Jumping the gun
WHISTLEEEEE … TAKE YOUR MARK …
At this point, what is going through your head? Your race plan? Positive self-talk? Your pre-performance routine? Or are you thinking, don’t go early, don’t go early, don’t go early…
We have got ourselves in the zone to swim strong and fast the moment we hit the water, but before doing that, we have to sit on the block with a quiet and composed mind. Now, these are two opposing states of mind, one requiring a high state of arousal, drive, motivation, and power, whilst the other requires a calm mind, clear head, intent focus, and high responsiveness.
Switching between these two states is an incredibly challenging task, and often swimmers will use this swimming state of mind for their race start, resulting in them being twitchy on the block, over-aware, and acting on impulse. More often than not, this leads to a false start and losing the race before it even begins.
So, how do we switch between these mental states efficiently? An easy way to do this is to develop a pre-performance routine that gradually builds you to the state you need to swim at your best, whilst engaging in mind-narrowing techniques to focus on the buzzer when you’re on the blocks. Some of these techniques include:
Using and repeating a cue word that helps focus your mind on the buzzer
Taking a centering breath as you step onto the blocks to bring composure
Engaging in positive self-talk behind and on the block to build confidence
Focusing on the technical components of your dive to positively distract yourself
WAITING TOO LONG FOR THE WHISTLE
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the swimmers that do not react fast enough to the buzzer, resulting in them losing valuable time waiting on the block. This can happen for a multitude of reasons:
You’re not stimulated enough (too relaxed and not up for it!)
In order to execute a racing dive, we need to have a degree of stimulation paired with this calm mind to ensure that we are alert to the buzzer and ready to explode off the blocks.
You’re focused on external stimuli that are not helping your performance
When we are on the diving board, we don’t want to have our mind occupied by such things as our parents’ advice, fear of false starting, an injury, opponents' times, the crowd, or the swimming pool being ‘a slow pool’.
You’re focused too much on technique
Having a hyper-focus on your technique can cause ‘paralysis by analysis’. Your mind is too busy thinking about what you need to do, that you end up freezing on the block.
First, identify what category you fall into, are you failing to prepare yourself for your race? Are you focusing on external factors that won't influence your race? Or are you thinking too much about what you need to do, and how to do it?
Once we know this, we can develop mental techniques that will help us achieve the correct level of stimulation and a quietly confident mind.
HOW TO HAVE THE PERFECT RACE START
Here are FIVE tips to help you achieve a perfect swimming race start:
Dual tasks – these are a healthy distraction that will help occupy your mind and take it away from overthinking, whether that be internal, on technique, or external, on an opponent. This can be done by engaging in tasks such as reciting song lyrics and chanting self-belief statements.
Hemisphere priming – through squeezing a soft ball with your left hand we can activate the right hemisphere of your brain. Research has shown this to improve athletes' motor skills when performing under pressure.
Pre-performance routine – Developing a pre-performance routine consisting of a multitude of mental techniques, will help you to regulate your emotional state, increase your confidence, and improve your focus.
Coach and Parent Language – we need to understand that what we are hearing from our coaches and parents will inevitably seep into our minds on the blocks, therefore if we can make these words supportive and conducive with your cue words, then we can improve focus.
Create a race dive cue card – This consists of words that cue each step that you take in performing your dive. Have this stuck to a bottle you take with you behind the blocks. This will remind you of the cues to perform a good dive, whilst reducing the cognitive load from the technical jargon!
Every component of our swim is important to work on and maximise, the gold medals are won through working on these 1%s! I would love to hear some things that you’re going to develop for your next gala, so please feel free to share them in the comments! If you would like help to develop mental skills that will get rid of the race block jitters, then please get in contact with me at robin@autonomypsychology.com
Best Wishes
Robin Hughes
Mental Performance Coach and Sports Counsellor located near Chelmsford, Essex, UK supporting athletes, exercisers, and coaches worldwide with Online Sports Psychology Services. Specialising in working within the fitness industry.
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