8 Step Process and Mental Training

We may be out of a practice pool for a few days because of hazardous weather but that does not mean you cannot do some very important training. Actually, the most important training is training of the mind. The following is an exercise and a visualization review of our 8-step process.

For your races write down your splits needed to reach your goal time. Focus on the effort and technique needed to hit those splits.

(Visualization part 1). Mental exercise.

Close your eyes, swim your race in your head paying attention to every detail, every stroke, kick, breath, turn and finish. If you want to have some fun, get a stopwatch and time yourself swimming the race in your head. See how close you can get to your target time. Do this over and over again to see how close you can get your imagination to real time.

(Visualization part 2). The process.

Imagine our 8-step process as an analog watch where the first 4 points are the hour and minute hands and the second 4 points are represented by the second hand. This “watch” sits inside a wheel rolling forward.

Goals provide the direction. Technique controls the motion. Strength for that technique provides the power. Endurance provides the continuation of the power for the technique needed to reach your goals. That is the minutes and hours rotation over days, weeks, months, and years.

For the seconds hand rotation, imagine the compass as a wheel with four holes rotating forward each minute of each day. The 4 points of N- nutrition, E- exercise, S-sleep, and W- hydration take turns filling up at the top and pouring out at the bottom.

When nutrition is at the top you pay attention to that and fill up. As the wheel rolls forward the nutrition spills out or is burned up and completely poured out by the time it is a the bottom. As the wheel continues to rotate you fill up again once nutrition is at the top. The same process happens for the E, S and W points as well.

(Visualization part 3)

“The wheels on the bus go round and round”…Ask yourself, how well am I doing at keeping all the wheels on my bus inflated?

Coach Chris