Progress in sport comes step-by-step. It takes a long time, and the only way to get there is one stroke at a time, one revolution at a time, and one stride at a time. There’s a lot of repetition, and that’s certainly true of swimming.
The problem is that it’s easy to go on autopilot, and when you do, you’re going to learn as quickly or effectively. Below are two questions that can help you stay engaged with your training.
Just ask them after each and every repetition, and you’ll find your swimming improving a lot more rapidly than it has been.
Question 1: What was good?
No matter how bad a repetition was, there’s always something positive that happened. Acknowledge it. It’s critical to stay positive and this is a great way to do so. It also allows you to build some positive momentum.
If you did something well, you can do it again, and you can do it slightly better. Slightly better over a series of repetitions adds up to something big.
We all tend to be critical of ourselves and ignore the good stuff, so be sure to acknowledge it consistently.
Question 2: What could be better?
After every repetition, there’s an opportunity to improve. Frame it that way. Rather, than ‘this was terrible’, it’s ‘I can do this better’. Remember, keep things positive. You’re not ignoring your mistakes, you’re reframing them.
And when you reframe it as an opportunity, that encourages you take action to improve it. And getting better is all about taking effective action.
It’s not enough to identify mistakes or opportunities, it’s about addressing them. When you are aware of your opportunities, then you can do what’s necessary to improve it, preferably on the very next repetition.
Decide
Once you know what was good and what could be better, it’s time to put it into action. Remember, you get better repetition by repetition, so use the information you just gathered to get better.
Decide to continue to do what you’re doing well, or take advantage of the opportunity for improvement that has presented itself. Both are great options.
Remember, this is about focus, so just pick one. During the next repetition, you can make a different choice. This is all about action, so decide to act!
If this process seems like it would take forever to go through, don’t worry. It's something that happens automatically with a little practise. You just know the answer because you’re experiencing it as it happens.
It’s a really valuable process because it promotes focus and engagement both during repetitions and after repetitions. And if you’re engaged in what you’re doing, you’re a lot more likely to experience success.
Top image credit: www.rossi-photography.com
