I’ve skipped a couple of days updates as I finally made it down to London to see some of the games. While I was there I had the pleasure of meeting some of our ex-Olympians among other ex-swimmers and current coaches and support staff. Obviously the disappointing medal tally and lack of great individual performances [...]
Breaking the 10000 Hour Rule
July 11, 2012 by 3 Comments
What is the 10000 Hour Rule? According to Anders Ericsson, it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a genuine expert or, in the case of swimming, to become a world class swimmer. Can you break this rule? Performers are made, not born What the 10000 hour rule is really saying [...]
Developing a Healthy Competitive Mindset
June 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
What does it mean to be competitive? We tend to think of people for whom winning is everything, perhaps will do anything to get one up on someone else, or gain at the expense of others. I don’t know many people in swimming that are competitive to the point of being destructive to others. I [...]
Do I Have to Set Goals?
May 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment
If you believe the multitude of success gurus that have sprung up on the web you might believe that setting goals is absolutely essential for performance and happiness. Don’t get me wrong. Goal setting is a very useful skill. Used well it helps focus your energy, think more clearly and build confidence. But goal setting [...]
Goal Setting for Competitive Swimming
April 5, 2012 by 3 Comments
Why use Goal Setting? People tend to equate goal setting with motivation, and tougher goals with higher levels of motivation, but that’s a simplistic view that can lead to ineffective goal setting, anxiety and problems with confidence. On the other hand, effective goal setting can help swimmers: Focus on the right things at the right [...]
Performance Review: An Essential Skill for Competitive Swimmers
March 14, 2012 by 4 Comments
Reviewing your performance is one of the key skills that a young swimmer can learn. After all, how else do you know what to work on to improve? That’s what matters – continual improvement – whether you’re an agre grouper or an Olympian. I used to envy the guys that could throw away a bad [...]
What’s the Ideal Level of Arousal for Swimming Performance?
January 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s long been believed that there’s an ideal level of physiological arousal for performance (the ‘Inverted U’ Hypothesis), and more recently that each individual has their own level (e.g. IZOF). However, even the view that each person has their own ideal level of arousal is simplistic. Whatever your level of physiological arousal, this can be [...]
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