Keys to Success: David Walters

In this week’s Speedo Tip of the Week, Olympian David Walters offers some advice on what you need to do to become the best swimmer you can be.

Practice: We do it all the time without thinking, but we should always think about it. You have to do the work in the pool, and do the work in the weight room. You can cut corners, but it comes back to you, and maybe you’ll get away with it in practice or a small meet, but when you get up on the blocks for that big race, you won’t stick the last turn. You won’t have that last burst of energy. You won’t have the technique you should’ve been honing. You have to make practice count. I lost a relay for our team against Cal, so I can tell you first-hand that if you cut corners, it will nip you down the road.

Maintain a positive attitude: You have to keep your head up. You can’t take things in this world personally and be in a constant state of stress, or compete with a bad attitude. Not having a positive attitude does not help. It makes things harder on yourself. I’ve learned that from Aaron Peirsol, seeing how great his attitude is even when times are harsh, like when it’s Thursday and we’re ready for the weekend. Aaron will say, “Let’s go, two more days of practice, and we’re to the weekend. Get it done!”

Understand how everything fits together: I feel like everything is a building block that needs to fit with the others. It can be overwhelming at times trying to focus on so many little things. So the best way to play the game is to take one thing at a time, get it right, move on to the next time and learn how it all fits together. If you do make a mistake, that’s okay. Learn from it, and don’t do it again.

Adversity: You might not realize it, but this is a building block unto itself, too, and how we deal with it defines us as people and can boost us as competitors. Dealing improperly with adversity is probably the No. 1 career destroyer – letting something bad get to you and not getting over it. You can’t be afraid to try again. You have to jump back in and nail that relay start, or make up that extra tenth of a second on that competitor you are chasing down. Don’t let mistakes slow you. Use them to propel you to be better.