Start Small

In so many aspects of life, it’s important to start small. Swimming is no different! Like other sports, swimming is full of different goals and obstacles. You can’t just hop in the pool and expect to win your first time; it takes work and proper steps to get there. In order to get where you want to be, you have to set out a goal and a plan. Don’t expect to jump from start to finish in one step. Anything worth having or working toward takes time and effort.  In many cases, people get very discouraged by the amount of time it may take to fulfil their goals. Don’t forget – START SMALL.

Start by creating a long-term goal and create small milestones to help you reach that ultimate goal. Once you do this, each ‘smaller’ step seems within reach. You can’t run before you can walk! Once you begin completing these smaller milestones, you will get instant gratification! With each step, you will be motivated to keep moving and keep progressing forward. When you start seeing progress, you want to keep going! As you can imagine, this gets you into the habit of consistently succeeding. Once it becomes habit, everything seems to fall into place - it will be second nature.

Before you know it, you will have your long-term goal completed! This will make you want to take greater risk and really challenge yourself. You don’t have to completely change your life at once, but instead take small steps to get to where you want to be. You will have your goals reached before you know it.

When you have a bad workout...

You know what I mean, those horrible workouts that you barely can make it through. Whether you had a bad day, you are tired and sore, everything around you is bugging you, or you have a lot on your mind – you still manage to push through your workout. It may not be as great as you’d like it to be, but you pushed through. You are dedicated and you put in the time, but sometimes you have an ‘off day’. It’s okay! It happens!

Only you are in charge of your thoughts and emotions. Don’t blame your bad workout on anyone else or any problems you may be facing. All famous athletes must separate themselves from their lives to perform their best every day. It’s easy to point fingers, but look within and push yourself to do better. If you had a bad workout today, challenge yourself to make tomorrow’s workout even better! By pushing yourself to the max tomorrow, you won’t even remember how horrible it was today. It is up to you to remain positive when being faced with hard times. It may be difficult, but you can’t dwell on the negatives. Choose to be positive and your mood and actions will follow suit.

As I’m sure you have heard, things happen for a reason. This is even the case for bad workouts. Not everything goes perfectly as planned, which is why we have to adjust and keep pushing. One bad workout can really get you focused and get your motivation roaring for next time! Use this bad workout as fuel to reach your goals. After all, it’s part of the process.

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Why is swimming not a Spectator Sport?

If you are new to swimming and you find that the bleachers are sparse, don’t fret! Yes, football stadiums and basketball games might get more fans but swimming falls into a category of itself. Although not many swim meets are watched regularly, the Olympic swimming is one of the most-watched Olympic sports. Here is a couple reasons why swimming isn’t typically a spectator sport.

1.       Terminology. Swim meets have a very different scoring system that is difficult for spectators to understand. There is also use of many unknown technical terms. If you don’t have full understanding of something, it is less likely you will enjoy watching it.

2.       Time. If you have ever experienced a swim meet, you know that it lasts majority of the day. There are many different events which also accounts for the long day of swimming. If you combine this with lack of knowledge on the sport, it could be dreadful to watch.

3.       Team Sport. Although this is considered to be a team sport, there is a lot of individual work.  Each swimmer swims different events, but competes as a team. However, the relay race is more team-like.  In other sports, fans enjoy watching the whole team at once which swimming doesn't offer.

Although these are majority of the reasons that swimming isn’t a spectator sport, it all comes down to lack of publicity. It is not often that you see swimming on billboards or on commercials publicizing the upcoming event. With these reasons combined, swimming is not typically a popular spectator sport. What do you think could help bring in more fans? Comment below!

Review your Swimming

Did you know that NBA players are constantly watching their basketball games afterwards? They watch to see what they need to improve on and how to make their plays more successful. Swimmers should incorporate this into their training as well instead of just at the end of the year. By reviewing your swimming throughout the season, you can achieve more success and reduce errors.

Often times, practices can be boring and swimmers lose interest. During practice, you may not have a sense of direction or desire. If you begin replaying your competitions regularly, you can relive your passion and let it drive you. If you are constantly watching your meets you can get a grasp on your performances and get greater consistency. This serves as a great reminder of what your goals are and where you are currently. 

Another great benefit from reviewing your swimming is that is a record of your progress. Have you heard the quote, “Day to day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?” Progress is such an important thing to track and it’s great to look back to see how far you’ve come. When you realize how far you have come, you can visualize how far you can go! You’ll be on track in no time to reach your goals.

 

Try incorporating swim fins or some pull buoys or weights to advance your training! If you are looking for more of an aerobic workout, grab some barbell floats, resistance hand bars, or wrist/ankle weights!