BELIEVE

 

SELF-DOUBT-- When you are constantly having that battle between your ears about whether you can beat someone or that you can be successful in a particular race or event you are only setting yourself up for disaster.  While this battle goes on you are eroding your preparation, self confidence, effort, and focus. The bottom line is that for you to have any chance of success, YOU first have to BELIEVE.  Otherwise it's all noise.;

PRE-RACE MISTAKE #7

Poor Plan or lack of Plan

Entering a training session or competition is like throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks so you know your ready.  I get that sometimes swimmers will ask for a plan prior to a race but I think a lot but not always is a way for a swimmer to help with pre-race anxiety.  This plan includes a training program along with race strategies that are worked on during practice.  This plan is only as good as the swimmer who works it and then goes out and execute it. 

PRE-RACE MISTAKE #8

Psyching yourself out before competition

Do you worry about your heat, lane, or seed before you race?  Do you compare yourself to other swimmers before you race?  In doing so you may be unconsciously destroying your self-confidence if you feel like you don't measure up.  Another negative is that you can't focus on your own race if your gawking at other swimmers.

PRE-RACE MISTAKE #9

Worrying too much about what others think.

The need for approval sometimes is bigger than the race for swimmers.  It' the need to be admired, accepted, or liked by other people.  In your world a bad result or performance will influence how others perceive you and in reality anyone who matters will still be supportive of you and that's all that matters really.

One more tomorrow and in my opinion a big one