Surviving
All The Meet & Team Pressures
And Still Winning
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".
The best of success, Craig Townsend