Become Legendary!

What are you doing today to guarantee greatness tomorrow?

BY DR. ALAN GOLDBERG//Sport Psychologist

What if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that what you did today, in this set, how hard you pushed yourself and how precise you were with your strokes and turns would guarantee a “meet-of-your-life” performance in your events come taper time? How motivated would you be? Would you concentrate more? Would it bother you that you went into practice a little tired? Would you allow yourself just to go through the motions the way you sometimes do or cut as many corners? Would you complain to yourself or a teammate about how you hated this set?

Chances are pretty good that if you knew that today’s practice would guarantee you great swims at the big meet, then you’d be totally psyched and willing to work your butt off. In fact, you’d probably go into practice with a seriousness of purpose that would instantly raise the quality of your training.

It’s this mental approach to practice that you need to adopt right now to help get you through the grind and drudgery of this, the toughest part of the training cycle.

Come December and January of the short course season, the intensity of your practices has increased, your body is more broken down and your motivation may be at an all-time low. The taper meet seems months away, and it’s easy to lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing. This is the time when swimmers are most vulnerable to wasting valuable practices by giving in to their mental and physical fatigue. Take note: If you want to become a winner, then you can’t allow yourself to do this.

You have to approach today’s training as if this is championship time! You have to mentally connect what you are doing right now in the pool with what you want to be doing at the taper meet. You have to create a sense of inner importance for today’s practice by directly linking it with your end-of-season goals. You do this by asking yourself the question, “How is what I’m doing today and right now going to help me get to where I want to go?”

By continuously connecting your big goals with what you are doing right now, you will out-work the competition, and in the process, distinguish yourself as a champion.

Peter Vanderkaay’s Keys to Success

Set Goals: Know what you want to do before you start doing it. Set goals at the beginning of each season so you have something to work toward.

Work hard: Commit yourself to working hard each day. To beat the competition, you must work harder than them.

Focus: Remember to look at the big picture and don't be distracted by the little things. Also, continue to learn new techniques for success.

Confidence: Know that you are sticking to the plan and that it’s going to work. Be confident and have faith in yourself.

Have fun: Enjoy the journey and don't get too caught up in it. Make sure you have a balance in your life and people you care about.