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Surviving
All The Meet & Team Pressures - Being a winner often requires having some time alone
to psych yourself mentally into shape, which means NOT always being the
'life of the party' with your team - and unfortunately this is not always popular with all squad
members or team mates. Here are some guidelines designed to help you continue
winning - whilst keeping everyone happy and the pressure from your team to
a minimum. Meets and team expectations can occasionally force swimmers
into situations where they find themselves racing without any mental
preparation, and this does not bring success. For instance, if your team travels to a meet and you are to
room with a team mate, it's generally better to room with someone who
takes their swimming as seriously as you do - as otherwise the
situation may arise where they are out of their events early and wanting
to 'party' whilst you are trying to mentally prepare for finals races. Even at the Olympics, this can be a big problem. If the rest
of your team are unimpressed with your room choice, make sure they know
that you are happy to see them anytime during the day - but at least you
can get some sleep at night when you need it. If you use a visualization tape (or your own music) for
mentally programming yourself for a successful race, make sure you get
some time alone (away from the noise) to do this - with your eyes
closed, even just for a few minutes. During meets this is not always easy however. In order to get
the quiet-time you need, this could mean visualizing whilst in bed (in the
morning or before bedtime), going outside the pool to the carpark, in the
car, or even in a restroom cubicle if required! All you need is a short period of quiet time to
program yourself for success. If you use a discman or walkman with earpieces, nobody needs
to know that you are visualizing at all, they will just assume you are
just 'vibing out' to some music (which, in a way, you are - but
just for other reasons!) In the 30 minutes before a race you need to quieten
your mind and begin to focus on the job ahead -
using combinations of visualization, positive thoughts and powerful
affirmations. Unfortunately this can be a very difficult time to break away
from the team in order to get this quiet time. Inform only your absolute
closest friends and confidantes that you use this quiet time to do
some mental exercises (or better still, don't tell anyone at all), as
others may make this task very difficult for you if they find out (sad but
true!). Remember, this is the practice of elite athletes - most
everyday swimmers do not understand (or use) mental training at all, and
will not make it easy for you if they find out. Yes, even the world's best swimmers and athletes have to do
this at some time in their careers. Some prefer to be loners, being
alone in the solitude of their own thoughts for longer periods, whilst
most combine this approach with a healthy, outgoing team attitude - which
I think is preferable if you can find the correct balance. A team can be a mighty boost to you in the pool and
should not be discounted too lightly - but it's just important to ensure
that they do not hinder your mental preparation. Find the balance - that's the key. So apart from these crucial times of quiet mental training
and psyching-up, enjoy your time with the team and be a part of it.
It only requires short breaks of quiet-time to program yourself for
success and regain your mental clarity, and so in between these times, be
a member of the team and enjoy yourself. Yes, it IS possible to be liked and be a winner, all
at the same time
- you just have to find the right balance that works best for you. "The Mind controls the body, and the mind is
unlimited".
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