially stay in one spot or even decline. Spending a lot of time out of the water could leave you feeling out of shape when you do go back to training. That natural feeling that you want to have in the water and have worked so hard to maintain throughout the year can vanish quickly. Swimming over the summer will allow you to enter the fall season in better shape than last year, with no need to play catch-up.
4. Watch the Olympics.
Photo Courtesy: Jean-Yves Ahern/USA Today Sports Images
Enough said.
Here’s to a great summer season and in return, an even better fall!