ELITE GROUP

Calling all Mako swimmers.  Just want to let you know what a fantastic job you all did during warmups this afternoon and although it was crowded you all worked together and got it done like Champs. As we talked about with the group sometimes it is very hard to get everyone in the same lane especially at a meet like this one.  

An open warmup is just that, no assigned lanes so its important to move quickly and find a lane.  If you can't it's not the end of the world.  Take two or three other swimmers and scope out the pool, find some space, any space and jump in.

This is why we have a specific first warmup that you should all know by now, so here we go one more time.

200 swim

4x50 free descend to RED (3x50 for little kids)

200 kick (100 kick little kids)

3x50 kick descend to RED

OLDER KIDS 

8X50 DRILL/SWIM (4x50 for little kids)

8X25 (25 fast free/25 smooth choice) (4x25 for little3 kids)

Let's have a Great Day Tomorrow 

PEOPLE PLEASER

 

Are you a people pleaser?  Have you ever given any thought to that notion?  It's human nature to be a people pleaser and swimmers are human maybe a little freaky at times, but human none the less, so yes you are a people pleaser.

Swimmers have a lot of people watching them from parents, coaches, peers, friends and yes ourselves.  This one thought is probably always on your mind to one extreme or another, "I just don't want to let anyone down including myself."  

Dwelling on this adds another level of stress and anxiety as you step onto the blocks and may sabotage your performance.   It may serve you well to stand up, take a step back and look around.  Understand the power of racing the self fulfillment in accomplishing a goal that you put out there. All those people watching you are your support system, there to praise you after a good race and to pick you up with encouragement after a bad race.  I always giggle to myself when kids ask me what a cut is or what their time is and I always respond the same way which is I don't know.  If it's not important enough for you to know what makes you think I'll know.  Coaches have a lot of swimmers they are working with.  True story.  I coached my own daughters for most of their swimming career and I can honestly say I never knew their times, maybe I knew the neighborhood, but not the exact time.  What I think I am trying to get you to understand is that you need to let go of all the outside stress and anxiety and focus on what you do well and have FUN doing it or what's the point.  

At the end of the day you need to be comfortable and confident in YOUR skin and race because you enjoy pushing your limits to see how far YOU can go and understanding that at times you will come up short.  Even in failure you enjoyed the opportunity you had to chase that goal and you know how to pick yourself up and continue Your fight.

NEXT:  BOUNCING BACK

OVERTHINKING

 

As swimmers we've all had those moments behind the blocks when you have all these voices in your head telling you what you are and are not capable of. Who do you listen to?

We have discussed before that when all the workouts are finished the mental side of swimming takes over.  Yes, this sport is physical and takes a certain amount of talent and dedication to move to that next level, but you cannot ignore the mental side of swimming.  

The mental side of your swimming needs as much attention and time that you dedicate in the water, if not more.  The mental side of your swimming starts each day with the way you talk to yourself as you go through your day.  If your conversations are always negative with yourself, what chance do you have maybe 50/50.  Now, how do we get to this where we are always felling good about yourself and get to that positive place in your swimming.

What's the first thing You do in the morning?  Of course everyone has to get out of bed.  What's the next thing you do?  If you don't already I would challenge you to make your bed before you leave your room. Such a small detail taking about a minute from your 24 hours of an already filled day of things to do.  If you can perform this simple task each day you are well on your way to that positive mindset.  Is that really necessary you wonder, I believe it does so stay with me for a second or two...   First off when you make your bed first thing in the morning, you have already completed a task, small as it may seem and 

you can start your day knowing you have already completed a positive task.  If you have a tough day at school, or maybe a tough workout in the pool, disagreements with friends, maybe even parents you will return to your room that evening and to a bed that was all made by you, a task for which you should feel positive about.

NEXT PLEASING PEOPLE

PREPARING for MEET

Hope You all are enjoying your spring break.  It was good to see so many of you Florida bound swimmers at practice yesterday.

STROKE SPOTLIGHT

  We thought we would take a break and touch on a DQ that in my opinion is very judgmental and really does not offer a advantage to you, the swimmer.  The backstroke finish.  

Has it ever happen to you?

MEET PREPARATION

Sometimes preparing for the meet is as important as the meet itself, but coach isn't that what we do at practice everyday?   Yes and No.  We try to take care of the physical, in the water stuff, working on techniques and going through actual race strategy but what about the mental side. A few things that mighty help you when preparing for a meet;

•  know the events your swimming-- Simple enough you say but I am always amazed how many swimmers show up to a meet without a clue as to what they are swimming or the order of events.  How can you be mentally prepared to succeed without this basic information.  TAKE OWNERSHIP
• familiarize yourself with the meet and the setup so that there won't be any surprises.  Meet sheets, timelines, boy/girl side, warmup/warmdown pools.  There is a ton off information that coaches put out for you to make it as simple as we can. Quick fact you are one but many times coaches have 20,30 or more of you, so again TAKE OWNERSHIP. if you have a question ask us.
• Set some goals for the meet-- it's simple to say something along the lines of "I want to go a best time or I want to break the 57.00 barrier in 100 free.  That is all good but it is easy to say.  A better goal is to say how you are going to accomplish those 2 things.  It gives you specifics to work with and to follow through on.
• Visualize your race-- close your eyes and walk through each 25 and 50 of your race.  From the start to the breakout, into your turns and finally the finish.  Play a game and time yourself and see how close to your time you can get to.
• Remind yourself that you can do it-- too many times I believe athletes talk themselves down by thinking and repeating to themselves all the things that they can't do or that will go wrong.  You all do know that if you keep saying and repeating those things it will eventually become reality.  So, while we are down in Florida and as you step up onto the block, TAKE OWNERSHIP and say these four powerful words to yourself, " WHY NOT ME TODAY".

Sometimes things do go wrong and it becomes incredibly easy to become negative and it can put a damper on your attitude. We Get It.  Instead of throwing yourself a pity party seek out a trusted teammate or your coach and let them know you are struggling, often we can get you headed back in the right direction.  Have the courage to keep stepping up and trying.

Anyway Happy Swimming and here is a short video that might put all of this in perspective.  Enjoy!