SwimmersMind

No more suits - now what?

2010-03-15T20:07:00+00:00

This article by Dr. Patric Mattek give you some great tips on how to keep swimming fast now that you can´t give teh suit the credit anymore.

He have some great points on visualization. Good reading

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3 steps to start a season well

2010-03-09T01:24:00+00:00

This sunday and I somehow ended up at the computer working. Couldn't stay away.

These days I´m working on the training plan for next season and I´m all excited about it.
This have always been a very interesting time of year for me as a swimming coach.

Now it is time to look forward and make plans, goals and dreams.

What meets are we going to focus on?
Who will go to international competitions?
How can we perform best at nationals?
What can I do better than I have done before?
Any new things to try out?

All questions that pop up when I plan a new season.
This season especially since I´m starting with a new team and I have been away from the pool for a year. But I think it is healthy thoughts to have for each season.

Below you find 3 easy steps to follow that will help you make next season even better for you and your team

1: Evaluate

Look back at last season and first celebrate what you did well. Make sure to really enjoy all the brilliant things you did last season and the best results you made. Write down a list of all the great things from last season you want to do again this season.

2: Study

Think back at the things from last season you want to do better next season and study it. I believe getting new information is always important in both your life and in your work with swimming. In making the plan for a new season it crusial that you study specifically the matters you want to improve from last season.

Read books, search the internet og talk with other swimming coaches to learn more about the topic you want to improve. When you look for books or articles remember that you can find a lot of information that is not swimming specific but still very relevant.

Talking with other coaches is also a great idea. A fellow coach might have just the idea you are looking for and you might have the one he wants.

3: Balance it

Once know what you did well last season and have studied new things to improve this season it is time to take a good look at the list of things you now want to implement this season.

Some times when you have learned something new you want to do it all right now this season. Thats not always a good idea. I strongly suggest that you keep a lot of what was behind the good results of last season. What fit the team you are working with now and then add a few new elements. Changing too much will also give you and your a team a risk of things now working. Do what you are already doing well as the foundation of your work, take elements out that didnt work and set in new elements you believe will work.

If you do feel it is a good idea to make a lot of changes make sure that you are aware of the risk and if you work with older swimmers discuss the risk with them. Big changes can mean big mistake or big succes.

Are you ready for next season?

Your goal as a swimming coach

2010-03-09T01:21:00+00:00

by Brian Daniel Marshall

These questions will determine how fast your swimmers swim, how your club grows and what you achieve together.

What sort of coach are you?
Successful coaches:

Dream
Set challenging goals
Set short-term goals (that take them to the big goals)
Identify what is needed
Find solutions to problems
Make a time plan for when they will achieve these goals
Set expectations and demands on their swimmers
Sell and promote their goals everyday on training
Are always asking themselves: how can I achieve these goals?
Look for new ideas, are creative, try new things
Are reading new things every week!
Are members of international coaching associations (for example, ASCA in America)

Average coaches:

Realistic
Set realistic goals
Create plans to meet these goals
Are happy with the status quo - accepting the problems
Set reasonable demands on their swimmers
Do things in training that they have always done ("it worked ok last year")
Attend a coaching course once a year but read very little about swimming and coaching
Talk about the problems they face - but don't look for solutions and most important, don't take any action to change things
Are coaching more for the salary than for ambition

Poor coaches

Have few or no goals
Do not believe it is possible to achieve results
Have few or no plans - the plan is the competition calendar
Complain that their swimmers are lazy, have no goals, don't want to train…
Don't seek out new ideas (courses, books…)
Coach only because it provides a salary

As coaches, we are all different. Some of us having being coaching for many years
whilst others for a shorter time; however, the successful coaches are those that keep
themselves fresh, motivated and dream about what is possible.
Are you hungry for success?
Are you STILL hungry for success?

Many coaches have now got a few weeks break from the poolside - I would encourage
you to print out this article and take time to go through and answer the points and
questions being made here.

For coaches who have been on the poolside for many years, answers these questions:

Was I more hungry for success 5 years ago?
Am I still reading new books / articles on coaching?
Am I satisfied today to place swimmers in the National Team - even though they do not win medals with the National Team?
Do I believe that I can coach swimmers to medals and finals at European Junior Championships / European Championships/ World Championships / Olympics?
Am I prepared to change my coaching habits and preparations in order to start coaching swimmers to elite results?
Am I doing the same sets that I have being doing for the last x number of years?
If I am not hungry, should I still be coaching? Or at least, should I tell my best swimmers to find a coach that does believe they can achieve elite results?

For newer coaches, answer these questions:

How often do I search for new coaching ideas through books and articles?
Have often have I visited another club to see how they coach?
Do I come on to the poolside with a well prepared practice - or do I just prepare something that takes 10 minutes to write?
Do I have goals as a coach? (Not necessarily to coach Olympic swimmers but maybe to have 8 years olds with the best technique in Iceland, or coach 10 years olds who learn the correct foundations for a long career in swimming…)
Do I believe I can make a difference?

What are your goals for next season? For the next 4 years?

4 year goals:
What do I have to do to get there?

12 month goals:
What do I have to do to get there?

In setting your goals, I encourage you to dream - as those coaches who are realistic are
also those who are less successful! It doesn't matter that you don't know how you are
going to get there (in many ways that is part of the process and is normal, as you will
probably be trying to do something that you have not done before).
Once you have your goals, spend time every day thinking and planning how you would
achieve it:

what obstacles need to be overcome?
read articles that relate to the new goals
talk and discuss with other coaches
talk and discuss your plans with me be determined that you will keep searching for strategies that will help you achieve your goals
remember: your plan will develop every day - this is because you will be asking yourself everyday: how can I do this, what next, where can I learn more about…be prepared to change: your coaching habits, organization and planning.

This past season has seen too many people spending all their thoughts and time on what
is wrong - rather than they identifying the problem and then moving forwards to creating
ideas and solutions. As coaches, we get frustrated by swimmers who say that they can't; my question to you as a coach is this:

CAN YOU? ARE YOU? WILL YOU?
Next season, and in the seasons to come, I want to see coaches working on the poolside
excited, determined, creative and passionate about what they are doing. I want to talk to
coaches about how to improve things, about solutions and ways to raise standards. Lets
talk about what we have to do see Icelandic swimmers win medals at Nordic, European,
World and Olympic championships in the next 6 years.
Placing swimmers on the National Team should be
the first step for a coach in acheiving elite results.
One must then continue to look higher… to coach
swimmers to medals with the National Team.

How Motivation Works

2010-03-08T23:01:00+00:00

UC Berkeley in California in the United States has done some interesting research on motivation.
A group of kids were doing two different activities. We call them A and B.
The kids were monitored and questioned in order to determine which activity they found most fun.
The two activities came out even. The kids on average liked both just as much.

Later they took the same group of kids and told them that they had to do activity A before they were allowed to do activity B.
Again the kids were monitored and questioned.
This time activity B came out as much more fun than A. The kids were smiling and took much more active roles and said that they liked B more now and A was boring.
So no matter what you do, if you do it only to get to somewhere else, you will not enjoy it as much as if you do it with focus on what you are doing right now.

Now think about your swimming. How much of what you do in your swimming are you doing to get to something else?

I have seen many swimmers and coaches say: You have to do this to achieve this….
That is of course right. The question is if it makes it easier to stay focused on what you do to achieve your goals.

Imagine the difference if you as a swimmer know why you are doing each set and enjoy each set on practice.

As a coach: How much are you doing to make your swimmers understand what they are doing at practice?

Picking the mind of Alexander Dale Oen

2010-02-10T20:54:00+00:00

Check this video to learn how Olympic medal winner from Norway Alexander Dale Oen thinks about his swimming and stay motivated.

Picking the mind of Pál Joensen

2010-02-10T20:36:00+00:00

Interview with up and coming distance sensation Pál Joensen

Check out the video here:

Getting your motivation back

2010-02-10T20:34:00+00:00

Most swimmers will at some point in their active career feel that they loose motivation and don't really know why they are swimming.
This article give you an exercise that help you get back on track!

Coming from a "Learn to swim" program just focused on teaching us how swim safely some of us figure out that competing is fun and move our way into competitive swimming for the fun of it. We like competing, we like winning, we like the social part of being on a swim team or something else makes us choose to become a swimmer.
At some point things get serious and many swimmers get lost in the big demands there are on a swimmer who want to be good.
All the things you "have to do" suddently become a bigger part of your life than the things you want to do and then you loose the feeling of having fun.

I also see a lot of swimmers who forget to bring their goals into the pool at practice. The drive that made it fun to swim stay back home and practice become something you HAVE to.

If you have lost your joy for swimming and dont know why you are swimming I have some questions for you. Answer them on a piece of paper by yourself and read them and reflect on the answers by yourself or with some one you trust to support you.

1: Think back when you loved to swim the most. Either at practice or at a meet. What mattered to you? Why did you like it?

2: If you quit swimming today what would you miss?

3: If you want to be sure NOT to be succesful in swimming how should you mind set be on practice?

4: If you had a magic wound and could make anything around your swimming be just like you think is perfect for you. How would that be? No limits!! Write how you really imagine it would be (watch out not to write how you don't want it to be. E.I. if you want you coach to stop swearing write: My coach give me positive feed back)

5: Look at what you wrote above in question 1-4. What can YOU do THIS WEEK to get a least one little step closer to your perfect swimming life?

Make sure to do answer the above questions in writing. Also if you will not show it to anyone. The process of writing the answers will give you great clarity of the answers!

6 steps to starting a new season well

2010-02-10T20:15:00+00:00

About starting a new season. What is good for you to think about before a new season start?

You coach will be taking care of the year plan, week plan and practices for you so you could probably just show up for practice and do what ever he tell you. This would most likely give you fairly good results.
IF you want more than just fairly good results you can take responsibility for it yourself!
Below you will fin a check list to go through before a new season start. Ask your self the questions on the list, write the answers down, follow the answers you gave yourself and become a better swimmer.

1: Why do I want to swim?
I believe this question is critical for you to ask yourself some times since you could easily forget what it is you find so great about swimming.
When you ask yourself that question you will most likely find a list of what you find so great about swimming. Write it down and enjoy it!

2: What did I enjoy most last season?
No matter if if last season has been a season that sucked or your best ever there are some moments that you enjoyed even more than others. Maybe close your eyes a bit and let it come to your inner eye before you write it down.

3: How did I succeed before?
Think back at your best performance in the past and recall what got you motivated for it. What kept you going at practice and what was it that made you ready at the competition?
Again closing back and really see and feel your greatest moments can be a good idea. Make sure to feel all senses. See yourself perform well, hear what goes on, smell it, even taste how the water tasted that day and then ask yourself what meant most to you when your performed well. Write a list of what was important to you and feel how good that feel for you.

4: What are my goal for this season?
You have probably made goals before and maybe you are even very clear on what you want. Great! Do it again after having been through step 1-3 maybe things have changed - or not.
When you think about think of what you really enjoy to do and make you goals based on that. Goals can be different things like a time, qualifying for nationals or the national team, winning certain meets or maybe doing a specific time.
Find the one thing you really feel most desire to do and make it your goal for the season. When you ask you self "why do you want that" the answer should pop up in your mind right away. When that happens you know you have a goal you are ready to fight for. If you are not sure it is strong enough maybe go through steps 1-3 again and become even more clear on what you enjoy and what drives you to success.

5: How do I want to achieve my goal?
Now look at all the things you have written in the answers above and decide how you want to achieve your goal for this season. It could vary from doing the same you did last season if it worked well to totally changing your attitude towards your training. Make sure to have the elements you are good at and enjoy as a part of it. The more you love what you do the better results you will make next season!
Remember to talk with your coach about you attitude towards swimming. Especially if there are things you want to change. You coach and you are working together on your achievements and when you set your goals he/she need to know what you are thinking so he can support you most.

6: Am I ready to do this all next season?
Check with yourself if you are certain that what you are setting out to do will last all season. If you get anything else than a big YES here go back to step 5 and adjust. Its better to set a bit lower goals for what you want to do than setting them too high and only last 1 month. In making results it is consistency that counts and what ever you can do consistently for 7-9 months or more will always give more results than what you do for just one month.

If you do this until you come down to step 6 and say YEAH! then you have your mind set for a great season!

Have fun!

The importance of positive self talk

2010-01-08T21:26:00+00:00

I just came across this article from Swim Coach Direct about the importance of how you talk to yourself.

It is a good article that will open your eyes to how important it is that you are in control of what goes on in your mind.

They recommend a good exercise that I hereby will pass on.

Read the article today and do the exercise right away. It will be interesting for you.

Action Step for Today:

Begin monitoring everything you say to yourself and others. Ask this critical thinking question:
"Is the way I use language programming me for success or failure?"
Next, begin listening to the way people around you use language.
Ask yourself the same question about them. This is an eye-opening experiment.

Merry Christmas and good training

2009-12-24T20:28:00+00:00

SwimmersMind want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Christmas is happy time for people all over the world. For many swimmers the next week will be a bit different compared to most "normal" people.

These last weeks of december is where lots of swimmers do the base training next part of the season. During the holidays we dont have school and work to disturb training and have lot of time to train. Great time of the year.

Im always looking forward to the christmas trainings and have often brought me team to a new level over christmas. Harder training and better team spirit.

Its great bonding when you as a group show up for a 3 hour "limit breaking" practice on dec 26th. This year my swimmers have to do 100X100 if they havent done that before (most have) - you are not a real swimmer untill you have done it at least once. The other choices they have is 30*400 freestyle, 50*200 back or IM or 300*25 butterfly. All sets where the main benefit will be pushing the mental limits for what it possible.

What are you doing for christmast. I would love it if you write a comment here below and tell me how you will spend you christmas in the pool!