DO YOU REALLY WANT TO REACH YOUR ATHLETIC DREAMS?

Want to know why your competition may be beating you? Every athlete practices about the same amount of time every day. Learn why a select few athletes consistently excel.

TAKING YOUR TRAINING TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Want to take your game to the next level? Got a BIG, SCARY sports dream that you'd desperately like to turn into reality? Well, the secret to you doing just this lies in HOW you practice on a daily basis. Most serious, competitive athletes in your sport put about the same amount of time into their training every week. Despite this, only a select few of these athletes REALLY get a lot out of their training and therefore improve a bit faster and slightly more than everyone else! What's their secret?

The vast majority of athletes train PHYSICALLY. That is, they regularly put the time into developing their physical skills, establishing a solid training base and developing the speed and strength necessary to excel. When you train PHYSICALLY you will improve! Then there's a much smaller percentage of athletes who train both PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY. That is, they learn the proper strategies of the game and then spend consistent time working on their MENTAL GAME. They learn how to stay calm under pressure, concentrate and let go of distractions, quickly leave their mistakes and failures behind them and mentally prepare for big performances. When you train PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY you will get a lot out of your training and out-compete those athletes who just train their bodies! Finally, there's an elite, much smaller, third group of athletes who regularly train PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY! That is, while they train their bodies and minds, THEY HAVE THEIR HEARTS IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING! When you train PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY, you will get the VERY MOST out of your practicing and go much further in your sport than others who only train the first two ways.

What does it mean to HAVE YOUR HEART IN YOUR TRAINING? It means that when you practice every day, you're doing it because YOU WANT TO! Because YOU LOVE IT!!! You're doing it because you have an EMOTIONALLY COMPELLING reason to train that day. You have something that you desperately want to achieve and this achievement has little to do with pleasing other people and most everything to do with YOU! To train EMOTIONALLY means that, as tough as practice is, and as much as you may be hurting, you want to be there and this desire is fueled by that important goal you're working towards.

Training EMOTIONALLY means that on a daily basis you remind yourself EXACTLY WHY you're doing what you're doing. Athletes who practice this way don't just go through the motions. They don't practice and wish they were elsewhere. They train with an internal sense of purpose that periodically asks them, "HOW IS WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW GOING TO HELP ME GET TO MY GOAL?" In this way, the quality of their training is consistently high because it's always goal directed and fueled by their emotions and desire.

Want to lift the level of your training? Then start adding YOUR PASSION to your training. Know exactly why you're out there today! Be sure you're training for YOU and that your efforts are directed towards something that is EMOTIONALLY IMPORTANT to you. And when you start to waiver, get tired or begin to drift off, ask yourself that question: "HOW IS WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW, GOING TO HELP ME GET TO MY DREAM?"        

Copied from Dr. G’s blog at www.competitivedge.com

Dr. Alan Goldberg, internationally known sports psychology consultant and director of Competitive Advantage specializes in helping athletes across all sports at every level, bust slumps and overcome performance fears and blocks. Dr. G's website,http://www.competitivedge.com offers thousands of pages of FREE resources including mental toughness questionnaires for athletes, parents and coaches, articles on every aspect of coaching and parenting in youth sports, as well as a mental toughness blog.

The Six MYTHS & TRUTHS of Fast Swimming

MYTH #1 - "There is an easy way, I just haven't found it yet."

There is no easy way. All fast swimming for everyone comes as a result of hard work. There is value in always trying to find a better way (the reason for this blog), but there will never be an easy way. Realizing this is key to tapping your motivation to give maximum effort every day.

TRUTH #1 - Swimming is Hard Work

There is no other sport that demands the combination of athleticism, physical fitness, attention to detail, and volume of rigorous training the way swimming does. There is no way of getting around it: if you want to achieve anything in swimming, be prepared to work hard for your goals. Those who begin by accepting this truth and embracing the challenge and the difficulty that it represents have taken a huge step toward their swimming success. A key to this step is understanding that though the effort required will be great, the rewards of achieving your goal will be equally rewarding.

MYTH #2 - "That swimmer is fast because he/she is just talented."

These words are usually spoken by somebody who believes in myth #1. If you find yourself believing or maybe even saying this myth out loud, consider your own talents and find a way to maximize them to better achieve your own goals. This is far more effective than bemoaning your talent deficiency.

TRUTH #2 -You have inside of you right now what it takes to be a champion.

That's right. You already possess the mental and physical abilities to achieve your swimming dreams. These qualities have been present in you since birth and have been molded by your parents, your coaches, and your individual actions and choices. From now forward, it is your future actions and the choices you will make that determine the heights to which you will ascend.

You are talented in a different way than every other swimmer. When you see another swimmer succeed, it is because he or she has figured out how to get the best out of herself, not because he or she is any more talented than you. She has taken her talent and put it to use to the best of her ability. Will you do the same? Will you seek to maximize your talents by making the daily choices of a high achiever?

The second truth should empower and inspire you. Swimming success is yours for the taking.

MYTH #3 - "This is just practice, I will do it correctly/faster at the meet."

This myth is perpetuated by those who have poor practice habits. When it comes to anything technical, only perfect practice makes perfect. The pressure and excitement of a competitive situation tend to exacerbate your bad habits rather than magically improve them. Factor in the fatigue you will feel in a swimming race, and you can see that you are truly only as fast as your habits will let you be. Strive daily to eliminate your bad habits and practice good technique at all times.

TRUTH #3 –You will race how you train. Your preparation will determine your results.

There is a reason why we call it practice. We are rehearsing what we want to do at the race, preparing our skills, and improving our fitness. If we were only doing the last of these, we would merely call it training.

When an actor is preparing for a Broadway musical, he prepares methodically, rehearsing the production in parts. He repeats each line exactly as he hopes to perform it in the show. Not once does he allow himself to make up the lines as he goes or allow himself to perform them incorrectly. Doing so would encourage him to make the same error when he is performing in front of the audience.

We must take the same approach with our swimming technique. We must strictly avoid doing things incorrectly and always be exploring ways to perform better. We must visualize the championship meet performance that we seek and strive to prepare precisely for that. The great performance can only be preceded by careful preparation. Strive to practice correctly and prepare precisely to swim the race you dreamed.

MYTH #4 - "Swimming is an individual sport."

Ironically, this myth is usually believed by someone who has always been in a good team situation. Though it is true that we mostly compete as individuals in a race, the social nature of our sport cannot be totally discounted. If you believe this myth, try training by yourself. Better yet, imagine swimming at a meet where the only people in the building are you and your 7 competitors. Make the most of your teammates by supporting them, and they will support you.

TRUTH #4 – "The fastest swimming is often performed by athletes who surround themselves with excellence."

To realize this truth, you have to look no further than the current state of swimming in the United States. Look at the success of North Baltimore Aquatic Club, which has placed a 15-year old on each of the last four U.S. Olympic teams. They have established a tradition of success that breeds more achievement today.

Look at the results for Olympic Trials - how many of the top swimmers are the lone standout on their teams? Not many. Most are part of programs that routinely develop swimmers to the highest levels, creating a culture of excellence.

Success in our sport occurs in clumps. Talented, hardworking athletes tend to train together and reach new levels together. Train hard to be the best you can be, and encourage your teammates to do the same. Together, you can push each other to new heights!

MYTH #5 - "That little technical thing won't make a difference."

This myth is believed by people with poor attention to detail. This "pennies on the sidewalk" mentality leads them to believe myths #1 and 2, because only big improvements are worth the effort.

TRUTH #5 –"The little things ARE the big things."

First, there is no such thing as a 'little thing.' Drag is a huge factor in determining swimming speed, and each small technical adjustment can have an impact. Not only that, but a bunch of these small technical adjustments can add up to so much more.

Think about the last time you saw a penny on the ground. Was it worth picking up? Would you have been more likely to pick it up if it was a nickel? How about a dollar? What if every time you walked down the street, there was a penny, and every day you picked it up? Eventually, you would begin to accumulate enough money to be able to purchase something of value.

As swimmers and coaches, we sometimes get stuck in this "penny on the sidewalk" mentality, one that says the changes we can make are so small as to be insignificant. But the truth is that it is the sum of these changes that make a difference. Thus we must strive daily to make small incremental improvements. Some days, we may be able to make a dollar's worth of improvement. Other days, just a penny. But if we strive for improvement each and every day, the sum will be well worth the effort.

MYTH #6 - "I messed up my taper."

Usually stated after the meet or season concludes by someone who is unhappy with his performance. Though it is possible to not hit a taper correctly, the far more likely culprit is poor preparation all season long. Many swimmers and coaches who believe this myth don't honestly evaluate what came before the taper.

TRUTH #6 – You control 80% of your own training.

At this stage it is important for the you to take full responsibility for your sport. Your coach is just reinforcing this concept. Having a good attitude, developing proper time management, and demonstrating a strong work ethic are important both in and out of practice and competition. These are called “hidden training factors.” You are in control of what you eat, how much sleep you get, your practice attendance, and even your effort at practice. This may really add up to even more than 80%. Whatever happens at the end of the season is up to you.

If you find yourself buying into any one of these myths, honestly evaluate where this belief comes from and whether it truly holds any water (pun intended).

Adapted from posts at http://swimtelligence.blogspot.com/

7 THINGS SUCCESSFUL SWIMMERS DO DIFFERENTLY

Guest editorial by Olivier Poirier-Leroy

PHOENIX, Arizona, December 5.

WHY do some swimmers have a hard time achieving success while other swimmers seem to effortlessly enjoy wild and never-ending success?

Generally the first two answers tabled are talent and genetics. However, possessing these two attributes alone will not constitute an elite swimmer. Sure, they will always get by for a few years on these two characteristics, but it isn't long before that isn't enough. And before long, these promising young athletes are reflected upon as "flashes in the pan."

Those at the top of the podium approach their sport different than the rest. Here are 7 ways that successful swimmers are doing it differently:

1. Ownership. I used to compete against a swimmer who loved playing the "blame game." If his results weren't as good as they should or could have been, we would all be barraged upon with a litany of excuses. Whether it was goggles filling up with water, a bad night's rest, or he was racing with a workout suit, he'd pawn off his lousy competition performance on outside influences and bad luck so that he wouldn't have to own up to them. Pawning off failures by making excuses for them removes accountability. Successful swimmers own their awesome performances and their not so good ones too.

2. Use Failure as Fuel. Failure may as well be another 4-letter word. You can see it in the pained faces of swimmers who come up just short at the end of a race. Successful swimmers, once the initial sting of defeat has receded, are able to see past failure. Instead of having it demoralize them, they use it as the catalyst for massive positive change. Those moments of disappointment provide important -- albeit sometimes painful -- lessons that will help pave the way to achievement. Remember, failure only becomes fatal when you give up and do not heed the lessons it provides.

3. Surround Themselves with Like-Minded Athletes. The expression "you are a product of your environment" is just as relevant when applied to the swimmers and people you associate yourself with. As much as we like to believe that other people have no influence on our lives, in the words of esteemed John Donne, "No man is an island entire of itself." The actions and behaviors of the people you surround yourself will rub off on you, whether you immediately realize it or not. Good news, however, is that this goes both ways -- negative people will bring you down just as well as positive people will bring you up.

4. Plan. Successful swimmers know exactly where they are going. They have a concrete, visceral goal in the horizon, and they aren't afraid to put together a plan to make it happen. This means breaking it down step-by-step, and setting out what directly relates to achieving their goal. Faster start? Check. Shave ? second off the turns? Noted. Improving ankle flexibility? Put it on the to-do list. Don't be afraid to take your goal, break it apart to its smallest pieces and then slowly put it back together.

5. Execution. Of course, having a plan and all of the motivation in the world does nothing without the follow-through. Top echelon swimmers don't wait for the perfect moment, they don't wait until they "feel like it" and they don't wait until the beginning of next season to start hauling ass towards their goals. Start today, start now.

6. Cross the Line Between Excellence & Perfection. Whenever a swimmer tells me that they are "perfectionists" my first thought is, "you never complete anything, ever." Perfectionists are great at making plans, of concocting great and earth-shattering goals, but incredibly terrible at completing them. Why? Because they've set impossible standards, they are dooming themselves to failure from the outset. Their high expectations will never be met because "perfect" is an illusion. There will never be a perfect time. You will never feel perfect. The only "perfect" time to act is this one, right now. Success doesn't come to perfectionists -- it comes to the swimmers who show up and get things done.

7. Embrace Hard Work. In an era where instant gratification is expected from everything we do, it can be very easy to dismiss the idea of hard work. Whenever a really tough set gets scrawled up on the chalkboard, the elite swimmer won't groan and moan. Their steely eyes will narrow and they will be the first in the pool to tackle it. Why is that? Are they gluttons for punishment? Not at all. They welcome those hard sets because they know that is what will separate them from the athlete in the lane next to them. While others are bowing out or not giving their best effort, the successful swimmer smiles gleefully as he or she powers through the sets that no one else is willing to do.

Can you think of any other characteristics that a successful swimmer possesses? Leave your answer in the comments below!

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer in Canada. He is also the publisher of YourSwimBook. Learn 8 ways that it can help your performance by clicking here today.

Reprinted from www.swimmingworldmagazine.com